man side-effect that distorts results, Ayurvedic practitioners called Vaidyas, recognize that the power of our belief is something we can harness for deep, heal- ing impact.


A Holistic View of Body/Mind Ayurveda teaches that healing starts


at the level of thought, and illness results from accumulated toxins that undermine the balance of the body. By working at the physical level through diet, yoga, and in- terventions like massage, the toxins can be released and the balance of the doshas restored. Meditation affects healing at the mental level, and a spiritual practice of reverence for all life is encouraged. Ayurveda is ultimately a system for devel- oping and maintaining a balanced body- mind complex, and for living a holistic and integrated life. To understand Ayurveda, one must understand the way this science views the world. In this system, everything on Earth can be seen as a combination of five mas- ter elements, or mahabhutas:


Earth (Prithvi) - structure, solidity, bones; cool, heavy energy that stabilizes


Water (Jala) - cohesive, dissolving, mov- ing; a protective barrier; damp and flow- ing like blood and lymph


Fire (Agni) - hot, sharp, perceptive; me- tabolism, digestive process; fast energy that transforms


Air (Vayu) - changeable, gaseous, dizzy- ing; the realm of thought; dry, cold en- ergy that moves


Ether (Akasha) - pure potential, spirit realm; a clear, light, subtle energy that encompasses all things


The master elements are further dis- tilled into three primary doshas, or energy types, that represent specific combinations of these elements. Each dosha combines two of the five master elements:


Vatta (ether & air) - dry, cold, change- able; controls all movement in the body


Pitta (fire & water) - hot, damp, driven; controls metabolic functions and energy


Kapha (earth & water) - dense, cold, oily; controls the formation of cells and body


structures


These doshas govern all physical and mental processes of the human body. Ev- eryone is born with a “doshic blueprint” that is set at conception: an individual mixture of the five master elements. If a person is lightly built, with irregular fea- tures, dry skin, coarse hair, and a ten- dency towards constipation, that person would be said to have a vatta constitution. Someone with a muscular build, lots of energy, a strong appetite, and a tendency towards heartburn and indigestion (and possibly fits of rage), would likely be pitta dosha. A stocky person with a tendency towards overweight, smooth skin, a warm nature, and a need for 8 hours (or more) of sleep every night, would have kapha dosha dominant in their physiology. These doshas are fixed in our inherent constitution, and present in the world around us in the food we eat, the places we dwell, and the activities we engage in. For example, a person who lives in a hot, humid climate experiences pitta dosha (fire + water) when they step outside each day. They may naturally be drawn to cool, bitter salads and sweet, tropical fruits in order to balance the fiery nature of pitta. Conversely, someone who lives in a cold, dry area may choose to eat hot, spicy soup for lunch most days, thus “firing up” pitta dosha to balance exposure to the cold. It may sound like common sense, and


in many ways, achieving balance is about trusting our intuition when making daily choices. The key to using Ayurveda lies in understanding what elemental qualities are prominent in you by nature, and which qualities are being emphasized (and po- tentially aggravated) by your lifestyle.


Prescription for Disease Prevention The focus of Ayurvedic medicine is to restore the balance of elements within the patient’s body and mind. To apply the right curative to a particular ailment, all me- dicinal substances are classified by twenty characteristics, or gunas, which are seen in all things. Qualities such as heavy or light, cold or hot, dull or sharp, static or mobile, smooth or coarse, and others, are ascribed to both the malady and the remedy. Specific herbs and oils are applied with the philosophy that like increases like, and opposite qualities have a reducing effect. For example, flatulence represents an excess of vatta or “wind” in the intes- tines. Eating raw vegetables, which are


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