Ayurvedic Physiology

    I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Spending time, taking pause, and being grateful for all that we have. I know it goes so fast and then we are thrown into the hustle of the holidays hours later. But remember to keep a piece of that with you. It's needed for our body and mind.

    November has been another intense month of studying in Ayurveda. Easily a lifelong practice and study! I'm taking it all in! So much information and concepts are being covered and tested. We covered physiology, a branch of biology that deals with the normal functions of living organisms and their parts. Most notably, taking into consideration that the human body is a mirror of our physical surroundings. The space we inhabit, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the heat of the sun, and the earth underneath our feet. These are some examples of the physiological structures outside the body reflected in our elemental compositions.

    I've learned about so many functions and relationships that go beyond your traditional biology class, and learning the energies and reasons behind them. I love how Ayurveda is so complex, yet so simple once you start putting the pieces together! I'm going to get a little technical with you and throw in some new words..

    Prakriti is one of the highlights this month, and one of the most fun for me so far. It's widely described as your constitution, or the composition. But it's much more than that. It's the baseline of balance that each unique individual can go back to, to achieve the highest possible health for that individual. It is established at the moment of conception, and doesn't change although it can be modified. No two individuals are exactly the same. It is comprised of doshas.

    The baseline of balance that each individual can go back to. That is one of our goals. To prevent & treat imbalances. Which is why this concept is so important!

    There are three doshas, or energies that govern the functions of the body. They are Vata, Pitta and Kapha, which I'll talk about in another post. While modern medicine is based on the structure of the body (and is very much needed!), Ayurveda is based on the energies behind that structure. The panca mahabhutas, or five great elements give rise to the three doshas. Reminding us all again that nature and humans are so intertwined. These doshas do not create any disease on it's own, but can easily go out of balance, which is the meaning of the word. 

    Our class is starting our first main assignment of taking 10 or more people and practicing our determination of their Prakriti. This involves a pretty deep questionnaire, including physical features, function of the body, sleep, activities, preferences and more. We won't always need an in depth questionnaire to figure this out, and I'm told it will be quicker to determine Prakriti as our schooling progresses. I'm excited to begin this weekend with my first volunteer! We will be able to give a few tips to stay in balance and bring awareness to their unique self - body & mind. Cool, right?! 

    Two of my willing volunteers will be with me on this journey throughout the next few months as we learn more in depth and specific aspects of Ayurveda. 

    Thanks for taking a moment to learn a little Ayurveda with me!