We started our Ayurveda retreat beginning of January … New begining of the year with PanchaKarma & Yoga. TO DETOX OUR BODY MIND AND SPIRIT.
Travel to India 2023
Actually I still be in India, blessed every day by being here, receiving daily ayurveda treatments, marma massages, practising daily yoga and holding ayurvedic diet.
Its beautiful experience to be back … in authentic, spiritual India and experience all kind of treatments and Indian culture.
Our Ayurveda treatment started with an internal purification process, followed by a special diet, herbal remedies, massage therapy, yoga, and meditation in beautiful place called Kovalam. It’s my 2nd time doing panchakarma treatment here and 3th year of learning about ayurveda, experiencing now all kind of treatments on my body. Its so beautiful to receive everyday massages, and learn about ayurveda in India.
What is Ayurveda?
The concepts of universal interconnectedness, the body's constitution (PRAKRTI), and life forces (DOSHAS) are the primary basis of ayurvedic medicine. The name “Ayurveda” is derived from two words in Sanskrit, “AYUH” meaning “life” or “longevity” and “VEDA” meaning “science” or “sacred knowledge.” Ayurveda’s definition therefore roughly translates as “the science of longevity” or “the sacred knowledge of life.”
AYURVEDA (the science of longevity)
PRAKRTI (body's constitution)
DOSHAS (life forces)
PRAKRTI (7 basic constitutional types):
Vata: A greater amount of vata, lesser amounts of pitta and kapha.
Pitta: A greater amount of pitta, lesser amounts of vata and kapha.
Kapha A greater amount of kapha, lesser amounts of vata and pitta.
Vata - Pitta or Pitta - Vata: Greater amounts of both vata and pitta, a lesser amount of kapha.
Pitta - Kapha or Kapha - Pitta: Greater amounts of both pitta and kapha, a lesser amount of vata.
Kapha - Vata or Vata - Kapha: Greater amounts of both vata and kapha, a lesser amount of pitta.
Tridoshic: Vata - Pitta - Kapha: Equal amounts of all three doshas within the body.
3 DOSHAS
Vata (air & space)
Pitta ((fire & water)
Kapha (earth & water)
Ayurveda is more than just a popular form of alternative medicine. It is a system of holistic healing unlike any other. Thought to be over 5000 years old, Ayurvedic medicine teaches us to see the world as it relates to the elements or doshas. According to Ayurveda, everyone is born with a mixture of these three doshas. Determining your primary dosha is the first step towards finding your optimal state of balanced, natural health.
At its root, Ayurveda is a holistic tradition and way of living that can help each of us to claim and celebrate our capacity for wellness.
Ayurveda can help us:
Sync up with our truest inner nature
Honore and develop our strengths
Redirect detrimental tendencies
Maintain balance in the face of adversity
In other words, Ayurveda is not simply about taking an herbal formula and waiting for the results. Instead, Ayurveda encourages you to be an active participant in your own journey toward healing.
Ayurveda recognises 5 elements as the fundamental building blocks of nature.
5 MAHABHUTAS (nature):
Earth
Water
Fire
Air
Ether (Space)
Every substance contains all 5 of these ELEMENTS (mahabhutas). That said, in a given substance, one or two elements are typically predominant over the others. Ayurveda also identifies 20 qualities (GUNAS) that can be used to describe every substance or experience. These qualities are organised into the following ten pairs of opposites.
20 GUNAS (qualities):
Heavy / Light
Slow (Dull) / Sharp (Penetrating)
Cold / Hot
Oily / Dry
Smooth / Rough
Dense / Liquid
Soft / Hard
Stable / Mobile
Gross / Subtle
Cloudy (Sticky) / Clear
The concept of the Five Great Elements (Pancha Mahabhutas) and the doctrine of the Three Doshas (Tridosha) must be thoroughly understood for they form the basis of Ayurvedic diagnosis and treatment of disease. Several other fundamental concepts then follow in importance which provide for a full appreciation and understanding of the theory and application of Ayurveda. One of these concepts is that of the seven tissues, or dhatus, of the body. These seven basic and vital tissues together comprise the entire structure of the body; they maintain the function of the body's various cells, organs and systems. These seven tissues have the following names and functions:
7 DHATUS (The Seven Tissues)
Rasa (Plasma) - Contains nutrients from digested foods
Rakta (Blood - specifically the hemoglobin fraction of the red blood cells) - Governs oxygenation of a tissues; maintains tendons and blood vessels.
Mamsa (Muscle) - Provides movements; maintains physical strength; nourishes the skin; protects the internal organs.
Meda (Fat) - Maintains the lubrication of all tissues and promotes normal sweat function.
Asthi (Bone) - Supports the body; maintains teeth, hair, and nails.
Majja (Bone Marrow + Nerve Tissue) - Promotes immunity, carries motor and sensory impulses.
Sukra (Reproductive tissues) - Maintains function of the reproductive tissues and organs, promotes libido. Sexual essence.
These 7 dhatus are each composed of the five mahabhutas (elements) in different proportions. Earth predominates in muscle, bone marrow, and fat tissues.
Water predominates in plasma and reproductive tissues.
Fire predominates in blood (hemoglobin) tissue.
Air predominates in Bone.
Space is ubiquitous and permeates all seven tissues.
Then there are the 3 DOSHAS (bodily humors) or some combination of them, can be identified in various seasons, climates, landscapes, activities, plants, and animals. Each of them embodies a combination of elements and qualities to create a functional entity an energetic force of nature.
(We also have a state of balance VIKRITI which represents the doshas that are elevated within our body at a given time).
Knowing both your Ayurvedic constitution and your current state of balance is incredibly helpful. This knowledge will allow you to adjust the most basic components of your day like how you exercise or when you eat to better support your overall well-being.
However, there are key differences between the doshas that comprise your constitutional makeup and the doshas that can be imbalanced within you. Your constitution influences your physiology, your likes and dislikes, your tendencies and habits, your mental and emotional character, and your vulnerabilities toward imbalance and diseases.
Would like to experience detox Ayurveda & Yoga retreat in India, please contact me for more informations: +34664352215
With love Veronica