Fundamantal Principles of Ayurveda

Ayurveda is an energetic system, which educates us about the emotional and spiritual health as well as knowledge about body functions and disease processes. According to Ayurveda, three fundamental elements doshas, dhatus and malas form the basic structure of a human body:

Doshas: Oversee our biochemical and physiological activities;
Dhatus: Help in formation of all the basic structure of a cellular level;
Malas: Substances that are partly utilized in the body and partly excreted.

All three, address to what is necessary and sufficient to live a healthy life. Any disproportion in them can lead to disease and decay.

In Ayurveda, a balanced individual constitution is the key to a good health. Understanding the fundamentals of your body and surroundings, gives shape to your endeavors to improve your health. According to Ayurveda a strong constitution will give a person the ability to endure the hectic lifestyle, social and personal pressures.

Ayurveda mainly focuses on the physical aspect of life. The man has five senses through which he perceives the external world in five different ways. The sensory organs i.e., ear, nose, tongue, eyes and the skin are our doorways to assimilate the external form of energy.

The Five Elements (Pancha Mahabhutas):
The entire physical universe is divided and classified in five different ways, and they are known as five elements or pancha (five) mahabhutas:

Ether: Can express itself as the space within which everything exists and the space(s) within everything.
Air (Vayu) Can express itself as the gaseous state of matter.
Fire (Agni): Can express itself as transformational energy.
Water (Jala): Can express itself as the liquid state of matter
Earth (Prithvi): Can express itself as the solid state of matter.

Our human body is made up of all these five elements and so it is the external world from where our body replenishes these elements. These five elements are represented in our body by doshas, dhatus and malas.

Ayurvedic Constitutional Types: The 3 Biological Humors or Doshas, of Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

Vata - is the air dosha and refers to "that which moves or blows" in the body. Air cannot be seen with the naked eye but we can see what the wind blows through movement. In the body Vata governs circulation. Vata works through the brain and nervous system, which is responsible for inhalation and exhalation and gives vitality enthusiasm, happiness and joy. In the digestive system it relates to the lower abdomen, mainly the colon where air or gas accumulates. It also governs the spaces between the joints. Vata is said to be the king of disease process because it is the force that pushes the other doshas. Imbalance of Vata will give derangements of the mind like anxiety, nervousness, fear and insomnia. Vata allows for agility, adaptability and enthusiasm. The qualities of Vata are; dry, light, cold, rough, clear and mobile.

Pitta is the fire dosha and refers to "that which digests." Since fire cannot exist in the body without destroying it, Pitta exists mainly in an acid form and hot liquids like blood and digestive juices. It governs all aspects of light and warmth in the body and mind; it digests ideas as well as food and is responsible for absorption and assimilation in the small intestine and liver. Pitta governs reason, perception and discrimination. Its main emotional disturbance is the heated condition of anger. When air begins to move, it produces friction, which generates heat or fire. Fire is radiant energy that is active and changeable. It is associated with light and vision and intelligence.

Kapha is combined of water and earth and literally refers to "that which sticks." It is the glue that holds the cells together and energy that forms the bodys structure. It provides for proper lubrication and discharge of secretions. In the body it governs mucus membranes. Kapha provides strength, vigor and stability. Psychologically it governs feeling, emotion, love, calmness and forgiveness. Its imbalance is attachment and greed. It represents the holding on to things in the mind, which cause imbalance to the psyche. The qualities of Kapha are heavy, slow, oily, damp, smooth, soft, static, viscous and sweet.

Synergistically, these 3 doshas govern all the bodys metabolic activities. Kapha builds the body and is responsible for the creation and growth of cells and considered the 1^st stage of life as in childhood. Pitta is the 2^nd stage of life or adulthood, where vitality and productivity are most apparent. Pitta regulates the metabolism of digestion and absorption. Vata signals catabolism, which is the deterioration of the aging process where larger molecules are broken down into smaller ones. This is why Vata is considered the king of diseases, because its imbalance of air disturbs and moves the other doshas.

Dhatus:
Seven dhatus are also formed from the five elements, which represent basic tissue elements in the body:

1) Rasa or chyle, including lymph
2) Rakta or the hemoglobin fraction of the blood
3) Mamsa or muscle tissue
4) Medas or fat tissue
5) Asthi or bone tissue
6) Majja or bone marrow
7) Shukra or the sperm in male and ovum in female

Malas:
They are represented by the waste products like stool, urine and sweat. Ayurveda states that for the well being of a human body it is essential that the waste products or any unnecessary cellular metabolites be elimination. Constipation causes disease not only in the gastrointestinal tract but also in other parts of the body. In diseases like lumbago, rheumatism, sciatica, paralysis, bronchitis and asthma it's essential for good bowel movement even before any Ayurveda treatment can be started. Similarly it's essential to drink enough water to pass urine atleast six times a day.

While Allopathic medicine considers body and mind as separate and independent, ayurveda looks at human beings as an essential part of the great universe, always considering disease as imbalance. Health is hence considered as a dynamic balance within a person's body, mind and spirit, and his or her environment. In recent years western cultures have also begun accepting the importance of Ayurveda in the form herbal medicine and thus giving more importance to a healthy lifestyle.