Ayurveda, has been a curious subject in my life. I’d always wanted to learn about it, fortunately, I picked up two best books from Rishikesh.
Ayurveda, is not new for Indians, we all have encountered use of natural medicines during sickness or in daily chores. If you are looking forward to familiarize yourself with the concept of Ayurveda, and want to have a basic understanding of how the ancient medicines fixes the root cause of an issue, these books are for you.
First in Order : Prakriti
This books provides an holistic overview on Prakriti, translates to constituent nature.
“Prakriti” introduces us to the world of Ayurveda, diagnostics, remedial and the impact of imbalance of the driving forces within our body, i.e
- Vat (Air)
- Pitta (Fire)
- Kapha (Semi-Solid)
Ayurveda is not one solution fits all
It tailors solutions based on our congenital nature, our food habits, daily routines and while treating the root cause of the issue, caused by the imbalance of with Vat, Pitta or Kapha.
The constituent body elements are determined by the digestive fire in our gut. So if someone has good digestive fire, (i.e higher Pitta) he/she can easily digest food, have good metabolism and is characterized by lean body and oily skin.
I was surprised to learn that the three elements, also have an impact on our behavior, food habits and diseases. For example, I analyzed that I had Vat(air) component as the dominating force in my body, hence I am characterized by very dry skin, curly hair, uneven teeth and fluctuating temperament.
This book explains which foods to eat based on one’s prakriti, explaining the constituent elements of food too. This helps you to become aware of what you should eat and which food aggravates the element, that causes imbalance of the elements.
“Prakriti” provides a solid foundation to understand Ayurveda. A step further, if we are to incorporate Ayurveda’s home remedies into our daily life, I recommend
Second in Order : “Everyday Ayurveda” by Dr. Bhaswati Bhattacharya.
Apply only those substance on your body that you can consume.
– Everyday Ayurveda
This line has stayed with me, forever. While reaching out to body lotions, I’ve started to steer away to coconut oil or sesame oil. Our skins also absorb the chemicals in the lotions, that get into our bloodstreams. I found this information very insightful and worrisome too.
Just like the simple lotion example, I’ve started finding and using natural alternatives to the packed cosmetics.
Everyday Ayurveda introduces elements of Ayurveda chronologically, to infuse it in our daily chores, from awakening to sleeping.
I think that using natural remedies requires an effort. For example, if I want to moisturize my skin, I need to have a healthy aloe vera plant to care for, and then make the effort to pick the leaf and apply it to my face.
That’s lot more work than just picking up a tube of aloe gel from the store! Once we pick up the habit of using natural remedies and seeing a profound impact on skin and overall wellbeing, it is difficult to get back to the packed cosmetics.
These books are great to read, if you’ve started to explore Ayurveda and I hope you also embark on the journey to embrace natural substances over packaged substances.
