GETTING STARTED WITH AYURVEDA

I realised that I have been using many Ayurvedic terms in my posts without really explaining what they mean. So, in this post, I will try and give some basic and practical information about Ayurveda, in a logical manner which would enable you to read my recipes and posts in a more meaningful way. In fact, I know only a few more things than what I have written below and yet I have been able to comfortably incorporate Ayurveda in my life to a reasonable extent.

Ayurveda: Ayurveda (Ayur=Life; Veda=Wisdom/Knowledge) is an ancient, natural and holistic healing science from India rooted in the ancient scripture of the Atharva Veda and was developed by the rishis (seers) through a deep understanding of the Universe and nature. Other very important Ayurvedic texts are the Chraka Samhita and the Sushruta Samhita. Ayurveda emphasizes on the connectedness of the Universe and its elements and provides guidance on achieving balance of body, mind and spirit through diet and lifestyle. One very unique aspect of Ayurveda is that its recommendations for diet and lifestyle are unique for every person depending upon what their Ayurvedic constitution (explained later in this post) is. 

The Pancha Maha Bhutas: The Five Great Elements: The physical Universe is the manifested form of consciousness and is made up of the Pancha Maha Bhutas – The Five Great Elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether. Human being is a microcosm of the Universe with the five elements residing in the human body – Earth in form of all solid structures like bones, muscles, nails, Water in liquid forms like mucus membranes, plasma, Fire in form of transformation through metabolism, Air in form of movements within the body like beating of the heart, expansion and contraction of lungs and Ether, the space within which it all resides.

Tridosha: The three doshas: The above five elements are represented in the human body in form of three humors or principles or doshas – Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Every humor has one primary element and a secondary element.
Table 1:

Dosha	Primary Element	Secondary Element
Vata	Air	Ether
Pitta	Fire	Water
Kapha	Water	Earth

Prakruti: Prakruti or what is commonly referred to as the 'basic Ayurvedic constitution' is determined at the time of your conception depending on the combination of the doshas in the bodies of the parents. People will rarely have a constitution of a single dosha or a completely balanced constitution of all three doshas. Usually, people will have all three doshas in varying amounts. However, usually two will be more predominant and the third will be insignificant. Among the two predominant ones, one will be primary and the other with be secondary and therefore, such dual constitutions are described in terms of two most prevalent doshas example: Vata-Pitta, Pitta-Kapha etc. The inherent physical, physiological and psychological characteristics of these dual doshas will get reflected in your personality. Dual dosha constitution is the most common. Below are the characteristics associated with different doshas and it is worth noting how these resemble the primary element of their respective dosha.

Characteristics associated with Vata: Dry, small, dull, brown or black eyes; dry frizzy, thin brown or black hair; minimal body hair; frame is usually thin, very tall or very short; flat chested; protruding joints; dry, rough, cold, darkish skin wrinkling early in life; brittle and dry nails; dry and hard faeces; do not sweat much; don't sleep well; speak fast; learn quickly and forget quickly; physically very active; usually have cold hands and feet; uncomfortable in cold weather; cannot hold on to money; impulsive; irregular daily routines; unstable; prone to disease; high energy in short bursts; tire easily; When in balance, natural state is creative, lively, joyful enthusiastic, perceptive and spiritual; When out of balance: mood swings, restless, nervous, scattered thoughts; When under stress Vatas fear, worry, and become anxious. 

Characteristics associated with Pitta: Sharp, piercing, hazel or green eyes; auburn or red, soft hair; bald early in life; moderate body hair; medium, athletic and toned frame; oily, warm, fair, soft, reddish skin with freckles or moles; pink, clear and flexible nails; oily, soft and loose faeces; sweat a lot; sleep okay and moderately; digestion is very strong; great appetite and cannot handle hunger for too long; need to frequently drink water; uncomfortable in hot weather; focused; sharp mind and good concentration powers; assertive, self-confident; competitive and enjoy challenges; sharp speech; When in balance, natural state is bright, intelligent, passionate, successful with good management and leadership abilities; When out of balance: aggressive, demanding, short tempered, irritable, judgemental, impatient and pushy; When under stress, Pittas become irritated and angry.

Characteristics associated with Kapha: Large, clear, wet, attractive blue or black eyes with thick eye lashes; thick, oily, wavy dark or light hair; hairy body; large, voluptuous, heavy and strong frame; thick, oily, smooth, soft and pale skin; strong clear nails; heavy, oily and thick faeces; sleep deep and heavy and have tendency to oversleep; steady appetite; drink very little water; not comfortable in cold, damp weather; easygoing; relaxed; stable, reliable and loyal; slow learners with excellent memory; save money very well and self sufficient; slow but steady and enduring; slow and soft speech; sluggish digestion; excellent health, good immune system; When in balance, natural state is gentle, calm, peace loving, nurturing, forgiving, maternal, compassionate, non judgemental and loving; When out of balance: Prone to depression, lazy, greedy, attached, lethargic; When under stress Kaphas are jealous and possessive.

The basic Ayurvedic constitution or the prakruti remains the same throughout your life and depending on what your prakruti is, you will have certain inherent inclinations. Though these inherent inclinations remain the same throughout the life, the external environment around you like food, weather, lifestyle etc. will keep changing and this external environment will have different effects on individuals with different doshas. For example, summer season will affect a Pitta adversely but not a Kapha. A crazy busy lifestyle will affect Vata adversely but not a Kapha. Heavy foods will affect Kapha adversely but not a Vata. The knowledge of your internal constitution will help you balance the changes in the external environment by designing a diet and lifestyle which suits your internal constitution and external environment. When there is imbalance of doshas in your body, it is called as vikruti. As a general rule, you should reduce those foods and activities which aggravate your inherently high doshas and increase foods and activities which are opposite to your inherently high doshas. With reference to the various tables used in this post, the up arrow indicates aggravation and the down arrow indicates pacification.  

You can determine your constitution accurately by consulting an experienced Ayurvedic practitioner. However, if you do not want to spend money, then there are many 'tests' or 'check lists' or 'questionnaires' on the internet which help you determine your constitution fairly accurately. A fail safe way is to take this test on five different websites and see if it gives the same results. Usually it does. But if you get mixed results or if you want to be completely sure, then it is better to see an Ayurvedic practitioner.

Taste: The concept of taste in Ayurveda is threefold – Rasa, Virya and Vipak. Rasa is what we call taste in common parlance and which we feel on the tongue. There are six tastes according to Ayurveda and each taste aggravates or pacifies specific doshas. Vata is aggravated the most by the bitter taste, Pitta is aggravated the most by the sour taste and Kapha is aggravated the most by the sweet taste. Virya is the hot or cold sensation which you feel inside your stomach when the food enters the stomach. And finally, Vipak is the post digestive effect with three tastes – Sweet, Sour and Pungent. Sweet vipak increases Kapha and helps in nourishing the body (anabolism). Sour vipak increases Pitta and helps improve digestion (metabolism). Pungent viapaka increases Vata and helps the deterioration processes in the body (catabolism). Following tables shows the effects of different tastes on different doshas:
Table 2:

Rasa	Virya	Vipak	Vata	Pitta	Kapha
Sweet	Cold	Sweet	↓	↓	↑
Sour	Hot	Sour	↓	↑	↑
Salty	Hot	Sweet	↓	↑	↑
Pungent	Hot	Pungent	↑	↑	↓
Bitter	Cold	Pungent	↑	↓	↓
Astringent	Cold	Pungent	↑	↓	↓

When a food does not follow the above rules, it is called prabhav, an exception to the rules. For example, honey, even though sweet in rasa, has a hot virya instead of cold. Lime, even though sour in rasa, has a cold virya instead of hot. Even though foods with different tastes aggravate or pacify different doshas, you must include all tastes and foods with all doshas in your daily diet. Only its proportions will vary according to your prakruti and the external environment. Because of the intense assault of extreme tastes which we have faced in the past decades through processed and commercially grown foods, our tongues have been desensitized to a great extent and this makes it difficult for us to precisely determine the taste of a certain food item. In this spreadsheet, I have collected information from various different sources about the different foods and its effects on doshas which is based on the above rules of taste and the below rules of the 20 gunas. Use this spreadsheet as guidance but in your everyday life, try and find out this same information through your own experience.

20 gunas: 20 attributes: The entire physical Universe is duality of opposites – Shiva and Shakti, Yin and Yang. As per Ayurveda, all things, subtle and gross, tangible and intangible are made up of 20 attributes or 10 opposites. Following is the table showing how each attribute affects the doshas:
Table 3:

Sr. No.	Attribute (Guna)	Vata	Pitta	Kapha	Agni
1	Heavy (guru)	↓	↓	↑	↓
2	Light (laghu)	↑	↑	↓	↑
3	Hot (ushna)	↓	↑	↓	↑
4	Cold (sita)	↑	↓	↑	↓
5	Hard (kathina)	↑	↓	↑	↓
6	Soft (mrudu)	↓	↑	↑	↓
7	Slow (manda)	↓	↓	↑	↓
8	Sharp (tikshna)	↑	↑	↓	↑
9	Clear (vishada)	↑	↑	↓	↑
10	Cloudy (avila)	↓	↓	↑	↓
11	Static (sthira)	↓	↓	↑	↓
12	Mobile (chala)	↑	↑	↓	↑
13	Slimy (slakshna)	↓	↑	↑	↓
14	Rough (khara)	↑	↓	↓	↑
15	Subtle (sukshma)	↑	↑	↓	↑
16	Gross (sthula)	↓	↓	↑	↓
17	Oily (snigda)	↓	↑	↑	↓
18	Dry (ruksha)	↑	↓	↓	↑
19	Dense (sandra)	↓	↓	↑	↓
20	Liquid (drava)	↓	↑	↑	↓

Agni: Another very central concept to Ayurveda is that of Agni. In Ayurveda, agni (fire) is likened to digestion because just like fire, digestion transforms as well, using the different digestive juices, acids and enzymes. What happens when the fire/heat is not enough? You do not get the desired output and the fuel stays unburnt. What happens if the fire/heat is too strong? It burns and destroys. Similarly, what happens when digestive agni is not enough? Food remains undigested and therefore, unabsorbed turning into toxins called ama over a period of time and eventually leading to disease. What happens if the digestive agni is too strong? Same thing as when you overcook food. The essential nutrients are destroyed, leading to deficiencies, weakening of immune system, emaciation and consequently, disease. Therefore, the Pitta dosha should be in balance for healthy digestive agni. What helps control fire? Air (Vata) because it kindles fire and Water (Kapha) because it limits fire. So, it follows that besides balanced Pitta, proper balance of Vata and Kapha is also required for healthy digestive agni. Agni is strongest when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, which is usually between 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Agni is also strongest during the summer season.

Three Malas: The three waste products: The three primary waste products or malas as per Ayurveda are faeces, urine and sweat. The texture of your faeces, how much you sweat, the color of your urine will all depend on your constitution (prakruti) and imbalance (vikruti). The optimum production and appropriate elimination of these malas is very important for good health.

Sapta dhatus: The seven bodily tissues: The seven dhatus or tissues support the structure of the body. In the order of formation, these are the Rasa (Plasma), Rakta (Blood), Mamsa (Muscle), Meda (Fat), Asthi (Bone), Majja (Nerves and Marrow) and Shukra (reproductive tissue). The first dhatu, Rasa, receives nourishment from the digested food. Thereafter, every subsequent dhatu receives nourishment from the previous dhatu, the quality of every subsequent dhatu depending on the quality of the previous dhatu and every subsequent dhatu getting more refined than the previous dhatu. Hence when one dhatu is defective, it will affect all the subsequent dhatus. The last dhatu which is shukra – the ovum/sperm dhatu – is the most refined of all the dhatus. The quality of the progeny created from this dhatu will depend upon the quality of the ovum or sperm. The health of the dhatus depends on how balanced the doshas are.

For daily practical implementation of Ayurveda, a very important practice is to be constantly aware of how the five elements (Table 1), three doshas, six tastes (Table 2 and the spreadsheet), 20 attributes (Table 3) and agni are affecting the body and the mind. It is very important to make it a habit to continuously observe the body for sensations (like vipassana) and the movements of the mind and see if you can identify patterns with reference to food, surroundings, company you keep or activities you do.

Examples:

1. If your prakruti has Pitta as the primary dosha, then eating extra spicy food at noon (the time when agni is the strongest during the day) on a hot summer day will aggravate Pitta excessively. The strong agni will burn the foods destroying the nutrition and the excess heat in the body may result into excessive sweating, irritability and impatience. So, for Pittas, it is advisable to have salads in summer which usually pacify Pitta. If you use lime as seasoning in the salad, it will be even better. Pittas have naturally strong agni and it is even stronger in summers. Hence, it is the best time to eat raw vegetables as they would get digested easily and at the same time, you will be able to enjoy the full nutritional benefits of the vegetables.
2. If your prakruti has Vata as the primary dosha, then having a very busy and high pressure lifestyle which involves multitasking (a fake, made up concept) will aggravate Vata excessively resulting into exertion, tiredness, restlessness and possibly, lack of sleep. In such a scenario, it is best for Vata individuals to plan the day properly to reduce anxiety, not do any mind stimulating activities like work or television after 06:00 p.m., drink calming teas like lavender or chamomile during the day and before sleep or take a dip in the pool or bathtub.
3. If your prakruti has Kapha as the primary dosha, then eating a heavy breakfast with cold milk or yoghurt or banana (all Kapha forming foods) on a cold winter morning or a humid spring/monsoon morning (the time of the day when agni is just waking up) will douse the agni resulting into undigested food, poor absorption and dullness. For a Kapha individual, it would be better to have a light breakfast. If you eat muesli with milk, it would be better to have less dense milks like oat or rice and have the muesli in hot milk. Also, you can add spices which go well with muesli like fresh ground cardamom or cinnamon and ginger which will help in kindling of agni.

All the above information is good for guidance but nothing is more authoritative than the knowing which you gain from within by honestly observing the body and the mind. Please don't follow Ayurveda like the modern obsessive military diet/health regimes. Please don't enforce it upon yourself or worse even, force someone else to follow it. You are only going to do damage and violence to yourself or that other person respectively. Don't base your decisions relating to diet and lifestyle purely on the basis of what Ayurveda suggests while totally ignoring the body's intelligence. Don't let the overpowering mind prevent you from truly listening to your body's intelligence. I feel a balanced approach is to use Ayurveda's wisdom as guidance and at the same time learn from your own experience. Ayurveda is a subtle science. Although the information exists outside, let the knowing come from within.

Some people use Ayurveda as an excuse to avoid or take on foods or activities which in reality are the reflections of their prejudices. Such mind induced, convenient interpretation of Ayurveda to me is similar to fanatics manipulating religious teachings to suit their own needs. Be honest. Be conscious. Be aware. Since I am writing this, I might give you an impression that I follow Ayurvedic principles perfectly. I do not believe I do. I stray sometimes too. Everybody does. But the realisation that you have strayed is a good start! You laugh at yourself, you learn your lessons and move on. I will end this post with a very beautiful description of a healthy person given in the Sushruta Samhita:

Sama dosha samagnis ca sama dhatu mala kriya prasannatmendriya manah svastha ityabhidiyate

"One who is established in Self, who has balanced doshas, balanced agni, properly formed dhatus, proper elimination of malas, well functioning bodily processes and whose mind, soul and senses are full of bliss, is called a healthy person."

FOOD WISDOM #3

The art of cooking begins with sea salt and crackling fire. When food is prepared by someone sensitive to the fundamentals of cookery, it maintains its natural flavour. If, by being cooked, food takes on some strange and exotic flavour, and if the purpose of this change is merely to delight the palate, this is false cooking.

                                                                                                                         -Masanobu Fukuoka