Ayurveda is a traditional Indian medicine, which can be classified among alternative medicines, which takes into consideration simultaneously the body and the spirit with the aim of achieving well-being, but also of preventing and curing dysfunctions, always of the body and the mind, which result in symptoms and illnesses. Ayurveda is now widely practiced outside its country of origin because this traditional medicine responds to many ills of our current society and allows you to take care of yourself differently than what so-called classical medicines recommend.
Ayurveda is the name given to a traditional medicine practiced for a very long time (more than 5,000 years) in India. Also referred to as Ayurvedic medicine. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines traditional medicine as "the sum of knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences specific to different cultures, and which are used to prevent, diagnose, relieve or treat physical and mental suffering".
In Indo-European language, Ayurveda comes from the word ayur which means "life" and from veda which means "science" or "knowledge". This traditional medicine, which is also more broadly a philosophy of life or an art of living, is based on the principle that the human being, like everything that constitutes nature, is composed of 5 major elements, in different proportions according to the individuals:ether, air, fire, water and earth.
Each of these major elements has a meaning and characterizes the body and the mind, which are closely linked in this traditional Indian medicine:
Ayurveda therefore considers these elements, ether, air, fire, water and earth, to constitute what are called doshas, that is to say vital energies which regulate the physiological and psychological processes of human beings. These doshas are three in number and are each composed of two main elements:
Over the course of a lifetime, each of these doshas transforms and evolves according to its environment, activities, diet, illnesses, drug treatments, etc.
Ayurvedic medicine considers that each individual has a dosha that predominates over the others and thus defines an "Ayurvedic profile". When the 3 doshas are balanced, it means that a person is healthy.
The practice of Ayurveda is based on the knowledge of the doshas of which an individual is composed. These define and point in particular the imbalances of his body and his mind and make it possible to describe the diseases or affections from which the person is likely to suffer. This traditional Indian medicine aims for a better knowledge of oneself, an understanding of one's imbalances, why one suffers from certain diseases, and it is adapted to the needs of each individual.
This is why Ayurveda is more of a preventive medicine. The principle is to ensure the right balance of your doshas by adopting good behavior to have a healthy life in terms of food, hygiene, living environment, etc.
Ayurveda considers an individual as a whole, that is to say his physical and his mental, and when a disease occurs, this traditional medicine aims to rebalance this whole to regain good health. This traditional medicine does not cure the disease, the symptoms of which are indicators of a general imbalance, but the sick person as a whole.
The medical practices linked to Ayurveda, based in particular on aromatherapy, massage, meditation, or even yoga, aim, on the one hand, to prevent health problems, but also, on the other hand , to cure them. Concretely, this traditional medicine contributes:
It takes a patient about 3 Ayurveda sessions to already see expected results based on their Ayurvedic profile. These sessions are provided by professionals of this traditional medicine who fall into three categories as indicated by the Association of trained and certified Ayurveda professionals in France:in terms of assessments and advice, consultant-advisors, health educators and nutrition advisors; in terms of care, expert body therapists in Ayurvedic care, energy specialists and body therapists; finally, some of these Ayurveda professionals specialize in yoga or Ayurvedic cooking.
