7 THINGS THAT MAKES AYURVEDA UNIQUE

Ayurveda is a holistic health science. Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word which means a science or knowledge of life. Every passing second many new things gets invented in the whole wide world but very few of them sustain the competition due to their uniqueness. Even after few thousand years of its existence Ayurveda is still relevant & highly useful due to its uniqueness. So let’s discuss about distinctive things in Ayurveda which makes it so special;
- Basic Principles of Ayurveda
Every science has some basic principles so does the Ayurveda & these very basic principles make Ayurveda unique. All these principles are directly related with one’s diseased & healthy conditions. Every Ayurvedic treatment is given only after considering all these principles to treat the condition from root. Some of them are as following;
- Principle of Tridosha– Body is made up of three Humours i.e. Vata, Pitta & Kapha
- Principle of Triguna– Three basic universal energies; Satva, Rajas, & Tamas
- Principle of Trimala– Threetypes of wastes; Purisha (feces), Mutra (urine) & Sweda (sweat)
- Principle of Panchamahabhuta– Five basic elements; Prithvi (Earth), Agni (Fire), Jala (Water), Vayu (Air), Akasha (Space)
- Principle of Saptadhatu– seven types of body tissues
- Principle of Trayodashagni– 13 types of digestive fires
- Motto Of Ayurveda
“ स्वस्थस्यस्वास्थ्यरक्षणं |
आतुरस्यविकारप्रशमनंच॥”
i.e. to protect the health of the healthy people and to cure the diseased ones. This motto of Ayurveda is itself an example of uniqueness because of the importance that has been given to prevention in it.
- Daily Regime
From the ideal time to wake up to the ideal time to sleep & everything in between like brushing your teeth, bath rituals, meals & its timings , exercise, massage & always wearing footwear while going outside has been explained very keenly for the people of all physical and geographical diversities. Just by following this regime one can achieve a diseased free long life.
- Seasonal Regime
Different seasonal changes are observed in different countries throughout the year. As one can’t avoid these seasonal changes, its variations will definitely reflects upon one’s health. Ayurveda has described six seasons namely; Shishir, Vasant, Grishma, Varsha, Sharad, Hemant. To cope up with these seasons, six scientific seasonal regimes have been described consisting of diet & lifestyle at length and other little things that contribute to one’s health in a long run. Few of them are types & timings of exercise, dress codes according to seasons, music therapy, aroma therapy, different Panchkarma procedures etc. This concept is very unique in both preventive & therapeutic ways.
- Importance to the Mind
While describing the definition of health Acharya Sushruta stated that,
“Health is a state of individual where there is equilibrium between three biological humors, metabolic fire, all the body tissues and components, all the physiological process like excretion of waste products are in perfect unison and the soul, sensory organs & the mind are in a pleasant state.”
One can observe the importance Ayurveda gives to mental wellbeing just through this definition which is pretty much mirrored by WHO’s definition of health which is, “Health is state of complete physical, mental & social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
Each disease described in Ayurveda is described with role of state of mind in disease pathogenesis & treatment of mind along with the treatment of that disease. Concept of mind, its origin, its nature, its features, the reflected good & bad energies from mind, science behind the mind, are defined in a deep way in Ayurveda. This theory of accurate treatment on the mind, “the invisible but vital part of the body” makes Ayurveda Unique certainly.
- Panchakarma
Panchakarma has always been that distinctive feature of Ayurveda which sets it apart from any other health science. Pancha means Five & Karma means Procedures or actions. Ayurveda has described the five procedures namely Vaman, Virechan, Basti, Nasya & Raktmokshan. These five major procedures along with other minor procedures are best in mind & body healing, detoxification of body, rejuvenation, strengthening the immune system & restoring overall well being of one’s health. Nowadays Due to the improper diet & lifestyle, the metabolism is disturbed almost in everyone. So for detoxification, balancing the body humors & disease free healthy life Panchakarma is the much needed solution for today’s era.
- Alternative Therapies
As the Moto of Ayurveda includes prevention along with treatment of diseases, alternative therapies described in Ayurveda often plays very important role in achieving the same. The Yoga therapy, Music therapy & Aroma therapy are few of these therapies which are on top of the charts of current health trends. These therapies actually benefits in multiple ways to one’s health if done in a proper way and regularly. It shows physical, mental as well as emotional effects on the body. For being healthy & stress free, these therapies are truly a blessing from Ayurveda.