The Approach of Ayurveda: For rogis - those who seek health.

As an Ayurvedic Practitioner who has spent, and continues to spend, countless hours studying the amazing science of Ayurveda it can be interesting to hear or read some individual's responses to Ayurveda. Here are some examples below:

• I already know what Ayurveda is, I have looked it up on the internet.

• I took a dosha quiz online, so I already know what to do.

• I already know my dosha so I don't need to see anyone.

• Ayurveda cannot help me with my medical issues.

• Oh yeah, I've done Ayurveda. I had an Abhyanga massage once, or a Shirodhara.

I see these comments as a way for me to reflect on how to change the narrative of Ayurveda in addition to helping others have a better understanding of Ayurveda.

There are really important points that I feel that everyone needs to understand with Ayurveda, whether you are seeing an Ayurvedic Practitioner or Doctor, or not.

1. The dosha quizzes online are frequently not accurate.

2. There is more to Ayurveda than knowing your Prakruti/constitution.

3. We, as practitioners of Ayurveda, must work with the Vikruti/Doshic imbalance first while not aggravating the Prakruti. If you follow online guidance for your Prakruti (constitution dosha) you may be making your Vikruti (imbalance dosha) worse. Additionally, online information can be incorrect. As you may already be aware, you can find quite contradictory information online.

4. Yes, we work with doshas a lot. However, there is so much to Ayurvedic physiology that we have to consider, and that is why working with a practitioner is so beneficial.

5. Ayurveda is a different approach than allopathic medicine, thus it can be tricky for a practitioner to explain why they are recommending certain herbs to someone without an Ayurvedic background.

6. Part of Ayurveda is lifestyle, yes, but Ayurveda is not only lifestyle. Frequently it is our lifestyle that is causing the doshic imbalances, and some times those daily habits have been there for a long time.

Working with Ayurveda is a journey in different ways - it is not a one stop shop. Let me clarify the two primary 'journeys' for you:

1. The Ayurvedic lifestyle works. The key is consistency with the lifestyle and finding your own balance as you begin to understand your body from an Ayurvedic perspective. If you start adding in more processed foods, more soda, more fried foods, not maintaining routine, then of course, symptoms will appear again.

   
   

   This is a journey. Lifestyle changes are also habit changes. There have been thousands of books on how to change habits. It is not easy for many. It takes time, and consistent dedication. Then, you reach a point, where the change is the new habit. We are all different for when that happens. I want to invite you to ignore all the 21 days to change a habit, 40 days to change a habit, etc. Everyone is different with how much time passes before that change becomes habit.

To someone who is accustomed to having a soda every day, or eating cereal every day, or having burgers and fries somewhat regularly, or eating out regularly, changing to eating whole foods (for example) will be challenging. However, I have been eating a whole foods diet for over 20 years so for me it is simply the way of life, of nourishing my body. The thought of eating fried food regularly, or drinking a soda, or eating out regularly makes me cringe. You can get there too, if you want to.

2. The Ayurvedic herbal management guidance is a systematic approach. There are steps, and if you stop or skip steps then you are may not be able to receive the full healing of Ayurveda. When you start up again, the majority of the time you cannot just start where you left off because most of the time things have gotten worse. For example, here is a typical progression of Ayurvedic management steps, in general, for Ayurvedic Practitioners to follow:

   
   

   1. Dipana - kindling, working with digestion

   2. Pacana - burning ama/toxins

   3. Sodhana - purifying the body, more intense

   4. Samana - paficying, gentler and ongoing

   5. Rasayana - rejuvenating the body

      
      

I'm not going to go into the detail of what those steps look like because that is for us practitioners to understand. However, each phase is important in the healing process. Some may need more than others in certain phases and some may be able to skip a step or two, but the sequential process is still important. Did you know that certain herbs that you may need cannot be taken until the digestion is working right and ama is burned? The amount of time it takes to get through this process is different for everyone based on what is going on with their bodies.

Every journey takes time. For example, let's say your Ayurvedic Practitioner has started you on herbs. You start feeling better but not all of the symptoms go away. Thus, you get discouraged and stop seeing your practitioner thinking it is not working. Well, you may have only been in steps 'a and b'. You had much more to go through in order to fully heal those deep root issues. Or, perhaps you feel you can just do it on your own and continue the herbs without guidance of a practitioner. This can be detrimental. Certain herbs are meant to be taken for certain time periods - some can only be taken for a short period of time, others can be taken longer, but not forever. Basically, a specific herb taken for three months may be helping, but if taken longer can cause issues. If you are taking herbs, you and your practitioner will track your progress so the protocol is efficient and changes are made when needed.

Food is medicine - food is consumed multiple times every day and is medicinal. Medicine (herbs, etc.) is not food or a supplement - they are not something to be consumed all the time. This is really important to realize and honor. Additionally, herbs and herbal formulations are not like western pharmaceuticals as there is this herb for this symptom. Many of the formulations work with multiple of your symptoms because it is working on a root issue. So, when someone who has not seen me for Ayurveda asks what they need for their high blood pressure, I cannot answer. It depends. It depends on their unique body and what is causing the blood pressure to be high. Once I know that, I can then give them the guidance they want.

Ayurveda is such a healing modality and I hope this gives you a little more information about your Ayurvedic journey. It truly is a journey, and I hope you enjoy yours.