#4 - A Quick Quiz

Hello Everyone~

I am so sorry for not updating as frequently, this week has been extremely hectic. With all the time spent packing and finalizing materials, the time just flew by. In about two days, I will finally get to start my internship in India. I will post pictures as soon as I arrive! I am absolutely thrilled to be able to partake on this journey.

As a continuation of my post from last time, I have come across a little quiz that everyone can take to assess what type of doshas are present in their body.

*Disclaimer: To get an accurate analysis, a consultation with an Ayurvedic Physician is necessary and this self-quiz is by no means guaranteed to reflect a person's doshas with 100% accuracy*

Rules for assessing your ayurvedic compositions:

• Everyone has all three doshas present in them but in varying amounts
• After reading each statement, respond to that statement with a number between 0-7
• 0/1 = Does not apply
• 3/4 = Applies sometimes
• 6/7 = Applies Most of the Time
• Note: The values 2 and 5 cannot be used

For calculating your Vata:

:For calculating your Pitta

For calculating your Kapha: 

If the difference between two of the scores is less than 10, you are a two-dosha type. If all three of the scores are close enough, then you are a tri-dosha type.

In the next blog post, I will elaborate more on the meanings behind having these levels in our bodies.

Happy Reading :)

Aashi

#3 - Three Types of Governing Principles

Hi Everyone~

It's been a while but I just wanted to provide everyone with an update on my research. 

According to Ayurveda, also known as the 5th Veda, there are five basic elements.

The 5 elements are

1. Air
2. Fire
3. Water
4. Earth
5. Ether (a fancy word for space- like universe)

These five basic elements come together to form three major governing factors called doshas. 

1. Pita (fire and water)
2. Vata (ether and air)
3. Kapha (earth and water)

These three doshas are collectively known as the tridosha and govern all aspects, psychological and physical, in a human body. Each individual is born with a unique composition of these three principles and the concentration of each is determined at conception. Although each individual may have all three principles inside them, each person has one factor that is slightly more prominent and doctors use this during diagnosis to figure out what kind of treatment path to choose. 

Each dosha has a specific function.

More information coming soon in the next post!

Thank you all for reading!
Aashi

#2 - More Intro

Hi Everyone~

A lot of you may be wondering what Ayurveda even means or what it constitutes. Since my internship does not start until a month later or so, the last few weeks have been filled with poring over books and tables from the Vedas, an ancient Sanskrit scripture that serves as the basis for Hinduism, and over the course texts I will be using for this project.

Ayurveda is essentially the science of self-healing. While growing up, my mum would always tell me to apply some plant concoction or eat some other type of herbal mixture to aid in natural healing and I did so without giving it much thought.

However, now that I have grown up and learned about the effects of antibiotics and other western medicinal practices, I have started to question the effectiveness of those herbal mixtures.

Ayurveda is a unique branch of medicine in that it not only encompasses a biological factor, but also a religious and philosophical one as well. All Ayurvedic texts and principles are based on Samkhya (a sanskrit work; roots: "sat" meaning "truth" and "khya" meaning "to know").

This branch of medicine believes that the universe and a human being share a special kind of relationship since there is cosmic energy present in all living and nonliving things. The source of all existence is Cosmic Consciousness.

Cosmic Consciousness is made up of 24 elements, with "Prakruti" (creativity) being the most basic.

To better explain this process, I have included a flowchart below, along with some notes and translations I have made. 

This is just some of the background on Ayurveda. I will include more information in my next  blog post.

Happy Reading :)

Aashi


The title of the book I am referring to for basic background knowledge is titled "Ayurveda. The Science of Self-Healing. A Practical Guide" and is written by Dr. Vasant Lad