The main principle of Ayurveda is focused on addressing the source or root causes of a person's symptoms while taking the time to view the whole picture, not just the symptoms themselves. An Ayurvedic practitioner, like myself, works with your unique constitutional identity known as doshas or bio-energetics. 

Ayurveda understands that there are five basic elements — Fire, Air, Earth, Water, Ether — that exist within everyone and everything. We are each born with a unique combination of elements that dominates our body and mind. These elements form the three doshas or the three bio-energetics known as Vata, Pitta and Kapha.  

Whereas our current method of health excels in prescribing drugs to simply address or suppress symptoms, Ayurveda focuses on addressing the underlying root cause. Oftentimes getting to know your unique constitutional identity means that treating symptoms is unnecessary.

You don’t need to know the science of Ayurveda to benefit from it. If you’re ready to start integrating practical changes, explore how we can work together!

If you’re curious to learn more about the history and foundation of Ayurvedic science, keep reading! 

To start, understanding the elements and the three bio-energetics:  

• Vata is a combination of Ether and Air. 

• Pitta is a combination of Fire and Water. 

• Kapha is a combination of Water and Earth.

Secondly, here are some examples of how they show up in individuals:

• A person that is born as a dominant Vata type may often express qualities of being more talkative, spontaneous, or have a colder body type. 

• A person that is born as a dominant Pitta may have a warmer or hotter body type, or can easily digest their food. 

• A person that is born as a dominant Kapha may have a calmer or slower demeanour and/or have a low appetite. 

The doshas are a complex system and these are merely examples of the intricate and nuanced way in which working with an Ayurvedic practitioner determines what your dominant constitution is. 

The role of an Ayurvedic practitioner is to help you uncover where your body is out of balance based on your own unique needs and teach you methods to regulate your body through the use of foods, herbs, and daily lifestyle practices.

Opposite qualities bring balance  

Your body's way of telling you it’s out of balance is with various symptoms or diseases. Once we understand what your dominant dosha is and what your imbalances are, we can begin to introduce opposing qualities to bring your body back to balance. 

In Ayurveda, there is a simple expression that says, “like increases like.” If you are hot and want to cool down, you wouldn’t put on another sweater to do that. Similarly, Ayurveda takes this approach but through the use of foods, herbs, and daily lifestyle practices.

Oftentimes the practices or skills you’ll learn through Ayurveda are simple yet profound. It’s through daily habits that change starts to happen. 

The importance of the digestive system

 Ayurveda recognizes that the digestive tract is the first place that imbalances arise in the body. We’ll often start every consultation by asking “how’s your digestion?”  

Similarly, the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates circa 460-337 BC famously said, “All diseases begin in the gut.” 

Somewhere down the history road, we forgot this simple yet profound truth that many ancient health systems followed. 

 If the issues are not dealt with at the level of digestion, they will move to other parts of your body causing various problems. 

While you may not be coming in for an Ayurvedic consultation for your digestive problems, Ayurveda views that imbalance or disease starts with your digestion tract. You can expect an emphasis on digestion and metabolism including the four types of digestion fire:

1. Balanced digestion 

2. Slow or sluggish digestion

3. Variable digestion 

4. Hot or sharp digestion