Ayurveda Flashcards
Ayurvedic -System of healing in the root in ancient India.
Is a medical science.
states that the purpose of life is to know or realize the Creator, both within and without, and to express this Divinity in one’s daily life. According to Ayurveda, every individual life is a microcosm of the Cosmos.
Upa-veda
The science of life
Sutras
Suture with a thread
Vedas94)
Rigveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda and Samaveda
5 elements
- Ether(akasha)
- Air
- Fire
- Water
- earth
Foundation of Ayurveda
Ether(akasha)
all-enclosing, all-pervading
Attributes:
Gunas (Qualities): Clear, light, subtle, soft, immeasurable
Karmas (Actions): Vibration, expansion, non-resistance, freedom, love. Descent of intelligence into the heart of the matter.
Type of Energy: Nuclear energy
Omni
(omni - All things)
All-enclosing, all-pervading, omnipotent(deity/god), omniscient(knowing), and omnipresent(commonly widespread).
Air -vayu
This same Consciousness, when it moves in a particular direction, becomes Air.
Attributes of Air
Gunas (Qualities): Mobile, dry, light, cold, rough, subtle
Karmas (Actions): Movement in a particular direction
Type of Energy: Electrical energy
Fires - Agni
Where there is movement there is friction and where there is friction there is Fire. So the next manifestation of Awareness is Fire
Attributes of Fire
Gunas (Qualities): Hot, sharp, light, dry, subtle
Karmas (Actions): Brilliance, luminosity, penetration, the radiant flame of intelligence
Type of Energy: Radiant energy
Water - apas
associated with chemical energy. Water is the universal chemical solvent and all biochemical functions are governed by it.
Attributes of Water
Gunas (Qualities): Cool, liquid, dull, soft, oily, slimy
Karmas (Actions): Downward movement, cleansing, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, percolation
Type of Energy: Chemical energy
Earth -pruthivi
The solid, dense and hard element is Earth, pruthivi, the firm ground for global life. Earth is associated with mechanical energy.
Attributes of Earth
Gunas (Qualities): heavy, dull, static, dense, hard, gross
Karmas (Actions): Gravitation, downward attraction
Type of Energy: Physical, mechanical energy
Mudras - hand gesture
Thumb - Fire - Agni
Air - Vayu
Space - Akasha
Earth - Prithvi
Pinky - Water - Jala
Vata
Ether and air
Attributes:
Dry, Light, cold, rough, subtle
Mobile, Clear.
Associated with movement.
-In balance, vata promotes creativity and flexibility.
-Out of balance, vata produces fear, anxiety, and abnormal movements. physical and emotional constriction, ungroundedness, poor circulation, constipation, dry skin, cracking joints, emaciation, insomnia, twitches, tremors, and other abnormal movements.
Pitta
Fire and water
Attributes:
Oily
Sharp
Hot
Light
Mobile
Liquid
- Governs digestion
-In balance, pitta promotes understanding and intelligence.
-Out of balance, pitta arouses anger, hatred, jealousy, and inflammatory disorders. excessive heat, heartburn, loose stools, migraines, rashes, bruising, bleeding disorders, sharp hunger, an overactive metabolism, and difficulty sleeping.
Kapha
Water and Earth
Attributes:
Heavy
Slow/dull
Cool
Oily
Slimy/smooth
Soft
Dense
Stable
Sticky/cloud
- forms energy that forms the body structure(glue/cells)
-In balance, kapha is expressed as love, calmness, and forgiveness.
Out of balance, it leads to attachment, greed, possessiveness, and congestive disorders. resistance to change, lack of motivation, heaviness in the mind and body, excessive sleep, depression, a sluggish metabolism, congestion, water retention, hardening of the arteries, and the formation of masses and tumors.
Tridosha or dosha -Energy complexes
vata, pitta and kapha, called the three doshas or tridosha.
Prakruti: Your Unique Body Type
set at conception, is called prakruti. Prakruti is simply the unique psychophysical makeup and functional habits of a person. There are seven possible combinations of vata, pitta and kapha.
The prakruti, as one’s genetic code, does not change during one’s lifetime, except in rare cases.
vikruti
which reveals the present state of the three doshas.
vikruti reflects any aspects of diet, lifestyle, emotions, age, environment, etc., that are not in harmony with one’s prakruti.
An Ayurvedic physician can establish this difference thro
Hatha Yoga(Haa-taa)
Sanskrit -Hatha = strong, willful, or forceful
gentle level class with basic yoga asanas
Increases strength, balance, flexibility, concentration, and bone density.
Promotes calm and inner peace.
Vinyasa Yoga
Sanskrit
Vi = sacred way
Asa = to place
VIN-yaa-saa
a ‘flow’ between poses. Vinyasa classes also include breathing techniques that focus on the transition of the flow between poses.
-Increased muscle strength, flexibility, cardiovascular function, respiratory capacity, and improved bone density.
Sanskrit: Ashtanga Yoga(ASH-taan-ga) -8limbs
usually high energy and physically challenging. The classes are always sequenced the same, with poses following in the same order.
Increases muscles strength, flexibility, stamina, concentration, and mental clarity.
Sanskrit: Yin Yoga(feminine side) YI-en
different poses are held for longer periods of time for a deeper stretch. In these classes, a pose is usually held for 1-2 minutes, but can sometimes be held for up to 5 minutes in duration.
Increased flexibility, circulation, and concentration.
Improves mobility in the body and joints.
Improves the health of tissues, fascia, and joints.
Decreases anxiety and stress.
Restorative Yoga
Increases flexibility, stamina, concentration, and mental clarity. focus on a slow-paced style originally developed for students recovering from an illness or injury.
A restorative yoga class will usually include only 5-8 poses that are held for longer periods of time; up to five minutes or longer.
Hot Yoga
Regulates metabolism
Increases flexibility, immunity, and strength
Promotes detoxification of the body
Yoga classes both use heat to aid in loosening stiff joints and strengthening muscles. The flow like sequence of the classes help to promote detoxification of the body through sweating.
typically follow a preset of a 26 pose sequence done twice in one class.
Iyengar Yoga(Eye-ING-aar)
Increases muscular strength, flexibility, stamina, concentration, and mental clarity.
focus on proper alignment and the precise use of teaching cues and language to achieve alignment.
use of props to perfect alignment for each pose
