Ayurveda is a thousands-year-old healing art and collected wisdom for natural health and inner development, which has its origins in India and the Vedic tradition. The words ayur and veda are Sanskrit. Ayur means life and veda means knowledge. Chinese medicine as well as early Greek medicine have their roots in Ayurveda. Today, Ayurveda is practiced all over the world both as traditional medicine and as alternative medicine.

Ayurveda describes how we are affected by our lifestyle, our environment, our relationships, our body, our mind, our thoughts and our consciousness. Understanding people's differences and unique resources is an essential asset in Ayurveda. We are all unique in body constitution and mind from birth, and therefore we have different needs for nutrition, sleep and exercise. Needs that change to some extent with age and seasonal changes.

Ayurveda is a complex health system, but its basic principles are simple and practical to use. Everything around us, from the macrocosm down to the cellular level, is made up of the five elements; space, air, fire, water and earth. These five elements form three doshas/dynamic forces, which in Sanskrit are called vata, pitta and kapha. Each dosha in turn has five subdoshas.

Vata is made up of the elements of space and air. Vata stands for communication, circulation, movement, enthusiasm, inspiration, is responsible for the nervous system, elimination, breathing, transportation, imagination and vitality.

Pitta is primarily the fire element in the body, responsible for our digestion, our metabolism, our intellect, our inner and outer vision, our appetite and thirst, our luster. Pitta is the driving and transforming force in the body.

Kapha, which is made up of the earth and water elements, lubricates our joints, our lungs and our brain. Kapha stands for cohesion, immunity. Kapha creates our body shape and weight. Kapha stands for stability and heaviness. Kapha has a wound-healing ability and stands for unconditional love, affection, understanding and our ability to forgive.

The combination of vata, pitta and kapha is unique to each person. All three doshas are always present, but usually one or two are dominant. The relationship between the doshas is not constant throughout life, but is constantly changing through the influence of external and internal factors such as food, exercise, thoughts and emotions. A dosha can become unbalanced, which over time can lead to illness. The wisdom of Ayurveda gives you the key to understanding yourself better, so that you can maintain your natural health.