Discover Ayurveda

Ayurveda is the oldest surviving complete medical system in the world. Derived from its ancient Sanskrit roots - ‘ayus' (life) and ‘ved' (knowledge) – and offering a rich, comprehensive outlook to a healthy life, its origins go back nearly 5000 years. Ayurveda was expounded and practiced by the same spiritual rishis, who laid the foundations of the Vedic civilization in India, by organizing the fundamentals of life into proper systems.

The main source of knowledge in this field are the Vedas, the divine books of knowledge they propounded, and more specifically the fourth of the series, namely Atharvaveda that dates back to around 1000 BC. Of the few other treatises on Ayurveda that have survived from around the same time, the most famous are Charaka Samhita and the Sushruta Samhita which concentrate on internal medicine and surgery respectively. The Astanga Hridayam is a more concise compilation of earlier texts that was created about a thousand years ago. These sources form the greater part of the knowledge base on Ayurveda as it is practiced today.

The art of Ayurveda had spread around in the 6th century BC to Tibet, China, Mongolia, Korea and Sri Lanka, carried over by the Buddhist monks traveling to those lands. Although not much of it survives in original form, its effects can be seen in the various new age concepts that have originated from there.

No philosophy has had greater influence on Ayurveda than Sankhaya’s philosophy of creation and manifestation. Which professes that behind all creation there is a state of pure existence or awareness, which is beyond time and space, has no beginning or end, and no qualities. Within pure existence, there arises a desire to experience itself, which results in disequilibrium and causes the manifestation of the primordial physical energy. And the two unite to make the "dance of creation" come alive.

Imponderable, indescribable and extremely subtle, this primordial energy – which and all that flows from it existing only in pure existence – is the creative force of all action, a source of form that has qualities. Matter and energy are so closely related that when energy takes form, we tend to think of it in terms of matter only. And much modified, it ultimately leads to the manifestation of our familiar mental and physical worlds.

It also gives rise to cosmic consciousness, which is the universal order that prevades all life. Individual intelligence, as distinct from the everyday intellectual mind, is derived from and is part of this consciousness. It is the inner wisdom, the part of individuality that remains unswayed by the demands of daily life, or by Ahamkara, the sense of `I-ness’.

A Sanskrit word with no exact translation, Ahamkara, is a concept not quite understood by everyone as it is often misleadingly equated to `ego’. Embracing much more than just that, it is in essence that part of ‘me’ which knows which parts of the universal creation are ‘me’. Since ‘I’ am not separate from the universal consciousness, but ‘I’ has an identity that differentiates and defines the boundaries of `me’. All creations therefore have Ahamkara, not just human beings.
There arises from Ahamkara a two-fold creation. The first is Satwa, the subjective world, which is able to perceive and manipulate matter. It comprises the subtle body (the mind), the capacity of the five sense organs to hear, feel, see, taste and smell, and for the five organs of action to speak, grasp, move, procreate and excrete. The mind and the subtle organs providing the bridge between the body, the Ahamkara and the inner wisdom, which three together is considered the essential nature of humans.

The second is Tamas, the objective world of the five elements of sound, touch, vision, taste and smell – the five subtle elements that give rise to the dense elements of ether or space, air, fire, water and the earth – from which all matter of the physical world is derived. And it is Rajas, the force or the energy of movement, which brings together parts of these two worlds.


Element Subtle Organ Motor Function

Space Sound Ears Vocal Speaking
Air Touch Skin Hands Grasping
Fire Sight Eyes Feet Moving
Water Taste Tongue Genital Procreating
Earth Smell Nose Anus Excreting


It is worth noting that even at the stage of the dense elements the philosophy of creation –which according to Sankaya is now and in the present, without any past and any future – is still dealing with aspects of existence beyond our simple physical realms. The point of contention being that we are the first and foremost spirit experiencing existence. To use Ayurveda in daily life, one has neither to accept nor even understand this philosophy. But it does provide a deeper insight into how Ayurveda works towards betterment of your health.

Ayurveda therefore is not simply a health care system but a form of lifestyle adopted to maintain perfect balance and harmony within the human existence, from the most abstract transcendental values to the most concrete physiological expressions. Based on the premise that life represents an intelligent co-ordination of the Atma (Soul), Mana (Mind), Indriya (Senses) and Sharira (Body). That revolves around the five dense elements that go into the making of the constitution of each individual, called Prakriti. Which in turn is determined by the vital balance of the three physical energies - Vata, Pitta, Kapha and the three mental energies - Satwa, Rajas, Tamas.


Ayurveda thus offers a unique blend of science and philosophy that balances the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual components necessary for holistic health.

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Ghee Recipe.

Preparation time: 2 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 lb Organic butter

Procedure:
In a heavy bottom pan place 1 lb of unsalted organic butter. Before turning the
heat on, make sure the butter is not frozen. (If it is frozen, let it thaw for ½ an
hour.) Now turn the heat to medium low, and cook uncovered for about 12-15
min. When butter is cooking, you will hear a spluttering sound and you will see
froth bubbling at the top. At this point, begin to keep an eye on the ghee.
When it becomes very quiet and it is not bubbling, it means ghee is done. Pan
should be removed immediately. The ghee is done when milk solids get settled
at the bottom of the pan and they will turn light brown. Ghee can get burned very easily. Let it cool down and then pour it through a stainless steel mesh into a glass or steel container. Refrigeration is not required.

For Kapha constitution, once the ghee is done add a pinch of turmeric or cinnamon or bay leaf.

Enjoy!

Health care in the United States is changing. Health Science has evolved to encompass our beliefs, our emotions, our behavior, our thoughts, our family and cultural systems, as well as the environmental context in which we live. All of these elements are relevant to our health. Ayurveda is a 5,000 year old Indian System of healing that encompasses these aspects while offering solutions to achieve harmony at the level of Mind, Body and Spirit. Join us and get involved in this pioneering work that is transforming and reshaping our health care industry to a newer model of holistic health care for the 21st Century. To view our catalogue for our upcoming Spring Programs which begin in April please click on:

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Amma

In the end Love is the only medicine that can heal the wounds of the world. In this universe, it is love that binds everything together. As this awareness dawns within us, all discord will cease. Abiding peace alone will reign.


-Amma

Ayurvedic Recipe for Dal

Dal

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4 - 6 people

Ingredients:
1 cup tur dal
2 cups water
2-3 green chilies
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1tablespoon ginger (grated)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds (black)
¼ teaspoon asafetida
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
½ tsp ghee

Procedure:
Wash the tur dal; add 2 cups of water, turmeric, and
green chilies. Cover and cook on medium heat for 20
minutes or until it is soft. Add water as needed. After
cooking, dilute it by adding 2 –2½ cups of water. Add
salt and grated ginger and cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from burner. Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard
seeds. When mustard seeds start popping, add the asafetida and carefully pour this mixture into the cooked dal.
Be sure not to splash (stand away from the pan with your hand extended to avoid burns).
Before serving, remove the green chilies, garnish with cilantro and add ghee. Dal can be served as a lentil soup.
Traditionally, it is considered an ideal combination with cooked rice.

Enjoy and let us know how this worked out for you.

Obesity has become an epidemic. Nearly two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight and about one thirds are obese. To make the problem worse, childhood obesity is also running out of control. Recent figures show that in the past two decades the number of overweight children and adolescents has doubled. Around 15 percent of children aged 6 to 19 and nearly 11 percent of preschool children are considered obese.

Diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, high cholesterol, some types of cancers are major health risks because of obesity. Obesity is the reason for about 80% of type 2 diabetes, about 70% of cardiovascular diseases, and 42% of breast and colon cancers (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)).

Obesity is taking a major toll on our health care dollars. Obesity in the United States costs $75 billion a year in medical expenses. The study -- which doesn't include children, whose obesity rates are soaring -- found that 5.7 percent of the nation's health care expenses are for treatment of obesity. Hospital costs associated with childhood obesity rose from $35 Million (1979) to $127 Million (1999).

In short, obesity has become a crucial health problem for our nation. This is a multifaceted problem.
Is our super sized food the culprit or is our modern sedentary life style is to blame? Super sized hamburgers, French fries,super gulps soft drinks; “All you can eat” foods may be one part of the problem. Lack of exercise, sitting in front of the TV or Computer for most of our day may add to the problem. But why can’t millions of people who are on a diet program, lose weight permanently? Why there is so much variation in gaining or losing weight?

Millions of Americans are trying to lose weight, spending approximately $30 billion a year on diet programs and products. People are losing 20-30 pounds in a month and feeling good. But, if you check with the same people five years later, you will find that nearly all have regained whatever weight they lost. A national panel recently sought data to determine if any commercial diet program could prove long-term success. Not a single program could do so.

Ever-changing research further adds to the confusion. A few years ago, people were told to eat low/no fat diet, but now we have realized that some fat is essential for the body. Transfats were the choice over butter, but now we are finding out that transfats are more hazardous. Atkin’s diet is very popular these days, but it also carries risk of kidney diseases, gout and many other problems.

We have a serious problem and we need a serious solution. Ayurveda, the 5000 year old science of healthy living has solution to our current problem.

In the Ayurvedic perspective, there should be a major shift in awareness. Ayurveda does not treat obesity; it treats a person who is obese or over weight. Like everything else in nature, there is so much diversity and variation in each person and “one size does not fit all”.

Susan, a computer programmer in her 30s, was complaining, “It is not fair. Linda and I are on the same diet plan since last month and she’s already lost 10 pounds, I haven’t even lost two pounds yet”. She couldn’t understand why it was so hard for her to loose weight. According to Ayurveda Linda and Susan have different Mind-Body Make up – called Body Constitution and that is why they were responding differently. We all are very different, so obviously one diet program does not work for everybody. Ayurveda respects that uniqueness in each person and helps create custom tailored plans to maintain the unique balance for each individual. In the following example you will see how knowing Body constitution helps.

Tania was a ten year old girl who weighed about 140 lbs and wearing size 16 clothes. Along with the weight problem, her grades were failing and she was diagnosed with ADD. Tania’s mother had tried everything but nothing had worked. They were afraid that the young girl would have to go to special education school because of this ADD and her poor academic performance.

Tania was one of the thousands of kids who are obese. She was on typical kids’ diet, donuts for breakfast, hamburger and fries, or something similar at school, for lunch and cookies and chips after school. The dinner was either pizza or macaroni and cheese. She was glued to the TV after school for hours and hardly went out to play or bike her ride.

Tania, according to Ayurveda is a kapha, a kid with a kapha constitution, who was doing everything to aggravate her Kapha and that was the cause of her obesity. She then followed an Ayurvedic regimen - eating light foods like toasts and ginger tea for breakfast, meat sandwiches during lunch time, and popcorn or rice cakes as a snack. For dinner she ate rice and vegetables. The major difference in her life style was going to a park to ride bike or play on the swing or a slide for couple of hours every day. The results were astonishing – she lost 12 pounds in the first month. She went from size 16 to size 12. Her grades improved and had no signs of ADD after that.. Tania liked her food so much that whenever her mom and her brother ate pizza she refused. She is still is on this eating regime and is in perfect health and doing great at school.

Mary, a 30 year old secretary followed Ayurvedic regimen of diet and life style. Her constitution was Kapha-Pitta. She had tried a few weight loss programs. She was on a low fat /low carb diet, but she could not keep her weight off consistently. When she heard about Ayurveda, she switched to Kapha-Pitta balancing foods (eating more fruit, vegetables and grains and adding spices in moderation) and Ayurvedic herbs. She started walking for one hour, five days a week. She lost about 15 pounds in three of months and has kept it off for more than three years.

Besides counting calories there are other rituals about food and exercise people have to follow. For example, Tom, a computer engineer, used to work from 6.00 am to 10.00 pm. He would eat in his office many times and then eat dinner at home after 10.00 pm. He used to wake up with allergies, headaches and felt very lethargic. When he changed his food choices and started eating lunch at noon and dinner at 7.00 pm instead of 10 pm, as well as playing tennis, 3 times a week, he started losing weight and feeling better.

If young and old, start eating according to their basic body constitution and follow some simple guidelines, our health picture will be very different and very positive. We can prevent many diseases and enjoy life. Ayurveda has a different understanding about weight and obesity along with simple and proven ways to solve the problem.

A Universal Prayer

Lord,

make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon:
where there is doubt, faith ;
where there is despair, hope
where there is darkness, light
where there is sadness, joy

O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

This is the universal prayer of Saint Francis. A prayer that expresses the compassion and love that is found throughout so many religions and healing traditions.