Ayurveda, the medicine of tomorrow
We are honored to have received the presence of Kiran Vyas on the Yogom Academy, to give us a one hour conference on the exciting topic “Ayurveda, medicine of tomorrow”. Here is what we can learn from this fascinating intervention about theessence of Ayurveda, its philosophy and its principles.
Who is Kiran Vyas?
Kiran Vyas, Indian Philosopher, Founder of Tapovan Open University of Yoga and Ayurveda is originally from Gujarat, India.
A former student of the Sri Aurobindo International Education Center in Pondicherry, he founded three experimental schools with his father who was one of Mahatma Gandhi’s closest collaborators.
He chose to settle in France to make Ayurveda “science of life” known in Europe.
His scientific training, his pedagogical sense, his keen interest in the evolution of the body and mind, and his creativity have led him to develop Tapovan into an “Open University”, the largest Yoga and Ayurveda center in Europe, open to all and favoring inter-disciplinary and inter-cultural exchanges.
Kiran Vyas has been recognized as a major player in the teaching of this art of living for well-being and personal development for 40 years.
Today, in Paris or in Normandy, Kiran Vyas and Tapovan invite you to a privileged meeting with yourself, through ayurvedic cures and training in yoga, ayurveda and ecology.
Yoga and Ayurveda: “Two gifts from India to humanity
According to Kiran Vyas, yoga and ayurveda are two of India’s gifts to humanity. Yoga is beginning to be known worldwide, and this has been acknowledged by the UN’s acceptance of yoga as a holistic approach to wellness, and the creation of an international day. There is also an international day of Ayurveda, which arrives around October – November and follows the lunar calendar. This falls exactly during the festival of Divali, the thirteenth day of the waning moon.
What is Ayurveda?
According to Kiran Vyas, Ayurveda is a very ancient practice that dates back more than 5000 or 7000 years. The first sacred texts in which Ayurveda is mentioned are the Vedas . The origin is found in the fourth Veda (Atharva-Veda)There are descriptions of all kinds of sciences (physics, chemistry, alchemy, astronomy, astrology, the science of habitat as Vastu the Indian Feng-shui) and of course, Ayurveda.
Ayurveda is a science of the health of the human being, but also of the health of the environment. Because if the environment is not healthy, if the trees are sick, if all the elements are polluted, including in the sky and vibratory (4G / 5G / WiFI …), all this affects our health .
Ayurveda is at the same time an ancient practice of well-being, a science and an art of living.
Ayur means “life” and veda means “knowledge”. Ayurveda is the knowledge of life. The vital impulse of all humanity is the search for happiness. Sometimes we will be in search of money, but only because it can eventually give us well-being and happiness.
There is a saying that half of our life we worked to earn money, and then the other half of our life we spent money to earn our health. That is, during the first half, while working, we lost our health and well-being. And in the second part, we are forced to work to regain our health and well-being. That is why Ayurveda tells us: from the beginning of our life, even before birth, from conception, we must begin our work of well-being .
The five envelopes in Ayurveda
Health according to Ayurveda will be found in five envelopes or in five bodies:
The first envelope is the physical body Annamaya-kosha
Annamaya-kosha corresponds to our physical body. All our organs must function well: the liver, gallbladder, intestines, heart, lungs, brain, pancreas, etc. But also all the systems like the digestive system or the nervous system. The proper functioning of these elements is necessary to characterize good health.
Ayurveda gives us two definitions:
The first definition of health according to Ayurveda
The first one is very simple and understandable by everyone: “Before the sun rises, if we feel like jumping out of bed and saying that a beautiful day is coming, that we are going to do a lot of beautiful things and that we have a lot of beautiful projects, if we have this kind of feeling, then we can be sure that we are healthy. But if we want to stay in bed longer and stop our alarm clock, or if we wake up tired, then there are Symptoms that show we’re not quite healthy.”
The second definition of health according to Ayurveda
The second definition according to Ayurveda is more complex: it says that the three Doshas should be in balance. The Doshas are Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These are the three humors, the three natures are based on the five elements. Element etherelement airelement fire or light that we feel through heat or luminosity, element water elementelement, the earth. These are concepts: for example the element water does not mean only water, it means in the body the blood, the plasma, all the liquid circulation.
Each Dosha is the combination of two of the 5 Great Elements, one of which is predominant. The five elements are divided into three parts:
- Nature Vata : elements ether and air. If we have too many of these elements, we are of Vata nature. We like to move, to travel, to imagine but the stability is not there.
- Nature Pitta : elements fire and water. This gives intelligence and creativity, but also anger.
- Nature Kapha : elements earth and water. This gives a great stability, but also a form of inertia.
We have these three natures in us and are all a mixture a mixture of them. But it is necessary that these doshas remain in a a certain balance to be in good health.
According to Ayurveda, there are 13 Agnis (fires)including the digestive fire. It is necessary that these fires are well lit, because if they are extinguished, one dies, the body becomes cold. Not only the body temperature drops but also our enthusiasm.
According to Ayurveda, there are 7 kinds of Dathus, tissues. Rasathe first Dathu means the nourishing juicewhich feeds us. It is first the food, which is transformed into a kind of juice that is absorbed by the body and will undergo various transformations in the bloodstream until it gives the reproductive cells and what is called Ojasor the Light or our aura. When it increases and becomes bright and strong, you have more immunity. That is why What we eat, what we consume, what we receive through our five senses is transformed in our aura of Light and gives us a form of immunity. It is a complex concept that is energetically speaking is to be studied in its depth, but when you understand and develop this immunity, it not only gives you a beautiful Light around your Being but also to cope with all kinds of diseases.
According to Ayurveda, the three eliminations of the body: stool, urine, sweat must be done equally well to be healthy.
All these are details to make the physical body well. But Ayurveda goes further and is not limited to the physical body.
The second envelope is the vital body Pranamaya-kosha
Pranamaya-kosha is theenvelope where the Qi, Chi or Prana energy lives.
If Prana is flowing well, then we are alive. In Indian languages, when we say that the Prana is gone, it means that the person is dead. Prana also means lifeit does not only mean the oxygen in the air, but it is an energy. It is in this second envelope that different energies circulate, and it is there that a magnetizer, an acupuncturist or a healer will work. This is also where some key points on which we can act. Car body and consciousness meet in this envelope pranamaya-kosha. At the level of Prana, when we have the five senses working well (the indriyas), when we are in the bloom of the Being, we are happy.
The third envelope is the mental body Manomaya-kosha
Mana means ” the spirit “. Manomaya-kosha is the mental bodywhere there are thoughts, where we are able to analyze to analyze, to study, to synthesize. According to Ayurveda, the mind is not just for learning or knowing things by heart. The true mind is the calm and peaceful mind. When you have a calm mind, you are fine.
The fourth envelope is the body of intuition Vijnana-maya kosha
It is the body of knowledge and of the inner guidance.
The fifth envelope is the bliss body Ananda-maya kosha
The last kosha is the Atman. There is something extraordinary about this body: it is made of Sat (eternity), Chit (knowledge), Ananda (bliss).
It is our consciousness, our true being. Ayurveda is not a religion, yet it speaks of this subtle thing. This is the beauty of Ayurveda, which is even based on the philosophy of Samkhya, which is nothing but the philosophy of calculation and numbers. There are no gods or deities in Ayurveda, and we are able to speak in a very scientific, thoughtful way. It is necessary that our Atman, our true being, is on the path of evolution and progress.
If all these bodies are in balance and functioning well, then we are healthy. These five bodies are not yet taken seriously by modern medicine. Kiran Vyas remembers in the 75’s, when he arrived in France, and Dr. Janine Fontaine had published her book “Doctor of the three bodies”. Everyone consulted her because she did not only treat the physical body and it gave good results. When Kiran Vyas started practicing at the same time, he talked about the five bodies, and today we are beginning to accept this medicine of the five bodies, and especially of the interrelations of the bodies between them. Today we discover the effects of different facets of our being that are hidden from the physical side .
Ayurveda, the medicine of tomorrow
Today, we are starting to become aware that there are different bodies. There are effects of the physical body on the emotional body, of the emotional body on the physical body or on the mental body etc. All must be in harmony.
In the past, when we had a question, we had to look for answers in numerous and voluminous encyclopedias. Today, thanks to the internet and all kinds of media, one can simply ask the question and get answers.
But it would be interesting, according to Kiran Vyas, to use this progress to bring together the two “camps”: those who have the knowledge (the doctors) and those who do not (the patients). If we could make a kind of integrative medicineIt would be wonderful to be able to work together on the path to health, according to Kiran Vyas. And this is what he believes is already happening. In the major universities, whether in France, the United States, India, or Russia, we see an effort towards integrative medicine taking shape.
Ayurveda from the beginning said that the individual must be consulted, participate with his mind and his knowledge to heal oneself with the help of others. Not only oneself, but the whole society, at the level of the family, of the village had to participate. And not only the whole society but the whole environment: every tree, every plant, every small animal around us should go towards a kind of blooming.
The three vectors of health according to Ayurveda
Ahara: The food, the dietetics
If we eat well and in a balanced balancedwe will be in good health.
What is a balanced diet in Ayurveda?
- For a balanced diet, you need 3 things:
- Cereals
- Legumes
- The vegetables
According to Ayurveda, this trinity should exist in our meals.
- The plate must be full of colors, the colors must be balanced
- The plate must be balanced in tastes and flavors
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Vihara: Lifestyle
This includes the time we get up, the time we go to bed, how we dress, how our house is, our living space, how our objects are, what exercises we practice (yoga, Tai Chi, Ayurvedic massages,…) All these elements are factors of health.
Kiran Vyas advises the regular practice of yoga postures as well as the regular practice of ayurveda: such as ayurvedic massages, as well as meditation. We can take a few minutes a day to meditate, calm our mind and stay in stillness and help us find solutions to all kinds of circumstances.
How to live is very important, and that is why the concept of ayurvedic cures where you eat properly, practice yoga, receive a number of massages is very interesting. We try to “set the record straight” through this type of treatment. It is a kind of fulfillment, a meeting with oneself.
Manovyapara Our state of mind
Manovyapara is what is going on in our head. If we have positive attitudesThis will help us. If we are always in negation or negativity or if we don’t want to participate in the joy of living, this will not only create an atmosphere around us that is not joyful, but it will lead us to a kind of depression and act on our digestive system, on the organs. And this not only in us but also around us. This will allow us to weaken immunity. When immunity is weakened, there is invitation to any kind of disease.
The calmer the mind, the better you are. It is necessary to start by learning the Nidra a relaxation technique, and then learn to meditate. When we have learned to meditate, we know how to calm our mind.
If we have these three vectors of health well taken care of, we will advance towards a path of happiness, of Light.
What to do when you get sick?
Take care of your diet
If one falls ill, at that moment, there is the fourth vector of Ayurveda Osadhi : medications. In Ayurveda the medicines are primarily food. For example, Aloe Vera is used a lot in food, a bitter plant whose effects on all kinds of diseases are extraordinary, but also moringa, used even in serious diseases such as cancer or okra, lemon, etc. All plants have virtues. The amla plant is acidic but regenerates the cells. Turmeric, which is a root with yellow skin, is used in curries and is astringent, anti-oxidant, blood purifying and beneficial for all mucosal problems. We also use chillies, pomegranate, Greek fennel which is bitter and heals the liver. Mint, coriander, curry, all kinds of green plants are also commonly used.
Ayurveda advises the consumption of spices: star anise, coriander, mustard seeds, Greek fennel seeds, cinnamon for excess cholesterol, cloves, thyme seeds… We can use all these plants and spices to balance our diet.
Discover our article on theyogic diet.
The food must have a certain to have a certain taste. If it is good for the tongue, the gastric juices produced by the body will be better. The the first medicine will be the food. So much so that an Indian saying goes “half of the medicine should be in our kitchen, and half in our garden”. It is good to have a garden at home to grow plants, to have a contact with the earth element and to regain good health.
The science of Ayurvedic dietetics is not simple, but you can start learning it from books. There are some basics to respect like do not eat too much sugar or white flour. Ayurveda is not necessarily vegetarian but advises us that from 40-45 years old, to avoid joint problems, it is better to reduce all kinds of carnivorous products. In Ayurvedic cures we are rather vegetarian.
Fasting
Ayurveda advises diets, even fasts. Not eating anything is one of the greatest therapies. You can also practice intermittent fasting. But the first step is to do not eat anything between mealsThis is already a great beginning. Snacking is bad for your health. Nevertheless, if you want to practice fasting, you can start half a day or one day a week eating only fruits. And when you have more courage, you start with the mono-diet (eating only one food) for one day a week (e.g. brown rice, or green soybeans…)
Take the help of doctors
If you are ill, even though you pay attention to all the above mentioned elements, you should get help from the doctors. Whether it is an allopathic doctor, an ayurvedic doctor, a homeopathic doctor, we must take the help that suits us. We can make a diagnosis and analysis and then ask ourselves about how we can help the body. In Ayurveda there are herbal medicines, mineral-based medicines and others, but to follow and others, but to follow the instructions of Ayurveda one must also become an ayurvedic patient. An Ayurvedic patient seeks to move beyond its problems and embrace positivity. He wants to blossom inside and also to spread the light of joy around him.
Ayurveda advises hot water and rest as the first medicine. But if it is more serious, you should consult Ayurvedic counselorsConsult naturopaths or homeopaths or other people who have a more enlightened vision than us.
Prevention
Ayurveda advises above all prevention to avoid getting sick. This is the key to safeguarding our health. For example, our eyes are in demand all day long, so why not practice eye yoga? Why not take two deep breaths to release our tensions?
To conclude, Kiran Vyas advises us to put some ayurveda in our daily life. Ayurveda or yoga should not remain in books. These are philosophies to practice every day. Little by little, we will observe changes in your life.
Find Tapovan
If you want to go further, you can visit the Tapovan website. Tapovan Open University Yoga & Ayurveda Tapovan Open University Yoga & Ayurveda offers online yoga and ayurveda trainings and ayurvedic cures throughout the year. If you are interested in teaching Ayurveda, Tapovan also offers certification courses.
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Discover our article dedicated to the Ayurvedic Cure on this page Read the testimony of the founder of Yogom, who spent a week in Normandy! She tells you about all the treatments she received from wonderful practitioners: treatment of the unbalanced dosha adapted to the person, oil massage, various oil treatments. These massages are derived from traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine and can help to improve well-being, especially in the case of illness. These medicines are alternative practices in the West. If you are interested in this subject and would like to try an oil massage or a facial for example, you should definitely find a practitioner near you!
