A brief introduction to Ayurveda:
‘Ayurveda’ or ‘the science of Life’ is the ancient Indian medicinal system of holistic healing and overall wellbeing. More than 5000 years old, this knowledge of our ancestors passed down orally from one generation to the next, and its first written documentation date back to 3000 or 2500 BCE. Ayurveda is a holistic system of health and wellbeing that gives as much importance to the prevention and maintenance of health, as to the cure of ailments and diseases. In addition to medicines, Ayurvedic treatment includes strict decrees on one’s diet; on what to include and avoid, massages and meditation.
One with the Universe:
Ayurveda regards the universal energies responsible for the microcosmic and macrocosmic universe to be the same. It is these energies that regulate all the processes in the universe and the path to good health is to effectively channel these energies. Ayurveda promotes harmony between the individual and nature, as good health manifests itself only with the grace of the absolute. This harmony is possible only by life practices that align with the laws of nature. Most of the Ayurvedic formulations use herbal extracts as nature provides us with everything we need to repair and sustain our bodies in its pristine form.
A lost tradition rediscovered:
We are familiar with what we now call ‘grandmother’s secrets’ for health, beauty and wellbeing. These secrets are part of the deep knowledge system of herbs and plants that were common knowledge among the populace. This knowledge passed down generations from parents to children and from grandparents to grandchildren. This process of teaching and learning at home in a natural setting disintegrated when our education system underwent a radical change. Under the western education system, teaching and learning shifted to schools and the practice of learning day-to-day living skills, forgotten. Today, with extensive research done in the field of Ayurveda, and with the use of modern scientific methods to prove its effectiveness, Ayurveda, has gained acceptance across the world.
Ayurveda, much more than cures:
Our modern lifestyle makes it difficult to follow the way of life prescribed by the Ayurvedic texts. As we work harder to make our lives easier, we adopt products that are high on convenience, ignoring health and sustainability. Injudicious use of chemicals for faster results, disregard of its long term effects and ignoring its harmful side effects are common mistakes we make while choosing products we use every day.
But today, we have access to alternatives that replace the synthetic chemicals in our products herbal and natural alternatives that are a lot safer and without the side effects. Ayurvedic products are easily biodegradable and a lot less taxing on the environment as compared to their synthetic counterparts.
A return to Ayurveda, the first step?
There is nothing to stop the determined. But for the non-starters, there are many simple solutions to start, without breaking a sweat. The first step is to find ayurvedic alternatives to products that use harmful chemicals, like cosmetics, disinfectants and insecticides. With sufficient information, recipes and formulae available in the public domain today, all that it takes is a little time spent on research and a few basic tools to replace these products with natural alternatives that are safer and ecofriendly. For the impatient few seeking instant gratification, the easier option is to buy genuine ayurvedic products off the shelf. Many manufacturers pride themselves in bringing authentic ayurvedic formulations to the market in ready-to-use packaging. The main point of contention regarding the authenticity of the product is now easily verified, with the ‘Ayush Certification’, from the Quality Council of India.
Cosmetics come under the high-risk group as they are directly in contact with the sensitive parts of your body. your eyes, lips, skin and hair. Harmful chemicals can cause a lot of irreparable damage over time and natural alternatives are always safer. Chemical disinfectants and insecticides are poisonous substances in albeit smaller doses. The risk of ingestion of small quantities of these substances is very real and dangerous for children, pets and other vulnerable populations. Replace such items at the earliest.
Once you cross this step of replacing the cosmetics, the disinfectants and the insecticides, the changes you notice will be the motivation to take a bigger second step.
