Living Wisdom: The Foundations of Ayurveda Course

Lesson Four:
The Three Doshas

There are three primary bio-energetic organizing principles derived from the five elements, known as doshas. Sometimes they are referred to as humours. They are known as vata, pitta and kapha, and they are present in everybody and everything.

Lesson Five:
Prakruti & Vikruti

According to Ayurveda, the key to health lies in the knowledge and understanding of our basic constitution, (prakruti) and how to keep it in balance through diet and lifestyle. With the knowledge and understanding of how and why we become ill, we can live a way of life that enhances our chances of health and fulfilment.

Lesson Six:
Agni – The Role of the Digestive Fire

Essential to our study of Ayurveda is an understanding of the vital role of agni. We will introduce the fundamental concept of agni here and expand upon it throughout the course.

Lesson Seven:
The Subdoshas

As you begin to go more deeply into the study of the doshas, you will learn that each dosha has five subdoshas. These subdoshas reside in a different place in the body, and are responsible for different vital functions.

Lesson Eight:
The Seven Tissues and the Srotas

Ayurveda classifies the body’s physical structure into seven tissue layers or dhatus. Dhatu means “that which holds or supports”. The dhatus are generally listed from the least to the most complex in structure, and each one is made out of the one that precedes it.

Lesson Nine:
Ayurveda, the Heart & the Mind

The aim of Ayurveda, as we have studied, is not limited solely to attaining a healthy and vital body; it is a deeply spiritual path to help us experience the awareness of who we truly are.

Lesson Ten:
Taste and the Healing Power of Food

Food is a great, life-giving medicine; what we eat, when we eat, in what state of mind we eat, all profoundly impact our health and quality of life. Our diet plays a vital role in a healthy lifestyle, and what we eat, digest, as well as absorb is a vital part of maintaining health, preventing disease, and treating imbalances and health problems when they arise.

Lesson Eleven:
Herbal Tradition of Ayurveda

Herbs from all over the globe can impart their wisdom or intelligence to us, and help balance pranic disturbances that create imbalances and health problems in mind and body; in this way they reconnect or align us with Consciousness, and this is the ultimate aim of Ayurveda.

Lesson Twelve:
A Directory of Ayurvedic Herbs

Ashwagandha, shatavari, holy basil, turmeric…a handy directory of 40 of the most important herbs in Ayurveda!

Lesson Thirteen:
Health & Harmony For Every Season

As we deepen our understanding of Ayurveda, we can begin to see that health is not merely freedom from disease, but more a state of ease and harmony in mind, body and spirit that gives us the ability to fulfil our dreams and responsibilities, our roles and potential in life known as our dharma, and ultimately to experience the happiness and bliss of liberation (moksha)

Lesson Fourteen:
Living the Sattvic Way

Living the sattvic way is about consciously learning to enjoy this beautiful, dynamic and fleeting life, and come closer to our true nature as spiritual beings.

Lesson Fifteen:
Detoxification & the Treatment of Agni

Ayurveda’s teachings on agni can help us to monitor our own digestive fire so that we can regulate and balance it if necessary, and enhance it during periods of detoxification.

Lesson Sixteen:
6 Stages of Disease & Detoxification

Unique to Ayurveda is the understanding that all diseases pass through the same six stages of disease. At each of the first five levels, the disease process can be halted in its tracks if the right changes in diet and lifestyle are made and herbs are taken to balance the doshas.

Lesson Seventeen:
Detoxification for Health and Healing

Just as we regularly take showers, wash our hair, brush our teeth and tend to the outside of our bodies, the internal systems of our body, most importantly our digestive system, benefit from regular cleansing and care.

Lesson Eighteen:
The Art of Ayurvedic Assessment

For those who are seeking a healthy lifestyle and to deepen their knowledge of holistic methods of self-care, Ayurveda’s art of assessment is a valuable guide.

Lesson Nineteen:
Balancing the Doshas

The unique balance of our doshas give us an invaluable map of our tendencies, vulnerabilities and strengths, helping us to chart our path to health and happiness.

Lesson Twenty:
Balancing Heart and Mind

Understanding how to balance the doshas through diet and lifestyle and using herbs is a wonderful aid to finding harmony in the mind and heart.

Lesson Twenty One:
Ojas, Rejuventation and Longevity

The longer we live in a state of optimal health the more opportunity there will be for living in harmony with the natural world and attaining the ultimate aim of Ayurveda – moksha.

Actions of Herbs:
Ayurvedic and Western

A list of medicinal actions and the corresponding herbs, both Ayurvedic and Western.

Glossary of Herbal Actions and Indications

A glossary of medical terms.

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