What is Ayurveda?

If you’ve ever stumbled across the word Ayurveda and wondered what it means, you’re not alone. Ayurveda (pronounced eye-yer-vay-duh) is an ancient system of holistic health that began in India over 5,000 years ago. The word itself comes from Sanskrit: “Ayur” means life, and “Veda” means knowledge. So, Ayurveda is often translated as “the science of life.”

Unlike modern medicine, which often zooms in on specific symptoms, Ayurveda takes a big-picture approach. It looks at how your body, mind, spirit, and environment all connect, and how balance between them creates wellbeing.

Ayurveda sees each of us as a mix of different energies that influence how we look, feel, and behave. To make sense of these energies, Ayurveda describes three main types, called doshas. They’re a bit like personality traits for the body and mind:

• Vata is linked to movement and creativity

• Pitta to drive and digestion

• Kapha to calmness and stability

Most people aren’t just one type, we’re a blend, with one or two doshas showing up more strongly. Knowing your mix is less about fitting into a label and more about understanding what keeps you balanced and what throws you off track.

Everyday Ayurvedic practices can be simple: sipping warm water in the morning to wake up your digestion, adding spices like ginger or turmeric to your meals, or creating a bedtime routine that calms your mind. It’s not about strict rules but about tuning into what keeps you feeling balanced.

Today, Ayurveda is embraced worldwide not only as a system of health but also as a gentle lifestyle guide. It offers small, practical rituals that help us feel more grounded, energised, and in tune with ourselves.

References:

• Chopra, Deepak. Perfect Health: The Complete Mind Body Guide. Harmony Books, 1991.

• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)