Ayurveda emphasizes on living in natural harmony. It is the loss of this harmony, which is the root cause of imbalance, leading to disease. All living creatures, except human beings, follow laws of nature. A lion, for instance, will never eat grass since its digestive system has been naturally designed for eating meat. The lion strictly adheres to this rule and maintains harmony by following its nature. Ayurveda is a science, which teaches us how to maintain this natural harmony within ourselves, and maintain our health and happiness.

One of the main causes of disease, according to Ayurveda, is pragyaparadha - which means improper use of intellect. This can be in relation to living, working, eating and the various different functions of the senses. Misusing one's intellect leads to disharmony, and thus to an imbalance of the bodily energies or doshas.

Ayurveda advises the optimum use of all the, but if we listen to very loud music or watch too much television-this excessive use of the related sense can cause imbalance. This misuse of the senses is really due to improper use of the intellect or pragyaparadha.

Importance of Complete Health

Ayurveda is the knowledge of achieving perfect physical, mental and spiritual health. The primary goals of Ayurveda are the maintenance of good health and the healing of the sick.

An Ayurvedic physician always considers his patient to be a combination of mind, body, senses and soul-and not merely as a body with symptoms of disorder. Modern medicine emphasizes the importance of the body to such an extent that often healing does not take place. The mind, soul and senses are equally important and have to be considered, if the patient's health is to be restored completely.

According to Ayurveda, health is not merely the elimination of physical symptoms of a disease, but also involves the restoration of the patient's mental and spiritual happiness. According to Ayurveda, a person who is mentally disturbed is also in a state of ill health.

Problems like depression, anxiety, nervousness, and insomnia, originate mainly from sickness of mind. Unfortunately, most of our actions and activities today, are related to materialism and our physical body. We rarely pay attention to our other half, which is equally important-the mind and the soul. The diets and lifestyles we follow for achieving peace and happiness may not be healthy for our inner selves. Since we are no longer taught the importance of mental and spiritual health-we remain unhappy, depressed, anxious and insecure, despite our best efforts. This is clearly indicative of something being wrong in our approach to life.

Ayurveda helps us in our endeavor to find happiness in life by teaching us the appropriate lifestyles to adopt. It teaches us how to live in natural balance by following the right diet, daily regimen, lifestyle, actions and activities.

The knowledge of Ayurveda is not limited to merely offering remedies for physical symptoms-it also plays a complimentary and supportive role in the spiritual evolution of a person along with the maintenance of his/her physical well-being.

Ayurveda and Holistic Healing

This spiritual and holistic healing system is literally the 'science of life'. In Ayurvedic philosophy, life does not merely constitute the physical body and organs, but also includes the mind, soul and senses.

As mentioned earlier, Ayurveda plays a complimentary and supportive role in the spiritual enlightenment of an individual and his society. Ayurveda provides a lot of practical information on the right lifestyles, diets, cooking methods, sleeping habits, clothes, seasonal herbs and much more for achieving and maintaining health and well-being.

When treating diseases, Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of a proper diet and lifestyle. This aspect of Ayurvedic healing is very different from the conventional medical approach, where the main attention is to rid the patient of symptoms. Ayurveda pays close attention to the root cause of a disease for preventing recurrence and achieving a total cure.

Understanding and considering all aspects of an individual is very important for an Ayurvedic physician before prescribing treatment. Just prescribing some herbs or medicines is never sufficient for effecting a complete cure. Physician can help relieve physical symptoms by the use of certain herbs and/or medications, but the symptoms will recur as soon as the treatment is stopped, since the root cause was never addressed. Methods have to be suggested-such as changes in lifestyle, certain exercise regimens, daily meditation practices, and dietary advices-for the permanent removal of root cause of the disorder.

The spiritual aspect of healing is often partially or completely missing from modern medicinal practices. Love, devotion and care are some of the basic factors in healing. These are just an important part of healing as administering medications. Healing is incomplete or impossible unless there is a close relation between the patient and the physician. A physician needs to provide spiritual and psychological support to the patient. This is the real meaning of spirituality in healing.

This patient-healer relationship is essential for maintaining and restoring natural harmony - the basic aim of Ayurveda.

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About the Author

An accomplished healer practising Ayurveda in its original form, Dr. Partap Chauhan, Director of Jiva Ayurveda, has been actively promoting the ancient Indian medical science, offering "total health" based on the principles of holistic healing. He has successfully demonstrated the effectiveness and the efficacy of Ayurveda for a healthy, harmonious, and peaceful living. His strong background in Vedic philosophy and Eastern spiritualism, conjoined with his expertise in Ayurveda, is the driving force behind his commitment to heal, rejuvenate, and inspire patients from around the world.

In these years, Dr Chauhan has toured and lectured in many countries worldwide, including the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Germany, Russia, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, USA, Japan, Belgium, Spain, Finland, Croatia, and Hungary.