Why Ayurveda is a powerful compliment to Yoga
By incorporating the principals of Ayurveda with Yoga, an individual can achieve spiritual development, while also grounding the mind, supporting the digestive system and achieving radiant health and wellbeing.
The differences between Yoga and Ayurveda are rooted in their origins, philosophies and approach to health and well-being. Yoga originated as a spiritual practice that emphasizes the connection between the body and mind for the purpose of spiritual development, while Ayurveda is a system of medicine that emphasizes the importance of maintaining balance and harmony in the body, mind, and spirit for overall health.
Yoga is primarily a physical practice, which includes a combination of postures, breathing techniques and meditation. It aims to increase physical strength, flexibility and balance and to reduce stress, anxiety and chronic pain. Yoga also has a spiritual aspect, which emphasizes the connection between the body and mind, and aims to bring the practitioners to a higher state of consciousness and inner peace.
On the other hand, Ayurveda is a holistic system of medicine that aims to prevent or treat illnesses by identifying and addressing an individual's unique imbalance. It is based on the belief that health and well-being depend on a delicate balance between three fundamental bodily energies known as doshas. Ayurveda is not a physical practice, but rather a way of life that includes practices such as daily routine, detoxing, diet, and herbal remedies.
While Yoga and Ayurveda share many similarities, they also complement each other in many ways. Yoga can be used to help balance the doshas and improve physical and mental well-being, while Ayurveda can be used to help balance the doshas and support the body's natural ability to heal itself.
For a yogi, Ayurveda can be a powerful addition to their practice as it can provide a deeper understanding of the body and mind, and how to balance them.
Due to the high demands and the fast paced and busy nature of our lifestyles, a vata imbalance is very common in our society. A vata imbalance is associated with digestive issues such as constipation, gassiness and bloating, hormonal irregularities as well as feelings of increased sensitivity and ungroundedness, a worrisome mind and anxiety.
Something that I would see often in clinic, especially for yogis or those who are invested a lot in spiritual practice, is that their spiritual connection was coming at a cost of a grounded mind and healthy body and digestive system. They would be attracted to a lot of light, raw foods and fasting for the lightness it creates in the mind - however for someone experiencing a vata imbalance, this will only weaken their digestive and nervous system.
A yogi who is experiencing a vata balance could benefit from incorporating more grounding yoga postures and an Ayurvedic diet rich in warm, cooked foods and spices that help to pacify Vata.
Therefore incorporating the principals of Ayurveda with Yoga, an individual can achieve spiritual development, while also grounding the mind, supporting the digestive system and achieving radiant health and wellbeing.