Ayurveda

Ayurveda means the science of life. It is a holistic system of medicine and health, first recorded in the Vedas, the sacred texts out of which Yoga emerged. Ayurveda covers many areas of medicine, including general, surgery, physiology, gynecology, psychology, pediatrics, disease of the head, pharmacology, veterinary science, herbology, tonics and rejuvenation, and science of the subtle body.

Ayurveda is a nature-based system of health and healing that springs from the native wisdom of the sages and their uncompromised adherence to the cosmic rhythms. The aim of Ayurveda is longevity and health which is achieved by balancing energies at all levels of being through innumerable methods and therapies selected in accord with the individual’s constitution, life patterns, and nature. As a holistic form of medicine, Ayurveda is akin to all native medicine traditions, such as Chinese, African, Native American.

Among the world’s first surgeons was Sushrita (600 BC) whose Sushruta Samhita is studied to this day. Hippocrates, the Greek father of western medicine lived two centuries later and is said to have been familiar with this text.

Ayurveda dates back an estimated 5,000-10,000 years and is widely considered to be the oldest form of health care in the world. It is understood by many scholars that knowledge of Ayurveda spread out from India and influenced the ancient Chinese system of medicine, and the humoral medicine practiced by Hippocrates in Greece. For this reason, Ayurveda is often referred to as the "Mother of all healing."

The knowledge of Ayurveda is believed to be of Divine origin and was communicated to the saints and sages of India who received its wisdom through deep meditation. Ayurvedic knowledge was passed down orally through the generations and then written down in the Vedas, the sacred texts of India believed to be the oldest writings in the world.