Beyond The Physical: How Ayurveda Can Restore The Body's Energetic Pathways

Ayurveda, the sister science to yoga, is also known as the science of life. Its ancient wisdom gives us a deep understanding of our unique mind, body type (also called a dosha), and physical imbalances.

Ayurveda simultaneously heals our energetic system, which we understand through the chakras.

Like Ayurveda, the chakra modality also originated in India—but it came later, presumably in the Hindu Vedas between 1500 and 500 B.C. So while not directly connected, these two modalities can be considered in tandem.

How, you might ask? Ayurveda is an element-based, healing science, which consists of the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. We see these elements in the natural environment, but we also hold them within us.

The combination of elements within us makes our unique mind, body, soul type: our dosha. Some of us have more earth and water (kapha), others have more fire and water (pitta), and the rest have more air and ether (vata). (This quiz can start to give you an idea of what dosha you're dominant in.)

Disease and imbalance occur when we have an excess of a dosha in our vessels. To heal the excess of a dosha, one must bring in the opposite elements to create balance.

For example, if we have too much earth and water element (kapha imbalance), we can feel stuck, overly emotional, or lethargic. To find balance and heal, we need more of the fire element to burn away the heaviness and stoke our creative fire again.

If we have too much of the fire element (pitta imbalance), we can feel judgmental and critical and have digestive issues. Therefore, we need more of the water element to calm our nervous system and soothe our digestive tract.

If we have too much of the air and ether element (vata imbalance), we may be feeling anxious and overwhelmed and experience dryness and constipation. To balance, we need more of the earth element to bring stability and grounded action in our lives.

Each chakra is related to a different element. So, in determining what element we need to bring into our lives, we can also focus on healing the relevant chakra. Thinking about it this way adds another layer to Ayurvedic healing and a new entryway to the modality for energy-curious folks.

Daily meditation is a practice that opens up more space in the mind for creativity to flow through. It also connects us to source and reminds us that we have an infinite potential seeded in each of us.

While we can easily argue that any one of these practices can be a life-altering experience in our physical bodies, true evolution comes from bringing awareness to how the elements can heal the full mind-body-soul complex. Gratefully, this seed of consciousness is embedded in the techniques of Ayurveda.

So building a morning routine not only cares for your body in the morning, but it sets your nervous system up to have a grounded and easeful rest of your day.

Drowning your body in an abhyanga session cleanses your tissues while also invoking your divine feminine nature.

Drinking CCF tea throughout your day regulates your digestion and stokes a spark of inspiration in your life.

This ancient wisdom is timeless and has no boundaries for the depths it can heal. Start with one practice, and witness your healing unfold into a beautiful, lotus flower.