Ayurveda provides guidelines on how to live a healthy, balanced life and how to heal ourselves holistically and naturally. It is used to address both wellness and disease. It is a traditional, holistic system of health science from India, which has been practiced for 10,000 to 20,000 years. Ayurveda seeks to restore the natural balance and state of health to mind, body & soul through the use of:
* diet
* herbs
* lifestyle changes
* colors
* aromas
* yoga
* breath techniques
* meditation
* deep cleansing and rejuvenation treatments (including Panchakarma)
* along with warm oil body therapies

What is Ayurveda?

You are unique, and Ayurveda takes an individual approach to enlivening the intelligence inherent in every cell of your body. The timeless principles of Ayurveda can help you to live a healthier life, in tune with yourself and Nature. Ayurveda has been found to significantly improve several chronic health conditions and counteract the effects of stress and aging.

Health is the balanced and dynamic integration between our environment, body, mind, and spirit. Ayurveda describes three energies which govern our inner and outer environments.

Movement (Vata)
Transformation (Pitta)
and Structure (Kapha) 
These energies are referred to as Doshas, and there are 3 of them:

Vata (Wind)
Pitta (Fire)
and Kapha (Earth)
Your essential nature is called your basic constitution (prakruti), and it is an individual blend of the three energies. Your unique balance of these three energies was determined at the moment of conception, and it is your ideal state of balance. It determines what is in harmony with your nature and what will cause you to become out of balance, sick, and diseased. Knowledge of your constitution is essential to developing optimal health. Your constitution determines how you react to various foods, colors, aromas, and general life habits.

Vata

Balanced Vata personality types are: enthusiastic, creative, healing, fun-loving, independent, and joyful. Imbalanced Vata types are: forgetful, spacey, anxious, and have lots of dryness and air in the GI system.

Pitta

Balanced Pitta personality types have: a sharp mind, clarity in thought, leadership & teaching abilities, bravery and courage, and the power to transform oneself. Imbalanced Pitta types have a critical and perfectionist nature, get angry and resentful, and tend to have heat symptoms in the GI system like diarrhea or inflammation.

Kapha

Balanced Kapha personality types exhibit unconditional love, calmness, loyalty, patience, tolerance, high stamina, strong immunity, slow/steady pace, and consistency. Imbalanced Kaphas tend to gain weight, be lethargic, have high cholesterol and triglycerides, and sluggish digestion.

Your imbalance is called your vikruti, and it indicates which energies or doshas need balancing thru the different therapies. Ayurveda provides guidelines to re-establish our balance and move towards our essential constitution. Take the quiz and find out what is your body type. 

Ayurveda is considered the healing side of yoga. Likewise, yoga is the spiritual side of Ayurveda. Both Ayurveda and yoga do more than address disease, they help people stay vital and realize their full human potential or dharma. Together, they encompass a complete approach to the well-being of the body, the mind, and the spirit. Both systems rely on Prana which is the vital life force in all living beings, and is a component of both yoga and Ayurveda. The therapies in both sciences skillfully influence prana in order to help you feel balanced and in harmony with your essential nature. Vibrant Health Ayurveda + Yoga in Boulder, CO will assist you achieving wellness.

References:
http://www.lifespa.com/article.aspx?art_id=65
http://www.ayurveda-ayurvedic.net/toxins.html
http://www.elementsayurveda.com/my-ayurvedic-cleanse-experience
http://lifespa.com/panchakarma/research/
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www.ojas.us