The Mirror On My Wall

Traditional Knowledge, Natural Growth

The elements

We believe that our body is made of 5 elements or “tatvas” these are:

• Earth also called “pritvi” refers to our physical form our body.
• Water also called “jal” refers to the life giving fluid our blood that flows in our veins.
• Fire also called “agni” refers to the activities and strength also our thoughts.
• Air  also called “vayu” refers to the gases that we intake and give out for living.
• Space  also called “akash” refers to our soul.

 The combination of all these 5 elements makes our body and after our death it will dissolve in their respective element. We need to keep a balance between these elements for our proper well being if the balance gets disturbed our health gets effected.

Ayurveda and traditional knowledge

Ayurveda is a traditional medicine system that is part of our ancient Vedas called Atharva veda and Rig veda.  It’s been practiced in India since Medieval period. It is a traditional and aged old knowledge that is used for natural growth of mankind. It is the oldest form of healthcare in the whole world whose main purpose is to prevent and cure illness in order to preserve life.

The “tridosha” or three bio-energies found in our body and ayurveda stresses a balance of three elemental energies.

• Vata – Ether and air combine to form Vata dosha. This energy governs the principle of movement and therefore can be seen as the force that directs nerve impulses, circulation, respiration, and elimination
• Kapha – Water and earth elements combine to form Kalpha dosha. It is responsible for growth, adding structure unit by unit and protects brain and spinal column.
• Pitta – Fire and water form Pitta dosha. It governs metabolism and transformation of food into nutrients.

My experiences with Ayurveda

I am a house wife and mother of a 8 year old daughter, whose growth and well being is my responsibility. When it comes to my daughter’s health I have always trusted the homemade and ayurvedic remedies. All this knowledge about herbs and their preparations comes from my mother and my grandmother. Herbal tea has now very popular in market and is used by many of us at home.  In winters I use dry ginger powder in my tea to cure sore throat and always make kadha as a cure.

My mother prepares herbal oil herself at home and everybody is getting benefits from them. We used to apply ubtans and less soap in childhood which were made by my mother .

When my daughter was very small I used to massage her with ayurvedic oil called lal tail from dabur and always gave her gripe water and janam ghutti that comes from same and very well know avurvedic brand. Dabur lal tail is baby massage oil and is a blend of many different herbs. The oil gets absorbed in the skin very easily and nourished the muscles and bones so that they become stronger. It also help baby to sleep better and relaxed which is good for baby’s mental growth.

I give her chavanprash and milk with honey which is good for her growth and immunity. I myself remember my father used to bring chavanprash in winters and we used to have it with milk.

Market for ayurveda

There are so many personal care products chemically prepared and herbal available in market today, but more and more people are opting for natural products.  Our herbal products are gaining popularity overseas too as they are getting aware of our timed tested heritage.  We have so many types for herbs that do wonders for our different parts of body. Like amala and bhringraj for hair, haldi and chandan for skin, brahmi and shakpushpi  as brain tonic.

Conclusion

Natural and ayurvedic therapy is the best and without any side effects.  It keeps the balance between the all the five elements in our body. When the balance between them gets disturbed then also ayurveda comes to the rescue. Ayurvedic mediciens are mostly derived from herbs, flowers, fruits etc which makes this close to nature. it doesn’t only treat diseases but also prevents its occurrence in future.