Ayurveda is the flawless ancient science of life; the word ‘Ayur’ literally means ‘life’ and ‘veda’, the ‘science’ or ‘knowledge’. Ayurveda elucidates the do’s and don’ts one has to follow, which favours the well-being of each individual to lead a healthy, happy, comfortable and advantageous life physically, mentally and socially. Ayurveda also emphasis the adage, ‘prevention is better than cure’.

There are four Vedas or treatises that form the basis of the Indian medical philosophy. These are the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Adharva Veda. Ayurveda emerged as a branch of Adharva Veda; it dates back to over five thousand years. It is said to have originated from Lord Brahma (Creator of the Universe, according to Indian mythology) and descended to the earth through various generations of gods and saints. This has been handed down to us by means of ancient venerable scripts as palm leaf books, leather leaves, etc. The oldest works in Ayurveda still available are the Charaka Samhita, Susrutha Samhita and Ashtanga Samgraha.

The sage-physician-surgeons of the time were the same sages or seers, deeply devoted holy people, who saw health as an integral part of spiritual life. It is said that they received their training of Ayurveda through direct cognition during meditation. In other words, the knowledge of the use of various methods of healing, prevention, longevity and surgery came through Divine revelation; there was no guessing or testing and harming animals. These revelations were transcribed from the oral tradition into book form, interspersed with the other aspects of life and spirituality. What is fascinating is Ayurveda’s use of herbs, foods, aromas, gems, colors, yoga, mantras, lifestyle and surgery. Consequently Ayurveda grew into a respected and widely used system of healing in India. Around 1500 B.C., Ayurveda was delineated into eight specific branches of medicine. There were two main schools of Ayurveda at that time. Atreya- the school of physicians, and Dhanvantari – the school of surgeons. These two schools made Ayurveda a more scientifically verifiable and classifiable medical system.

People from numerous countries came to Indian Ayurvedic schools to learn about this world medicine and the religious scriptures it sprang from. Learned men from China, Tibet, the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Afghanistanis, Persians, and more traveled to learn the complete wisdom and bring it back to their own countries. Ayurvedic texts were translated in Arabic and under physicians such as Avicenna and Razi Sempion, both of whom quoted Indian Ayurvedic texts, established Islamic medicine. This style became popular in Europe, and helped to form the foundation of the European tradition in medicine.

In 16th Century Europe, Paracelsus, who is known as the father of modem Western medicine, practiced and propagated a system of medicine which borrowed heavily from Ayurveda.

There are two main re-organizers of Ayurveda whose works are still existing in tact today – Charak and Sushrut. The third major treatise is called the Ashtanga Hridaya, which is a concise version of the works of Charak and Sushrut. Thus the three main Ayurvedic texts that are still used today are the Charak Samhita (compilation of the oldest book Atreya Samhita), Sushrut Samhita and the Ashtangha Hridaya Samhita. These books are believed to be over 1,200 years old. It is because these texts still contain the original and complete knowledge of this Ayurvedic world medicine, that Ayurveda is known today as the only complete medical system still in existence. Other forms of medicine from various cultures, although parallel are missing parts of the original information

There’s nothing worse than finishing a meal and feeling like you are going to bust the button off your pants because you are so bloated and uncomfortable.

Here are 3 Simple Tips that can you can use to help to improve your digestion and prevent discomfort.

1. Avoid eating fruit with your meal. Fruit digests more quickly than other foods. When we mix it with other foods we create a fermentation tank in our belly, and this causes gas, bloating, and abdominal discomfort., especially if we have a weak digestive fire (agni). It is best to eat fruit on an empty stomach by itself as a snack or at least 30 minutes before eating a meal.

2. Stop eating before you get full. We’ve all done it. The food just tastes so good, we “can’t stop eating it”. When we eat more than our little tummies can handle, we douse out our (agni) digestive fire and this means that our food doesn’t get digested properly and is likely to turn into aam (toxicity). Imagine you are baking cookies in your kitchen. Your oven breaks when they are half way cooked, so you have take the cookies out of the oven before the they are ready. They are sticky and gooey in the middle and although they might taste good, they are not fully cooked. . When our digestive fire is not strong, it’s like the the oven isn’t working properly and we end up with aam (toxicity in the form of half baked cookies) floating around in our bodies. These half baked cookies block the natural flow in our system and this blockage can cause a plethora of problems with digestion and can also weaken the immune system and make it easier for us to fall sick.How much should I eat? The basic rule of thumb is to hold out your hands together as if you were collecting water from a faucet. Imagine they are filled with food. That’s how much you should be eating at one time.

3. Skip the ice water and drink warm water instead.Imagine pouring cold water down a metal pipe, the pipe will contract. The same thing will happen to the pipes (channels) in your body. Now, imagine pouring ice water over a piece of pizza, the cheese will congeal and it will become much more difficult to digest. This is why we use warm water to wash our dishes! If you pour warm water down the metal pipe, it will expand. If we want our food to move ease fully through our systems, we need to keep our pipes opened up so the food we eat can be properly digested. In the summer months it is okay to have room temperature water instead of warm, but definitely stay away from the ice!

Have you ever wondered why flying in an airplane can cause symptoms such as anxiety, increased thirst, dry skin, diarrhea and/or constipation? Whenever we travel by plane, the fast speed of the airplane combined with the high altitude cause a VATA (air and space) imbalance in our bodies. When our body is out of balance,  physical and psychological symptoms can easily manifest If we listen to the subtle clues that our body gives us when it cries out for attention, we can often correct the imbalance before symptoms arise.

Here are some simple things you can do to help counter balance the increase in Vata dosha that can occur when traveling.

1. When the beverage cart rolls down the isle, skip on the ice cold bubbly soda and opt for hot water or tea instead. This will help to open up your channels and also improve your digestion.

2. Instead of eating dry and crunchy Vata increasing foods such as crackers or pretzels, bring your own snacks. I recently travelled to New York  and brought a hard boiled egg and some organic vegetables cooked in ghee and spices for a mid flight snack. It was delicious and very grounding!

3. Bring some raisins with you in case you do get constipated on your trip. You can soak 15 raisins in a cup of warm water for 10 minutes and eat them before going to bed to help ensure a bowel movement in the morning.

4. Some people get anxious before traveling and this can cause excessive movement in the bowels. If you have diarrhea, you can bring some dry ginger powder with you and take a quarter of a teaspoon at night with warm water before bed and in the morning. This will simultaneously balance Vata and stop the diarrhea.

5. Bring layers and keep that little fan off! Help to bring Vata down by dressing appropriately and keeping your body at a comfortable warm temperature.

6. Get plenty of rest before and after you travel. When we don’t have a proper grounding nights sleep, this can cause our Vata to increase even more.

7. Sit in the isle seat! During long flights it is good to get up and stretch every once in a while. When we sit in one place for too long, our muscles get stiff and sore which can further aggravate Vata.