07/02/2023
About a 7 minute read
Time for an introduction to ayurveda, which is what underpins everything I will share here on this page. If you read my first post here, you know a bit about the journey that led me to do a course in feminine form ayurveda. Some of you might even know something about ayurveda. For everyone else, you may be wondering, what the heck is ayurveda, let alone what is feminine form ayurveda? Or even before that, you might be thinking, how on earth do I pronounce it? The unfamiliar and non-English sounding words I use here are in Sanskrit, a language with its roots in South Asia, which includes India. Some say that words in ayurveda help you to experience what the word is used to denote, as well as give meaning to it. It is also believed that the sounds of words in Sanskrit have the power to heal! Words in Sanskrit are typically derived from certain root words and interestingly, a word in Sanskrit can have many different meanings! Ayurveda (pronounce 'ay' 'or' 'vay 'duh') is derived from the roots 'ayur', meaning life and 'veda', meaning knowledge. So, ayurveda is often referred to as the science of life.
Ayurveda and yoga are intrinsically interwoven and in fact, ayurveda is often referred to as the sister science of yoga. The word yoga comes from the sanskrit root 'yug' which means to unite, specifically to unite the physical, emotional and spiritual. Another meaning often given to the word yoga is to make the unconscious conscious to help remove limitations. Yoga is much more than the physical practice most of us know about. For anyone who has ever practiced yoga, you may have noticed that you feel so much better once you finish your practice, on more than just on a physical level. Perhaps you can't even explain how it is that you feel better, or maybe you notice more of a sense of calm or a lessening of symptoms like anxiety. This is because yoga works on mind, body and spirit. Those of you who do know something about ayurveda or yoga know that they have their roots in ancient India, but are universal and timeless. You and your family, caregivers growing up and ever since may even have used some remedies that are ayurvedic in nature, without even knowing it. It's the homemade chicken soup/ your Mum or caregiver gave you when you were younger and were feeling sick, it's listening to the cues your body gives you to rest when you start menstruating or just feel exhausted, eating seasonally and locally and applying more nourishment to your skin in autumn and winter. In yoga, there is a lot of focus on the breath and being guided by your body. Who of us doesn't remember hearing advice like 'take deep breaths' and 'breathe slowly' to help in a stressful situation, or being told to listen to your body and not push through physical pain? I could go on and on, and I won't, but what you might notice from these examples is that there is something in ayurveda for everyone.
Ayurveda also operates on a more subtle level and like yoga, helps to make the unconscious conscious...with the ultimate goal being to discover who you really are, after overcoming your physical and emotional challenges and removing unhelpful conditioning and patterns that no longer serve you. There are also a lot of practical things ayurveda offers, including advice on food choices depending on where you are, the season and what is going on with you at that moment. Although ayurveda has its roots in India, as the example of the chicken soup your Mum made you when you were young and feeling sick suggests, you don't have to like Indian food (though I have some wonderful recipes to share that might change your mind!) Nor do you need countless hours free every day to perform ayurvedic practices, to benefit from it. The thing the ancient rishis (think of them as the wise founding fathers of ayurveda - you guessed it, they were mostly men, but more on that later) said about ayurveda was that it must be adapted to the time, place, people and situation in which it is being applied, otherwise it is useless. That's what I'm here for! Take what you are interested in/what works for you (for now, as don't be surprised if this changes over time) and leave the rest. As just like everything else in life, different things work for different people. You may have heard the saying 'the only constant in life is change.' The good news is that because ayurveda is so vast, it can be adapted to support you no matter where you are and what is going on in your life, as well as support you though change.
So, what is feminine form ayurveda? Well, remember I referred to the ancient rishis or founding fathers of ayurveda? If you ever read any of the ancient texts on ayurveda (who knows, one day you might be inspired to!) you will notice that they were all written by men. Why..because women were too busy running the household and raising children to write books! They still practiced ayurveda though..in the kitchen and (for example) by giving oil massages to their very young children to help with their physical development. So, most of feminine form ayurveda was passed down orally in these situations. The other aspect of feminine form ayurveda is that it is intuitive, flowing and adaptive - taking all aspects of you and your environment into account. That is, taking general principles and applying them to your personal circumstances, not blindly sticking to rules, but using them as a guide, as well as intuition to decide the right approach. You might be wondering whether feminine form ayurveda is only for women. The answer is no, but often more women are drawn to it, and I will also talk about issues specific to women, such as menstruation and menopause here.
Feminine form ayurveda also honours the more masculine aspects of ayurveda. For example, harnessing the anti-inflammatory effect of curcuma extracted (a very masculine process) from turmeric. Western or allopathic medicine is also masculine in nature. Feminine form ayurveda also honours and can compliment this masculine form of medicine by, for example making certain food choices and performing ayurvedic practices to help with physical and emotional challenges you are experiencing alongside taking western remedies. Feminine form ayurveda also recognises that some issues need a solely masculine solution - think, see a problem and fix it as soon as possible. Imagine your appendix is about to burst. This is when you need an urgent operation to remove it (surgery is also very masculine, and interestingly it is believed that it was first performed by elders from the Indus Valley in ancient India), and not an ayurvedic health coach. So, feminine form ayurveda is adaptive, preventative and holistic in nature. Who doesn't want that in a complimentary health care system?
Finally, I just want to say a huge thank you to the founder and one of my teachers at the Shakti School, Katie Silcox. I learned and experienced so, so much from/with her and the other teachers during my course. If you want a modern gal's introduction to feminine form ayurveda, I cannot recommend highly enough Katie's book 'Happy, Healthy, Sexy'. I am sure I will have many more teachers on this and related topics in the years to come, including you, if you choose to continue with me on this journey. I say this because, I will happily be your guide, but also hope to help awaken within you, your own intuitive healer. I hope that you have found at least something in this post that interests or even inspires you, and that you will continue with me on this journey.
Please leave your comments and questions below - any questions I am more than happy to answer.