Anyone who chooses an Ayurvedic treatment will discover: I am part of nature. The elements of ether, air, fire, water and earth drive the workings of the universe and function in exactly the same way as bioenergies within your body. Your Panchakarma treatment in Sri Lanka helps you to restore these forces to their natural balance. That means that Ayurveda prevents illness and supports recovery. In this blog post, you’ll learn more about fundamental Sanskrit terms and the principles of Ayurveda.
The foundations of Ayurveda: The knowledge of life
Ayurveda
From the Sanskrit: Ayus (life) and Veda (knowledge). The science of life. Ayurveda is a traditional Indian system of medicine dating back over 5,000 years . It views life as a natural process. The aim of Ayurvedic therapy is to keep you healthy, alleviate symptoms and, ideally, cure illnesses.
Prakriti: deine Grundkonstitution
Prakriti refers to your unchanging blueprint, which was already determined at birth. Your basic constitution defines how the elements Kapha, Pitta and Vata are distributed within you. The diagnosis determines your state in order to tailor the therapy precisely to your personality.
Vikriti: der Ist-Zustand
The term Vikriti describes your current condition, which usually deviates from your basic constitution (Prakriti). Pulse diagnosis reveals how the three doshas are behaving in your body at that moment. The Ayurvedic doctor identifies the extent to which Kapha, Pitta and Vata are currently out of balance. He plans your Ayurvedic treatments so that they restore balance to the doshas.
Jihva Pariksha: Tongue Diagnosis
Pulse diagnosis is the primary tool our doctor uses to determine your constitution and condition. However, your tongue also provides insight into your internal environment. In Ayurveda, it is regarded as a map of the organs, reflecting the state of your metabolism. A thick coating, for example, indicates ama, undigested residues, whilst cracks or discolouration reveal how the doshas are affecting your organs.
Swastha: to be healthy
Swastha translates as ‘to be at peace within yourself. Being healthy means that the doshas – Kapha, Pitta, Vata, Agni, Dhatus and Malas – are in balance and your mind remains clear. An intensive Ayurvedic treatment aims to guide you towards this state of inner harmony and balance.
Roga: being ill
Roga refers to a state of imbalance. Roga arises when the srotas are blocked, agni is extinguished, or the doshas are thrown out of their natural balance. Ayurveda does not treat the symptoms, but addresses the root cause of the disorder.
The bioenergies of Ayurveda: Your inner nature
Doshas: the bioenergies
The doshas are the three fundamental forces – Kapha, Pitta and Vata – which regulate all functions within the body. Everyone carries their individual blend of these three forces within themselves. The aim of the Panchakarma treatment is to bring these bioenergies into balance. That is why our Ayurvedic doctor performs a pulse diagnosis during the initial consultation to determine, amongst other things, the current state of your doshas and your constitutional type. The pulse diagnosis and medical consultation form the basis for the treatment plan, which the Ayurvedic doctor tailors to your individual needs. Remember: everything you eat, drink, do or think influences your doshas.
Vata: Air and Ether
Vata is the principle of movement. It governs your heartbeat, nerve impulses and breathing. Ayurveda uses oils and heat, for example, to relieve pain, dryness and restlessness. Vata influences and governs 80 per cent of clinical presentations.
Pitta: Fire and a little water
Pitta is the principle of transformation. It governs digestion, hormone balance and body temperature. If your Pitta is dominant, you will receive targeted Ayurvedic treatments that cool your system and eliminate excess acid.
Kapha: Water and Earth
Kapha is the principle of structure. It strengthens the body, lubricates the joints and builds up the immune reserve. The Ayurvedic treatment balances all the doshas. This means that, in cases of excess Kapha, it helps to stabilise your Kapha whilst preventing you from becoming sluggish or your body becoming congested with mucus.
Ayurveda: Metabolism and Cell Regeneration
Agni: the digestive fire
Your digestive fire, Agni, encompasses far more than just stomach acid; Agni encompasses all enzymatic processes and cellular metabolism. If your Agni burns irregularly, your cells will no longer regenerate. Ideally, when your Agni is strong, it precisely separates nutrients from waste. A Panchakarma treatment rekindles the flame of your digestion. In this way, the Ayurvedic treatment revitalises your body and the tissue regenerates.
Ahara: Nutrition
In Ayurveda food is regarded as medicine.
Ahara nourishes the dhatus (your body tissues) and directly influences the doshas. It is not just what you eat that matters, but also having a strong agni to help you digest your food. Ayurvedic nutrition uses the gunas – the properties of foods – to correct imbalances. Warm, cooked meals aid the digestive process, whilst unsuitable combinations create Ama. For example, yoghurt with fresh fruit for breakfast puts a strain on your digestion. Follow the tips from Ayurvedic teachings on Ayurveda and digestion to strengthen your Agni, avoid Ama and eat healthily.
Ama: Metabolic waste
In Ayurveda, ‘ama’ refers to undigested toxins. These arise when your digestive fire burns too weakly. These sticky residues block the body’s pathways and create a breeding ground for disease. Ayurvedic massages and Ayurvedic cleansing procedures release this waste from the tissues, liquefy the toxins and transport them to the gastrointestinal tract. Virecha and Vasthi help the body to eliminate these substances completely.
Dhatus: the seven layers of tissues
Your body builds its physical structure through a precise metabolic chain. Each layer of tissue nourishes the one that follows. Your Ayurvedic therapy supports this flow:
- Rasa (plasma): nourishes all cells.
- Rakta (blood): provides vitality and oxygen.
- Mamsa (muscles): provides support and protection.
- Meda (fat): insulates and stores energy.
- Asthi (bones): forms the supporting framework.
- Majja (nerves/marrow): controls the transmission of stimuli.
- Shukra (reproductive tissue): the subtle, essential radiance.
Srotas: the transport channels
The srotas form a network of channels extending from the blood vessels to the intercellular spaces. They transport nutrients and carry away waste. Ayurveda keeps these pathways open to ensure effective communication between cells. This includes the respiratory tract, the digestive tract and the water balance system which supply the body with oxygen, food and fluids from the outside. Within the body, each of the seven Dhatus has its own channel for structure and metabolism:
- Rasa Vaha Srotas: lymphatic system and plasma.
- Rakta Vaha Srotas: blood circulation.
- Mamsa Vaha Srotas: muscular system.
- Meda Vaha Srotas: adipose tissue.
- Asthi Vaha Srotas: skeletal system.
- Majja Vaha Srotas: nervous system and bone marrow.
- Shukra Vaha Srotas: Reproductive system.
The Malas describe the channels that carry = what your system naturally excretes out of the body.
Mala: bodily excretions
Your body cleanses itself and expels substances: stools, urine and sweat. This also includes tongue coating, earwax and eye secretions. In women, menstrual blood and breast milk are also included. These waste products serve, amongst other things, as diagnostic tools. The nature of the malas provides insight into how deeply Ama has already penetrated the tissues.
Ojas: the essence of life
Ojas is the end product of a perfect metabolism. When all seven dhatus are optimally nourished, ojas is produced. It strengthens the immune system and is also responsible for making people glow from within and appear attractive to others. An Ayurvedic treatment protects and increases this essence of life.
Panchakarma: Purification and rejuvenation in Sandaru Lanka
Tailas: Herbal oils
Tailas form the basis of many treatments. We infuse high-quality oils with medicinal herbs or source quality-assured herbal oils from our trusted Ayurvedic pharmacy. The oil acts as a carrier, transporting the active ingredients deep into your tissues where they help to flush out toxins.
Kashaya: Herbal decoction
A concentrated extract from medicinal plants. We simmer herbs in water to release the active ingredients, making them easily absorbed by your body. You usually drink these decoctions in the morning or evening to activate the internal processes that cleanse your body.
Oushada: Herbal medicine
In Ayurveda, we harness the pure power of plants, roots and bark. We tailor these remedies specifically for you to harmonise your doshas and strengthen your Agni.
Rasayana: rejuvenation and regeneration
Purification is followed by restoration. Rasayana refers to therapies and remedies that renew your cells, strengthen the immune system and slow down the ageing process. During this phase, Ayurveda increases your ojas (life essence) and gives you new vitality.
Panchakarma: The five actions
Panchakarma refers to the comprehensive cleansing regimen that deeply revitalises the body. Panchakarma translates as ‘the five actions’. This refers to five purgative procedures: bowel cleansing (Virecha), nasal cleansing (Nasya), oil enemas (Vasthi), therapeutic vomiting (Vamana) and bloodletting (Rakta Mokshana). They form the medical core of a Panchakarma treatment, designed to bring the doshas into balance.
Abhyanga: the full-body oil massage
Abhyanga is regarded as the ‘mother of all massages’. Using warm herbal oils, your therapist – working alone or in tandem with another therapist – massages your body. The strokes release toxins from the tissues, calm your nervous system and strengthen your immune system. You will feel how the deep oil massage soothes your Vata and allows you to relax deeply.
Pinda Sveda: the herbal stamp massage
In this deeply penetrating thermal massage, we massage you using hand-sewn cotton pouches filled with a special blend of medicinal herbs, roots or medicinal rice. The therapists tap the stamps rhythmically and stroke your skin with them. The intense heat opens the srotas, your body’s channels. In this way, the herbal stamp massage releases deep-seated tension and liquefies trapped waste products, i.e. your ama. This Ayurvedic treatment softens the tissue and is the ideal preparation for subsequently expelling released toxins from the body.
Virecha: Colon Cleanse
The colon cleanse is the crucial first step in the detoxification process. Virecha removes toxins and accumulated Pitta from the large intestine. As a preparatory step, you will receive massages to loosen these toxins. This strengthens the Agni and provides lasting relief for the metabolism.
Vasthi: the therapeutic enema
Vasthi (also known as Vasti or Basti) is the supreme discipline of regeneration. As Vata is based in the large intestine and influences 80 per cent of all disease processes, Vasthi plays a central role. We administer the enemas rectally using a catheter. Medicated oils or herbal decoctions nourish the mucous membrane and bind toxins. The active ingredients enter the bloodstream directly and soothe the nervous system.
Nasya: nasal cleansing
Nasya translates as ‘belonging to the nose’.
The nose is the gateway to prana, the life energy. Medicinal herbal oils flow through the nasal passages, loosening mucus and reducing Kapha. This provides relief from migraines or tinnitus and clears the mind. The oils initially produce a burning sensation.
Vamana: therapeutic vomiting
This procedure intensively cleanses the stomach and chest of excess Kapha and mucus. Whilst large hotels often avoid this treatment, we at Sandaru Lanka deliberately offer Vamana as a medically justified exception. If it benefits your health and you consent, we use this treatment under the strictest medical supervision to release deep-seated blockages in the upper body, thereby fundamentally liberating your system.
Rakta Mokshana: Leeches
Rakta Mokshana purifies the blood and reduces Pitta. The name translates as ‘freeing the blood’. This treatment removes toxins directly from the bloodstream. Unlike many large resorts, we use Rakta Mokshana selectively in exceptional cases where there is a specific medical indication. Naturally, the doctor will discuss this with you beforehand. We use the gentle assistance of leeches for this purpose. The active substances in the leeches’ saliva purify the blood, inhibit inflammation and improve circulation.
Shirodhara: Forehead oil treatment
A warm stream of oil flows rhythmically over your forehead, stimulating the nervous system at the ‘third eye’. The procedure balances Vata, reduces stress levels and harmonises mental energy. Some guests react emotionally to this or experience vivid dreams afterwards. This is a sign that pent-up tension is being released.
Mind and Qualities in Ayurveda: Subtle Energy
Gunas: the 20 qualities
Ayurveda classifies everything in nature according to ten pairs of opposing qualities, known collectively as the 20 Gurvadi Gunas. Here are the most important examples of the Gunas:
- Guru and Laghu (heavy and light): Heavy food nourishes the tissues. Light food counteracts congestion.
- Sheeta and Ushna (cold and hot): Heat stimulates the metabolism; cold soothes inflammation.
- Snigdha and Ruksha (oily and dry): Oil nourishes the nerves and soothes Vata; dryness reduces mucus and Kapha.
- Manda and Tikshna (mild and pungent): Pungent substances penetrate deeply and dissolve Ama; mild applications soothe the system.
In Ayurveda, the universal principle applies: like strengthens like, and opposites balance each other out.
Mahagunas: the three mental qualities
The Mahagunas are fundamental natural forces that permeate the mind and all of creation. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas determine your mental state and stabilise the psyche. Your Ayurvedic retreat in Sri Lanka nurtures your Sattva to strengthen your inner balance.
Sattva: being clear and pure
Sattva is the principle of harmony. A sattvic mind is alert, patient and clear. Sattva bestows the power of self-healing and allows a person to rest in their centre.
Rajas: being active and dynamic
Rajas is the principle of movement. Rajas drives and creates change but, in excess, leads to restlessness, agitation and anger. It is the force that directs the mind outwards.
Tamas: being sluggish and stable
Tamas is the principle of heaviness. Tamas induces sleep and stabilises but, when dominant, it causes ignorance and mental rigidity. The therapy alleviates Tamas to restore flexibility.
Discover your true nature. Email us to find out more about your personalised Ayurvedic retreat in Sandaru Lanka. We will guide you with sensitivity and expertise.
Once you understand the principles of Ayurveda, you will realise what strengthens you and what weighs you down. A Panchakarma course in Sri Lanka will help you to rekindle your vitality and stabilise your health.