By Gauri Junnarkar Owner ‘Ayurnutrition’, Vaidya (Ayurveda
Practitioner), Registered/Licensed Dietitian, Certified Diabetes
Educator, Licensed Massage Therapist. www.ayurnutrition.comAyurveda is one of the oldest health sciences that originated in India
more than 5000 years ago. ‘Ayurveda’ is a Sanskrit word, made of two
parts ‘Ayur’ meaning life and ‘Veda’ meaning science, hence Ayurveda
essentially means ‘Science of life’. Ayurveda is a unique health and
wellness science that focuses on the mind body relation. The beauty of
Ayurveda lies in its perpetual principles that transcend time and space.
Its principles can be applied to any person, at any time and at any
place.

Ayurveda believes that every person is born with a unique body
constitution called ‘Prakriti’, hence wellness should also be
individualized and personalized. A person’s ‘Prakriti’ is dominated by
presence of doshas (bodily humors) in various ranges. The doshas that
are most prominent defines a person’s prakriti. The Prakriti description
contains external features, physiology, likes dislikes, appetite, sleep
and much more. Every person’s Prakriti is as unique as a thumbprint.
Ayurveda emphasizes that a person’s ahara (food), Dincharya (daily
routine) and in fact rutucharya (seasonal routine) should be in harmony
with a person’s Prakriti. This is to ensure balance and create harmony
between mind and the body.

In order to understand ‘Prakriti’ let us also explore the principle of
‘Tridosha’ or ‘Three Doshas ‘ (bodily humors). According to this, our
body contains three basic dosha’s or humors Vata, Pitta and Kapha in
various levels. Vata stands for the wind element and is responsible for
all the movements within our body. From the macro to micro level, every
movement within the body, may it be nerve impulses, peristalsis, muscle
action or breathing can be attributed to Vata. Pitta is responsible for
metabolism and transformation. Functions such as digestion, absorption
and assimilation are said to be governed by Pitta. So when Ayurveda
talks about Pitta, it is just not talking about bile, but different
enzymes and hormones that are necessary for digestion and metabolism to
take place. Hence these can also be considered as various forms of
Pitta. The third Dosha is Kapha, also known as Phlegm. It is the dosha
that provides structure, binds tissues together and gives biological
strength. The functions of joint lubrication, wound healing and mucous
production inside body cavities can be attributed to Kapha. Hence
Ayurveda believes that our food and lifestyle need to be in harmony with
these doshas for us to enjoy good health.

The goal of Ayurveda is “Swasthasya Swathya rakshanam, aturasya vicar
prashmanam cha”. It means protecting the health of a healthy individual
and eliminating the disease. The greatness of this science lies in the
fact that it not only emphasizes on restoring health and balance in the
body, but also believes in being preventive in nature by promoting and
protecting health.

Thus Ayurveda is truly a nature’s science that promotes wellness. It is
the science of life. It is the science that creates harmony between us
and nature. It celebrates the uniqueness of every individual and makes
it personalized. This is what Ayurveda wellness is about. It is about us
connecting to our biorhythms and making that mind body connection. It is
about creating a personalized and individualized approach to our health
and wellbeing.

References:
1. Sastri K, Chaturvedi G. Charak Samhita. 22nd ed.Varanasi, India:
Chaukahmba Bharati Academy1996.
2. Shastri KA. Susruta Samhita. 11th ed. Varanasi, India: Chaukhamba
Sanskrit Sansthana, 1997.
3. Gupta KA, Upadhyaya Y. Ashtangahridayam. 12th ed. Varanasi, India:
Chaukhamba Sanskrit Sansthan, 1997.

Author’s Bio and Contact info:

Gauri Junnarkar is the founder of ‘Ayurnutrition’, an integrative
wellness practice in DFW. Gauri Junnarkar is a highly accomplished and
world renowned Vaidya (Ayurveda Practitioner), Registered Licensed
Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, Panchakarma
Specialist, and Licensed Massage Therapist. She earned her Bachelor’s
degree in Ayurveda from the University of Mumbai. She also holds a
Master of Science degree in Nutrition from Texas Woman’s University. She
has completed a 500 hour Massage Certification course from Kekino
Massage Academy. She is currently licensed as a Massage Therapist in the
State of Texas. Gauri has more than 14 years’ experience in the field of
Ayurveda. She is a dedicated nutrition professional with 9+ years’
experience as registered/licensed Dietitian and 6+ years’ experience as
a certified diabetes educator.

Gauri’s expertise includes Nutrition, Diabetes education, Ayurveda,
Panchakarma and Massage Therapy. She offers Ayurveda Wellness consults,
Nutrition consults, Ayurvedic Massage and therapies, Panchakarma
services ,workshops, cooking classes, presentations, webinars, lunch and
learns and grocery store healthy food tours through ‘ Ayurnutrition’. To
schedule an appointment, call 972-999-0203.