According to Ayurveda there are 4 aspects of the physical body that need to be kept in balance in order to maintain good health and well being. These are
- Dosha or biological constitution - Vata, Pitta and Kapha
- Dhatus or tissues
- Agni or digestive fire
- Malas or waste elimination
In this article we will briefly cover these 4 aspects and dive into more detail in future articles.
A system of Balance - Ayurveda teaches us that the key principle of sound health is that of balance. The above 4 components need to be in a state of harmony with each other for the organism to remain healthy. This balance allows the vital flow of prana or life energy to flow through the body and protect the body from illness and disease.
1. Doshas - There are three doshas according to Ayurveda. These are Vata which is associated with Air and Space and is the force of movement, activity and sensation. Pitta which is associated with Fire and Water and is the source of all transformation processes. Finally Kapha is associated with Earth and Water and is the body's strength and stability. These three doshas govern our body and mind and maintaining balance based on your predominant dosha allows the body systems to work effectively.
2. Dhatus or tissues - There are 7 dhatus that constitute the body's physical form. They are Rasa (Plasma), Rakta (blood), Mamsa (muscle), Meda (Adipose tissue), Asthi (bones and Cartilage), Majja (bone marrow) and Shukra (reproductive tissues). You will notice that we have 7 herbal jams with these Sanskrit names. Each one supports a specific dhatu. Click on the link corresponding to each dhatu to explore our Herbal Jam range further.
3. Agni - The main form of Agni is the body's digestive fire. Healthy agni allows food to be digested properly and strong tissue to be formed. This also prevents build up of Ama or undigested matter. To read more about Agni and Ama refer to our previous blog post by clicking here
4. Malas or waste - The body's excretions; urine, stool and sweat are called malas. believe it or not, in ayurveda, this is given significant importance and passing these in a timely manner keeps the body balanced and in check. Unhealthy malas is a result of poor agni resulting in ama which can be a cause of disease.