It is autumn again — cold, wet and grey. High time for a wellness tip that lifts the mood and carries you well through the dark season: Ayurveda, one of the most popular wellness catchwords.
Ayurveda has been near the top of the wellness trend barometer for some time. The Indian healing art is a complex system with a history several thousand years old — but you do not have to become an expert in traditional South Asian medicine to enjoy the beneficial effect of Ayurvedic treatments.
The western adaptation has picked out the most agreeable methods and integrated them into the wellness offerings of hotels and spas.
Ayurveda and wellness — how does that work?
Ayurveda is no panacea. If someone promises you eternal youth in a few days with Ayurveda, you may confidently wave it away. But if you stay realistic and simply want to try something new in order to feel good and relax for a few days, then Ayurveda is exactly right for you.
Ayurveda & massages
Particularly popular are the Ayurvedic massages. To western ears they carry exotic names such as abhyanga, mardana, padabhyanga or mukhabhyanga. What is decisive is that the Ayurvedic massage is meant to bring the flow of energy in the body back into balance. To that end, central points where energy channels and nerve pathways meet — the so-called marma points — are stimulated deliberately. Classic Ayurvedic massages work with various oils, tuned to type and need. The massage thus follows the individual constitution, but can serve general relaxation just as well.
Ayurveda & nutrition
A central point in Ayurveda, which can be translated as “the knowledge of life”, is nutrition. A complex subject that is unfortunately also misused by charlatans to sell overpriced and in part even harmful preparations.
Yet many Ayurvedic nutritional teachings overlap with what is understood in the west as a healthy diet, or is simply common sense. The following rules may serve as examples:
- You should not eat in an unsettled state of mind, not standing up and not in a hurry
- You should eat again only after the last meal has been digested
- You should eat only when hungry and should not eat until completely full
- You should eat fresh foods suited to your own constitution, the season and the place
- You should take in all six Ayurvedic tastes (rasa) with every meal: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent
An Ayurvedic cure therefore usually begins with discussing an individual nutrition plan that addresses personal needs concretely. As you can see, Ayurveda is a complex system — usable as a practical philosophy of life just as much as for a relaxing wellness weekend. Do try it: then autumn may rage outside while you rest within yourself.
A note on our own account: we are a wellness portal, not physicians — this article does not replace medical advice. With concrete complaints the way leads to a doctor; reliable information can also be found in the sources below.