The Science of Health

 You might have noticed there’s a whole lot of hype around health right now... and I actually think that’s a really freakin’ good thing.

It means people are interested, we are starting to take a look a what we’re putting in our mouths, on our skin and what’s in our mind and figure out whether they are truly of benefit to us. It seems that the prevalence of illness and disease within society has propelled us forward into an era of health. 

But with all the hype out there how do we know what we’re really suppose to be doing to increase our energy levels, level out our weight, lower our risk of disease and live out our true potential? 

Between low carb, paleo, intermittent fasting, no sugar/fructose, vegan, raw food and a million other ‘cure all’ diets, how the hell are we suppose to know what’s best?

Well here’s the thing, there is definitely no one size fits all. Every single body is different, so how could one diet work for all? We all have a completely different ‘constitutional blueprint’ and because of that, it takes different things to keep that constitutional blueprint balanced.

So how do we know what works? A lot of people say our bodies will ask for what they need, which is true... to a degree.

Introducing... the universal law that like attract like. 

You’ve heard that before right? 

Well, our bodies are no exception to this rule.

So when we are in a balanced state of being - clear, calm, focused, solid digestion etc etc our bodies will indeed crave more of what will keep it balanced. 

However, when we are imbalanced - agitated, mind up in the air, lethargic, sluggish digestion etc our bodies will simply crave what will keep it imbalanced.

So what the hell are we suppose to do if we are imbalanced. Well, to put it simply, we eat foods and do activities that are opposite to our imbalance. A really simple example is if we are feeling overheated and agitated (an emotion caused by excess heat), we want to eat foods that are cool, do exercise that is cooling and hang out in environments that are cooling in nature. So we’d eat foods like cucumber, coriander, aloe vera and cooling fruits, we’d swim and practice mellow yoga rather than running which is very heating and we’d favour a cooler climate with lots of green and perhaps even spend the hottest time of the day in the air-con. 

Where the frig does all this knowledge come from? 

This is the science of Ayurveda.

Ayurveda has been around for well over 3000 years, it’s tried and tested. It’s not a mash up of what’s cool, what looks good on an instagram feed and what’s been proven in the latest study funded by questionable sources. 

Ayurveda is the sister science of yoga, it comes from ancient India and once upon a time Yoga and Ayurveda were completely intertwined. It was westerners that decided to take yoga (something they thought they could understand and put it in the box of exercise) and leave Ayurveda behind... Ayurveda does conflict with western medicine and often uses unconventional methods of healing. Unlike western medicine, it is much more interested in prevention and root causal factors rather then curing illness or disease.

Ayurveda is simultaneously so simple and so complex.

The most amazing thing about Ayurveda is that once you learn the base of the system you can become your own doctor. You will understand what’s happening within your body and know the correct remedies to fix it. 

Yes, it takes a little to learn, but once you understand it, you KNOW it. 

To me, Ayurveda means complete freedom.

The freedom to stop having to try to figure out who is right about what and whether carbs are innately good or bad for us. The freedom to stop worrying about weight and be able to prioritise feeling good. The freedom to self diagnose a mild imbalance and correct it quickly and with ease. The freedom to stop looking outwards and start looking inwards. 

This is the first of many blog posts about Ayurveda. It’s a really brief intro, but I am dedicated to teaching this underrated science to as many people as I can. I’m dedicated to bringing this gift to anyone that will listen. I’m dedicated to busting through the hype around health and assisting people to feel the best they’ve ever felt. 

I love this science, my entire life is lived through the lens of Ayurveda and ever since it’s been this way life has been SO much easier and more fulfilling. I am absolutely devoted to sharing that. 

If, you want to know more, there’ll be plenty more posts to come, I’m also running an Online Experiential Training in February where those participating will develop a strong base in Ayurveda, check it out here and please let me know if you have any questions. 

Wishing you the most simple route to a happy and healthy existence here on planet Earth.

H