Yoga and Ayurveda

When it comes to healing, nothing works in silos. It’s always teamwork where therapies and treatments meet and are followed rigorously to revive the strength and rejuvenate the lifestyle. While some medical practices focus on medicine more than anything else, specific natural healing processes prioritize every part of the treatment. One such natural healing medical science is Ayurveda.

As we all know, Ayurveda focuses on curing the ailment’s cause and the disease itself. Working on the root cause is often a challenging process. Ayurveda believes in bringing the balance achieved when we proportionally pamper our body, mind, and soul. So almost all Ayurveda packages have three things in common – herbal medicine, Yoga, and meditation. We have already discussed the importance of herbs in Ayurveda. So today, we will unravel the reason behind the strong bonding between Yoga and Ayurveda.

As per ancient Indian scriptures and popular beliefs, Ayurveda and Yoga were developed around the same time. They belonged to the same genre and focused on healing the body, mind, and soul. However, as both branches were so complex, studying them together as one was quite tricky. So both developed differently. In the classical Vedic scheme, Ayurveda represents the only Vedic system created particularly for healing purposes. And Yoga is the Vedic system of spiritual practice, also called sadhana. All Vedic spiritual procedure involves some form of Yoga practice. But does this mean they are entirely the same? No!

Although Yoga aims at relieving spiritual suffering, it is not a medical system that aims to cure or treat any physical or psychological diseases. Ayurveda is a medical science with herbs, medicines, and even surgical procedures (when needed) to cure or treat a particular ailment. So how do they become interdependent? Let’s dive deeper:

Relationship Between Ayurveda and Yoga

For a holistic approach to healing and medicine, we need both Ayurveda and Yoga. Whereas Ayurveda provides a medical foundation, Yoga focuses on spiritual goals and practices. It provides the psychological and spiritual basis for Ayurveda. Ayurveda rejuvenates the body, and Yoga aims to purify the mind and consciousness. Both disciplines complement each other, and any treatment lacking essence of the other half is often frowned upon. Following both helps the benefactor achieve balance and harmony in mind and body.

Ayurveda’s medical and health aspects, alongside the physical and spiritual fitness of Yoga, make both the two sides of a coin.

“Using Ayurveda along with Yoga helps us gain complete harmony and balance in body and mind so that we can discover our true self that is one with all. All Yoga teachers should learn the fundamentals of Ayurveda, and all Yoga students should seek Ayurvedic guidance to enhance their Yoga practice.”

-Dr. David Frawley, Vedacharya, esteemed scholar of Ayurveda, Yoga, and Vedanta, director of the American Institute of Vedic Studies

Both Yoga and Ayurveda consider the universe to be a mixture of two ruling factors- Purusha and Prakriti. Purusha stands for the higher self or the consciousness principle, and Prakriti is considered the very force of nature that governs all. Both philosophies aim to make the mind and body operate in communion. As we have read in our previous blogs about Ayurveda, Yoga also supports the five elements of Vedic sciences. As per Dr. David Frawley, Yogic healing works best in Ayurveda’s complete yogic system of medicine.

Ayurveda revolves around the concepts of three body humors (tridoshas), body tissues (dhatus), and the toxic waste eliminated from the body (malas). All these elements must work in balance for a healthy and peaceful life. In Ayurveda, Yoga takes care of the body’s physical and mental fitness. The different asanas, kriyas, and exercises bring flexibility, fitness, and peace. Mind governs all; hence Yoga focuses mainly on the human mind. It magnifies the concept of three qualities, also called- trigunas. These three qualities are:

Satva indicates balanced and clear
Rajas indicates restless
Tamas indicates lethargic

To achieve the Satva guna, Yoga advocates the orientation of the mind with the help of therapies, including unique asanas for health and mindfulness. Ayurveda complements the therapies with its own set of treatments, including medicines, massages, and different kriyas. Both work together to restore health to a good state.

We require both Ayurveda and Yoga for extensive healing. The path of Yoga aims to link mind, body, and spirit through physical movement, breath work, meditation, behavior principles, and philosophy. Ayurveda aspires to cure and prevent illness by blending day-to-day life with the cadences of nature. People can catch the rhythm through the disciplinary practice of Yoga, diet, lifestyle, exercise, body cleansing, and herbs. The knowledge of Ayurveda helps to orient the Yoga practices as per the need of our ruling Doshas (Kapha, Vata, Pitta). To experience and enjoy the goodness and calmness of Yoga and Ayurveda, we suggest you book an Ayurveda package at Harivihar.