Ayurveda Retreat Spa Treatment Goa India
The term Ayurveda is a combination of two Sanskrit words; ayur and veda. The meaning of ayurveda is life and veda means knowledge or science taken together Ayurveda is defined as 'the science of life’. An holistic, ancient Indian medical science, Ayurveda deals with the body, mind and soul. Ayurveda does not merely provide knowledge for curing ailments, but also provides measures for a disciplined, disease-free, long, happy and healthy life. Ayurveda, a great gift to mankind based on tridosha theory (three biological humors) and the principles of pancha mahabhuta (five great elements) has been handed down through countless generations of Indian medical scholars. Designed to treat man as a whole, Ayurveda describes, in detail, the principles of preservation and promotion of health as well as prevention and cure of diseases. Around the world, interest in Ayurvedic treatments, therapies and medicines has grown. Utilizing a wide variety of plants and herbs Ayurvedic medicine has few, if any side effects.
Indian historians say that some 5,000 years ago a group of men left their villages and towns and went to live in the foothills of the Himalayas. They sought remedies for the disease and suffering of their people. At this time, people often died or suffered as a result of simple ailments. These men, later known as the Rishis (learned men) aimed to eradicate illness and disease from the world. Together they meditated, and from their meditations they acquired the knowledge which was then codified as Ayurveda.
The Ayurvedic system is believed to be divinely inspired. The principal text, known as the Charakra Samhita and regarded as sacred, opens with a description of the Rishis’ meditations and forms part of what is the oldest and most complete system of medicine and healing known to mankind. When the Ayurvedic texts were being written, disease was regarded as an evil visitation which prevented the individual from attaining self-realization.
To free someone from disease was to enable that person to follow a truly spiritual path liberated from the constraints of the physical body. A body afflicted by disease resulted in a spirit tied down by worldly concerns and unable to soar. Enlightenment could only be attained by those who enjoyed both good physical and mental health.