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Foreword
Namaste!
M y name is Dr Sibi George and I am a traditional Ayurvedic healer. I come from the South Indian State of Kerala. I have over 25 years of experience in the Ancient Indian Ayurvedic Science and Therapies and Massages after having learned from the traditional professional knowledge from my father (Ayurvedic Doctor). I started my career in 1986 as a teacher and a Therapy Practitioner. Now I bring this knowledge to everyone with my treatments.
Aasiya Rizvi and I met several years ago when she was inquiring about some courses and treatments with me. At the time she was also interested in Tibetan Medicine and visiting the Tibetan doctors and the Men Tse Khang Institute for Tibetan Medicine. She was very interested as her family was also connected to Ayurveda. We met in Bhagsunag,Himachal Pradesh, where I am mainly in my clinic during the summer time. During the winter months I am in Kerala as I offer treatments and courses in the clinics.
Ayurveda is one of the great gifts of the sages of ancient India to mankind. It is one of the oldest scientific medical systems in the world with a long record of clinical experience to validate it. However, it is not only a system of medicine in the conventional sense of curing disease. It is also a way of life that teaches us how to maintain and protect health. It shows us how to both cure disease and promote longetivity. Ayurveda treats man as a whole though at the same time viewing him a combination of body, mind, and soul therefore it is a truly holistic and integral medical system. I am very happy that Aasiya has written this book to share the Ayurvedic way of life with others. She has made a sincere and genuine effort to share her points of view and give light to Ayurveda. This can be very beneficial for everyone in a profound way.
I believe that everyone is looking for peace and health but it will not come to you, you have to bring it to yourself. This is why Ayurveda teaches you that Self-Realization or determining your individuality and constitution in humours is important. It is so essential to recognize yourself. Your bad and good, your positive and your negative egos etcetera. Then accordingly, you can design your life by diet and lifestyle. I really hope that this handbook Shruti helps you and guides you to the good bridge.
The word Ayu means all aspects of life from birth to death. The word Veda means knowledge of learning. Thus Ayurveda denotes the science by which life, in its totality, is understood. It is a science of life that delineates the diet, medicines, and behavior that are beneficial or harmful for life. Aasiya has included the main chapters in her book that inform us of what is healthy for us according to Ayurveda. Her book may be used as a handbook of recommendations that can be useful to anyone who is interested in Ayurveda. By reading this book you can get a wonderful idea of what Ayurveda is and also get the important guidelines in a compact form. These guidelines are for preventive medicine and lifestyle and also for general Ayurvedic medicine and treatments.
Ayurveda teaches you more than 68 varieties of Ayurvedic treatment procedures or therapies and has a vast number of Ayurvedic medicinal cures. Some of these main treatments are Pancha Karma, (A comprehensive system of knowledge and practice to purify the body from toxins and restore it to balance with natural law). Usually, a 28-day or more programme is recommended for this .Other therapies are Kizhy, Pizhichill, Dhara, Marma Therapy, Stone Therapy, Ennathoni, and many different types of massages and even more. It can take more than one lifetime to fully embrace all of Ayurveda because there is so much knowledge in it. Experience has always shown that whenever people have come from within India and the West to get treatments from me or to learn about Ayurveda they have always felt the benefits in their lives. Aasiya's book Shruti will also bring people to a deeper understanding of Ayurveda and to experience it as wisdom that is not far away but very close to our hearts. I am sure that the reader will enjoy this book and also learn many good things.
Loka Samastha Suhino Bhvanthu
May all be blessed with eternal peace
Kerala Traditional School of Ayurveda Dr Sibi George
near Bhagsunag Temple, Bhagsu, HP, India
E-mail:
Preface
A yurveda has progressively gained in worldwide recognition as a holistic healing system of medicine and preventive medicine. It is approached as both an alternative and as a complementary medicine. It is often compared with Traditional Chinese Medicine or Tibetan Medicine. It offers a broad array of knowledge in the field of natural healing faculties.
My first meeting with Ayurveda was through my cultural and ancestral heritage. While many of my family members are doctors specialised in their particular fields of medicine, I regularly heard references made to my grandfather who was an Ayurvedic cum Unani doctor. He had studied in Tibbia Medical College in Delhi during the pre-partition time of India and Pakistan after which he founded a centre, the Dawa Khana in the province of Sind, Pakistan. He was much admired for his knowledge and healing abilities and authored many books that were dedicated to universities in the area.
Ayurveda is still actively used amongst most families even though many might not be entirely aware of this. The negative aspects of modern life have also affected families in Asia and altered people's lifestyle and manner of relating with life in its totality. In today's Ayurveda we can find a variety of Spas and Massage centres spread across the world. In India there are restaurants that present themselves to serve Ayurvedic meals but are instead serving popular Indian dishes, Ayurveda beauty products, herbal teas and many more products are more readily available to everyone. Several professional Ayurveda clinics and centres have also opened up, there are government hospitals in India, and as time is elapsing, we may find professional doctors and practitioners all over the world.
I began to embrace Ayurveda several years back as I progressively began to meet with the phenomena of holistic medicine. I grew up in pace with modern life, dutifully completing high school, followed by university studies unto office work. I enjoyed the corporate life for a while but recognised that something fundamental was lacking. It was as if the unnatural felt natural. The way of life seemed out of balance with little time left to feed the body in a healthy manner. I instinctively knew there was a gentler way to nourish oneself at a deeper level as well. The only way out of this tempo seemed to be the way inward. I began to contemplate unto a more spiritual path; one that is harmonious with the tunes of nature. This deep inner journey brought me very close to Ayurveda.