Ayurveda for Beginners
The Alchemy of Ayurveda, Yoga & Natural Food for Anxiety, Tension, Depression, Stress & More
By
Lakshmi Vemuri
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Copyright 2020 Streets of Dream Press
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Published by:
Streets of Dream Press
Cover & Interior designed
By
Jessica Roberts
First Editio n
Contents
Ayurveda for Anxiety and Depression: Introduction
Ayurveda, the oldest health system, has always been a topic of interest for many across the world. However, it hasnt been quite easy to pull up important information about it. Thanks to the internet, we now have access to the worlds oldest and probably the first medical system to ever exist.
It all started in the Eastern part of the world. Truth be told, Indians must be given due credit for coming up with such a complex yet practical health system. Oh, Im talking about the Ancient Indian civilization, which has been in existence for the last few thousand years. And I would like to give honorable mentions to other Eastern civilizations such as the Chinese and the Koreans.
Ayurveda has been developed and evolved primarily in Ancient India. However, the Chinese and the Koreans, along with the Japanese, had made significant contributions to this system.
Oh wait, did I introduce myself? Oops, my bad. Im Lakshmi, hailing from Southern India. I would like to take you through a detailed journey through the Ayurvedic realm, especially keeping depression and anxiety issues in mind. Why? Well, Ive suffered from both these issues myself, and you guessed it right, Ayurveda had helped me cope and defeat those horrible mental health issues.
You know, I still remember that day. Oh, Im talking about the day I had my first menstrual cramps. But, at that time, I didnt know much about it, other than the terrible pain in my belly. And then the bleeding started, yeah, from you know where. Oh boy, I was scared to the core. If youre a woman, I am sure you could understand what Im saying. The panic, the chaotic fear, and many more emotions.
Mom took just a couple of minutes to figure out whats going on. It was exciting and nervous at the same time. More nervous, I must say.
Pretty normal, you must be thinking, right? Well, here comes the worst part. After three months, Ive been diagnosed with PCOS! And those three months were the dreadful of my whole existence on this little blue planet. I put on a lot of weight, I started to lose hair, and my vaginal bleeding didnt know limits. Imagine going through all that at the age of 17!
Throughout this period, I had the lowest self-esteem someone could ever have. Okay, that might be a little exaggerating, but you got the point, right? I used to have cramps all over my lower body, making it very difficult to even sit. My hair, oh boy, thats a whole different story. I lost so much hair; you could even make a hair extension out of it. And the worst part, I used to bleed all the time, for which I had to take blood transfusions quite often.
After going through all these physical health conditions, I developed several mental health issues. Domino effect, eh! Who wouldnt be depressed when they put on a lot of weight, lose hair, and have cramps all day, every day?
I couldnt do anything other than lay in bed throughout the day and night. And there came my anxiety and depression. I felt like giving up on life. I felt like theres no one to save me, or should I say, nothing to save me? I tried a lot of things. Allopathy, the usual rescue for many people. Didnt work! Homeopathy forget about it.
When I was almost giving up, my granny suggested I go the Ayurvedic way. Boy, was she an angel! But, in hindsight, I shouldve considered it much earlier. Why? Well, its the OG health system in our country for the last 5,000 years or even earlier. And, here I was, trying everything else and almost gave up with despair and hopelessness in my mind.
If youre feeling sorry for me, thank you for being empathetic. But this whole fiasco had helped in the bigger picture. Well, it made me stronger, taught me to toughen up in life and face my demons, both physical and psychological. After defeating my mental health issues, as well as physical ones, Id like to help you guys too. I want you all to be healthy, especially by following a complete system of natural diet and lifestyle, which we lovingly call Ayurveda! So, buckle up, as Im going to take you through a very detailed guide, which includes some science, some tips, and some serious health advice.
Ive written this book to provide research and fact-based solutions. So, its safe to say that youll be reading about the science behind this amazing health system. I dont want to just give you lectures on how to do something. Rather, I would like to explain the Whys and Hows so that you can have a complete understanding of the problems and solutions as well.
Ayurveda, the ancient system of healing science, has its deep roots from India dating back to 5000 years and is a natural and holistic medicinal system. Ayurveda is hailed as the mother of all healing. In Sanskrit, Ayurveda is AYUR, meaning life, and VEDA, meaning science hence said the science of life. As per Ayurveda, to achieve good health, one must be aware of all aspects of life.
Ayurveda is the worlds oldest health science, from which Chinese, western medicine, and herbal medicine took birth. It believes that prevention is better than cure and focuses mainly on preventing disease, and when disease occurs, it eliminates from its root cause, rather than focusing just on symptoms. Allopathic medicine focuses on subsiding symptoms and managing the disease.
Some interesting facts:
1. You dont have to be an herbivore to practice Ayurveda. Its not a vegetarian philosophy.
2. During 300 BCE, an Ayurvedic scholar named Charaka used cannabis and opium poppy as potential painkillers since analgesics were not available. The use of it as an anesthetic and for sedation during surgeries are also mentioned in his book Charaka Samhita.
3. Ghee was known to cure nervous system disorders instantly. Every Indian household stores ghee in large vessels and passed it on to generations for the same.
4. Even before the invention of the microscope, 3000 years ago, Ayurveda knew anemia is caused by iron deficiency, and marasmus is treated by consuming liver and meat.
5. Did you know that tongue scraping and oil pulling were part of ayurvedic morning rituals? Tongue scraping with a copper scraper, due to its antibacterial properties, and the use of sesame oil for oil pulling to remove toxins (used as a mouth wash) are Ayurvedic techniques for oral hygiene.
How Does Ayurveda Work?
Ayurveda believes in the close association among man, the universe as well as the flow of cosmic energy in diverse forms within living and nonliving things. There is a Sanskrit saying based on two principle objectives of Ayurveda.
