Modalities

Ayurveda

Ayurveda is a traditional healing system of medicine originating in India, involving diet, exercise, massage, yoga and the use of herbal remedies for balancing the dosha (constitution). Ayurvedic medicine uses these modalities to prescribe a lifestyle that will promote health, vitality and wellbeing. At Life in Balance, we offer a practical and modern guide individually tailored to suit your constitution to bring health and wellbeing to enhance your enjoyment of life. Ayurveda recognizes there are underlying principles that govern nature, these are known as dosha, Vata, Pitta and Kapha, each of which is composed of two of the five elements; fire, water, ether, air and earth. It is the unique combination of these elements coming together that determine the dosha of each person.

Five watercolor panels depict abstract representations of the elements: fire in red, water in teal, air in purple, ice in blue, and earth in brown, each featuring swirling lines and elemental motifs.

From the viewpoint of Ayurveda, the first step in the treatment or prevention of any health-related condition is to determine your individual constitutional type, known as prakriti. In order to benefit fully from Ayurveda, it is essential to look at your anatomy and personality and discover which of the doshas governs your true nature, or prakriti. Getting this information as accurate as possible gives you the tools to choose the foods, environment and make lifestyle choices that nourish and enhance your unique constitution. Prakriti is your natural constitution, your essential nature or state of being. It is determined at the moment of conception and relates to your genetically inherited physical and emotional qualities, which are made up from varying levels of each of the five elements: Air, Ether, Fire, Water, & Earth. Prakriti specifically relates to those qualities, characteristics and tendencies that are stable or unchangeable for example your height, bone structure eye colour… Vikiriti is the imbalance caused to the mind-body when we move away from our essential nature, or state of being.

This shift away from our natural or original constitution can be caused by lifestyle, environment, behaviours, food choices, and general daily living. When the imbalance becomes embedded in our mindbody it creates the potential for disease. The longer the imbalance, the deeper the disease state can seat itself. Understanding our unique nature and any imbalance, provides the opportunity to change eating habits, lifestyle choices and even environments.

Learn more about the five elements Ether, Air, Fire, Earth & Water by clicking on the dosha images below:

Abstract image representing the Vata dosha in Ayurveda, featuring the words VATA, SPACE, and AIR on textured circular backgrounds with blue, white, green, and red quadrants.

Abstract image showing the word PITTA in bold red letters, with a red-orange circle labeled FIRE and a green circle labeled WATER on a multicolored textured background.

Illustration featuring the word Kapha with two green spheres labeled Water and Earth on a textured, multicolored background. The design highlights the Kapha dosha elements in Ayurveda.