The word Ayurveda is made up of two Sanskrit words “Ayu” and “Veda”. “Ayu” means Life and “Veda” means Knowledge or Science. Ayurveda means “The Knowledge of Life” or “The Science of Life”. Ayurveda is a 5000 year old system of natural healing that has its origins in the Vedic culture of India.
The purpose of Ayurveda is:
to protect health and prolong life (“Swasthyas swasthya rakshanam”)
to eliminate diseases and dysfunctions of the body (“Aturasya vikar prashamanamcha”)
Ayurveda believes that human body is the direct replica of the universe. It is the miniature of nature. The 5 building blocks of nature referred to as elements are Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. All these elements are represented in the human being as three life forces or humors or energies called Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These three humors govern all physiological and psychological processes in the living beings. The harmony between these humors indicate health and their imbalance brings misery and diseases.