Prana Healing Holidays Ayurveda and Yoga Treatment Holidays

AYURVEDA (pronounced eye-yur-vay-dha) literally means "Knowledge of Life” and is the science of life, prevention and longevity. Ayurveda is the oldest and most holistic medical system available on the planet today.

At Prana Healing Holidays we work with authentic Ayurvedic Doctors from from Kerala and a team of massage therapists who specialise in rejuvenative Ayurvedic Panchakarma Therapy, Kayakalpa Therapy and special treatments.

Panchakarma is Ayurveda's primary purification and detoxification treatment used to eliminate deep rooted stress and illness-causing toxins from the body while balancing the doshas - energies that govern all biological functions.

Ayurveda treatments can cure chronic illnesses by a combination of Ayurvedic herbal medicines and by eliminating toxins through specialised daily massage.

Ayurveda is the way of life that enables you to create harmony in daily life by applying self- knowledge and self-care. The word, Ayurveda, is from the ancient Indian language, Sanskrit, and literally means "Knowledge of Life".

Ayurveda, is the science of life, prevention and longevity, and is the oldest and most holistic medical system available on the planet today. It was placed in written form over 5,000 years ago in India, it was said to be a world medicine dealing with both body and the spirit.

Inherent in Ayurvedic principles is the concept that you are capable of taking charge of your own life and healing according to the universal forces.

The Ayurvedic approach to life is based on the concept of considering human body as an equipment to perform higher functions, it involves listening to and addressing the unique needs of your body, recognising and balancing your mental and emotional states and deepening your connection with your spirit, your essential self.

You are the only one who can do this, because you are the only one who will truly benefit from your actions or suffer from your abuses.

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Ayurveda Specialised Clinical Treatments and their Benefits

The Three Primary Life Forces In The Body

According to Ayurveda, the three primary life forces in the body relate to three humors of air, fire and water. These three principle elements govern the growth, and decay of the human body. Whenever any of these three go out of ratio, or balance, then diseases start to appear in the body.

These three elements of air, fire and water govern different tastes. The fire energy governs sour, pungent and salty taste. The air energy governs bitter, astringent and pungent tastes. The water energy governs sweet and partly salty tastes.

Thus anyone with too much of water element in them should not have sweets, ones with too much air element in them should not have astringent or bitter (Like alcohol) and those with too much of fire element should avoid sour and pungent foods.

Therefore each person should analyse their own body's constitution and eat the right kind of food accordingly. Our Ayurvedic Doctors will be able to tell you what is best for you.

The Five Great Elements

Ayurveda believes that everything in this universe is made up of five great elements or building blocks. These are earth, water, fire, air, and ether.

1) Earth represents the solid state of matter. It manifests stability, permanence, and rigidity. In our body, the parts such as bones, teeth, cells, and tissues are manifestations of the earth. Earth is considered a stable substance.

2) Water characterizes change and represents the liquid state. Water is necessary for the survival of all living things. A large part of the human body is made up of water. Our blood, lymph, and other fluids move between our cells and through our vessels, bringing energy, and carrying away wastes, regulating temperature, bringing disease fighters, and carrying hormonal information from one area to another. Water is a substance without stability.

The water element controls the stability, lubrication, movements, body luster, digestive tract, glands and fluids of the body.

3) Fire is the power to transform solids into liquids, to gas, and back again. In other words, it possesses power to transform the state of any substance. Within our bodies, the fire or energy binds the atoms together. It also converts food to fat (stored energy) and muscle. Fire transforms food into energy. It creates the impulses of nervous reactions, our feelings, and even our thought processes. Fire is considered a form without substance.

The fire element deals with hunger, thirst, digestion, excretion, body warmth and circulation. It also relates to the body strength, energy, youth, intelligence and executive abilities.

4) Air is the gaseous form of matter which is mobile and dynamic. Within the body, air (oxygen) is the basis for all energy transfer reactions. It is a key element required for fire to burn. Air is existence without form.

The air element governs inhalation, exhalation, movements, discharges, impulses and the human senses.

5) Ether is the space in which everything happens. It is the field that is simultaneously the source of all matter and the space in which it exists. Ether is only the distances which separate matter. The chief characteristic of ether is sound. Here sound represents the entire spectrum of vibration.

Every substance in our world is made up of these five substances. All substances can be classified according to their predominant element. For example, a mountain is predominantly made up of earth element. A mountain also contains water, fire, air and ether. B ut these elements are very small compared to the earth. So, its classification is the earth. Ayurveda defines a human as the assemblage of the five great elements plus the "immaterial self."

Like And Unlike

Anything that enters our body (microcosm) can exert three possible effects on the organism.

The five elements may exert one, two, or all three of these effects. The rule that governs the interaction between the environment and the organism is the Law of Like and Unlike. Like increase like. Unlike decreases like.

For example, when you lie in full sun, your body temperature goes up. Similarly, when you take bath in cold water, your body temperature goes down. Everything you experience, food, medicine, or poison, increases like parts of your microcosm and decreases those parts that are unlike it.

Similarly, thought also enters your microcosm. Thought can be positive or negative and will influence your being. Goods thoughts cheer you up. B ad thoughts will poison you and decrease your good feelings.

Knowing what is good and what is not so good for your personal self enables you to make informed choices in your life. Right thoughts and attitudes actually induce prosperity. Evil thoughts and bad deeds will not result in prosperity, but to the ultimate ruin of the microcosm.

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Ayurveda Specialised Clinical Treatments and their Benefits

AYURVEDA INFORMATION

Ayurveda and Yoga are known as “sister sciences” with Ayurveda based on ancient philosophies of India and was first recorded 5,000 years ago. Yoga currently has an enormous following and Ayurveda medicine is now internationally recognised by Medical Science and is becoming more and more popular in western culture.

Ayurvedic treatment is a transformation to rejuvenate and restore the body's energy, nutrition and vitality leaving guests feeling pain free, healthier and immune to diseases.

Ayurveda believes that every human being is a made up of five primary elements. These five primary elements combine and create various physiological functions in the human body.

Ether or Space, Air, Water, Fire, Earth. These elements combine to form three doshas- Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

Ayurveda believes humans are all made up of unique proportions of Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These ratios of the doshas vary in each individual. Each person has one predominant dosha in their constitution therefore all treatment is personalised.

An imbalance in the doshas is the cause of any disease. Imbalances may be caused by an unhealthy diet, too much or too little mental and physical work, or from the weather, chemicals, or germs.

Clients are given a full Health Assessment with a Treatment Plan that includes lifestyle and nutrition guides plus receive deep cleansing and purification treatments.

For maximum benefits, Ayurveda treatments link together, and work on both on your inside and outside - treatments may include taking herbal medicines in conjunction with Ayurveda massage using oils and herbs to detox, rejuvenate and restore health to the body and mind.

LINKS: to further information on documentaries, articles and research on Ayurvedic medicine and treatments.

It all begins with knowing you...

Ayurveda recognises three main energies that combine to form all things in the universe. These are recognised as being fundamental to all life and are seen in the processes of growth, maintenance, and degenerate.

Their actions could be named anabolism, metabolism, and catabolism in the western sciences. All these energies and are found in our environments at every moment on every level.

These energies combine in limitless ways to create the unique qualities of each individual. When you become aware of these qualities within yourself, you take the first steps toward creating a healthy life. Ayurveda assists you in identifying these energies in your body and shows you how to more fully experience their gifts and to gain freedom from their limitations. By working with the body's unique nature, you are able to create true health.

Ayurveda names these basic energies Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. In the Ayurvedic approach to life and health, we recognise how these energies are at work at each moment in our bodies and minds. When we recognise this, we can begin to create balance for ourselves by countering the destructive forces with positive actions.

How does this work?

With Ayurveda, we acknowledge that beneficial daily habits are different for each person, because each person is a unique combination of these three energies. Everybody has all three energies- though people experience each of them to a greater or lesser degree. Ayurveda can be a mirror that reflects our true nature and maps out the path for a return to the lives of vitality that we are meant to have.

Our Ayurvedic Doctors and their team would like to assist you on this healing journey by providing more information for discovering your underlying nature using Ayurvedic principles. Once you are familiar with this, you can bring balance to the body through the foods you eat and how you eat them, daily practices including exercise, rest and massage, and five-sense therapies utilising colour, aroma, taste, touch, and sounds.

A healthy body, healthy mind, healthy society

Ayurveda is an affordable, accessible daily practice for creating health and harmony in your body and in your environment. Once you begin to incorporate these principles in your daily activities, you will see positive benefits in every aspect of your life.

There is not one food, herb, or activity that is Ayurvedic. You already have many practices that create balance in your life. When this brings clarity and healing at the deepest level, you are practicing Ayurveda.

Ayurveda is applicable to every living thing, as implied by its name, the science of life. Vedic sciences attribute life to more things than we normally do - the things such as air, wind, fire, the earth, planets, stars, etc. are all thought to possess conscience like living beings.

The basic premise of Ayurveda is that the entire cosmos or universe is part of one singular absolute. Everything that exists in the vast external universe (macrocosm), also appears in the internal cosmos of the human body (microcosm).

The human body consisting of 50-100 million cells, when healthy, is in harmony, self-perpetuating and self-correcting just as the universe is. The ancient Ayurveda text, Charaka, says, "Man is the epitome of the universe. Within man, there is as much diversity as in the world outside. Similarly, the outside world is as diverse as human beings themselves." In other words, all human beings are a living microcosm of the universe and the universe is a living macrocosm of the human beings.

Individuals

Ayurveda views each and every person as unique, with a unique mind-body constitution and a unique set of life circumstances, all of which must be considered in determining either natural healing approaches or recommendations for daily living. This view is in alignment with the modern science which views individuals as unique in the universe with a unique DNA.

According to Ayurveda, because we each have a unique constitution, our health prescription must be unique to us. This means that in order to be healthy, you need to eat certain foods that are beneficial for your body type and stay away from others. Your exercise program must be personally suitable as well. Your constitution determines very much about you - your body, your

Human Body as a Self Correcting Mechanism and Balance

The human body is part of nature, as we discussed before as a microcosm of the universe, and when it runs perfectly, as it was designed to run, it can be perfectly healthy. It is trying to be perfectly healthy all the time, using its innate self-healing, self-regulating ability as it strives for a perfect homeostatic balance. But we repeatedly interfere.

Nature has set us up with all the equipment we need to be perfectly healthy. Health is our natural state, and ill health is unnatural. Every day our systems are exposed to literally millions of bacteria, viruses, allergens, even carcinogens, and yet our immune system has the intelligence and skill to deal with all those invaders and keep us healthy. However, when stress, inadequate nutrition, or just fatigue weaken the immune system, those same invaders may produce disease.

Every second the body is adjusting to countless thousands of changing parameters, keeping us in homeostatic balance. No matter what comes along to upset the balance, the body knows its own nature, knows what ideal temperature it should be and the correct chemistry it needs to maintain, and keeps referring back to that blueprint to maintain proper balance.

personality, even how you relate to other people. Understanding it lets you know what you need in order to be healthy.

The Concept of Self

The Self, as this inner dimension of our nature is called in Ayurveda, is the central point of our being, the hub of the wheel. It is the true inner center of our diversified lives. Thought, feelings, speech, action, and relationships all originate here, deep within the personality. The whole person-and the whole field of interpersonal behavior-can be spontaneously enhanced by the process of self-referral, or looking within to experience the Self. This is analogous to the natural process by which all the branches, leaves, flowers, and fruit of a tree can be simultaneously nourished and enlivened by watering the root.

The Self can be directly experienced. Those who do experience it find it to be deeply peaceful, yet a reservoir of creativity, intelligence, and happiness that spills over into all phases of living.

How Do We Get Sick?

Ayurveda holds that specific disease conditions are symptoms of an underlying imbalance. It does not neglect relief of these symptoms, but its main focus is on the big picture: to restore balance and to help you create such a healthy lifestyle that the imbalance won't occur again.

Living in health and balance is the key to a long life free from disease

Perhaps the most important lesson Ayurveda has to teach is that our health is up to us. Every day of our lives, every hour of every day, we can, and do, choose either health or illness. When we choose wisely, nature rewards us with health and happiness. When we persistently choose unwisely, nature, in her wisdom, eventually sets us straight: She makes us sick and gives us a chance to rest and rethink our choices.