What will you learn in this course?

• When I was really little, I was disgusted by broccoli but my mom thought I had to eat my broccoli because in her mind it was healthy, despite my body's extreme reaction to it: it made me gag and I threw up once after being forced to take the ole' “three bites.” My mom never knew I threw up because my doting grandmother cleaned me up before she saw me; we hid it from my mom as if I had done something wrong. There is a reason or intelligence behind the foods we are attracted to or repulsed by and, unfortunately, we are often taught when young to ignore our intuition and body's wisdom.
• In this class, you will learn about your natural body/mind type (called a dosha, in Sanskrit) and you will better understand why and how you become unbalanced. Most importantly, you will gain tools and practices that will enable you to feel good in your body and mind. Learning about your unique body/mind constitution, or dosha is empowering and can also be validating.
• Ayurveda, a system for wellness and health from India, translates to the Wisdom of Life. I love this definition because it points to the truth that health and well-being cannot be separated from the environment we live in and the larger whole. We are connected to the places we live in (and grew up in) and to mother nature herself; what is outside of us is also within us, and this is the basis for the doshas.
• There are three doshas or body/mind types that you will learn about, which are the crux of Ayurveda: Vata (air and space), Pitta, (fire and water), and Kapha (earth and water). You might be thinking, why should I care?
• Ayurveda says that like increases like and opposites create balance, so if, for example, you have a lot of pittas, or fire, in your mind/body you will need to bring in opposing elements (think: cool and soft) for optimal health. You will learn about the foods and lifestyle habits that help to balance each dosha type.
• Starting in my adolescence (and through my young adulthood), I was tired a lot and felt unmotivated as a result. I didn't understand that I could change my eating and lifestyle habits to better support my specific body/mind make-up. Ayurveda practitioners and counselors aim to get at the root cause of dis-ease or imbalances in the body and mind rather than, simply, treating the symptoms. If a person is fatigued a lot, for example, there is an underlying reason or cause that we need to get at to guide that person to a path of healing. It is not usually a simple/quick solution, and it takes time and commitment, but it’s well worth it and the only way to truly heal.