The science of long life

Each culture has a unique way of looking at health. India, one of the two root cultures (the other one is China) from where Southeast Asian countries’ cultures were influenced from, has a form of alternative medicine called Ayurveda. Literally meaning "science of a long life," Ayurveda deals with the measures of healthy living, alongside therapeutic practices that harmonizes and integrates all the dimensions of man: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. The prevention of illness is key.

While Chinese alternative medicine focuses on creating a balance based on yin-yang, hot-cold principles, Ayurveda states that each person has a body type with specific qualities called doshas which control the activities of the body. It is a Sanskrit word that means "fault," "defect" or "that which darkens." It’s all about the excesses in our personalities that can cause us diseases when we are out of balance.

Each dosha is made up of two of the five basic elements: space, air, fire, water and earth. The doshas can be imbalanced due to an unhealthy lifestyle or diet, or too much or too little physical exertion, and not being properly protected from climate, germs and chemicals.

So one’s dosha can be any of the three or a combination of two: Vata (dry, pertaining to air and ethers) can be thrown out of balance by too much staying up late, eating dry fruit or eating before the previous meal has been digested; Pitta (representing fire and water) often gets negative emotions like jealousy and hostility, and can get upset by eating spicy-sour food, being angry tired and fearful; or Kapha (representing the combination of water and earth) can be imbalanced by sleeping during daytime, eating too many sweet foods or drinking too much beverages with too much salt and water.

Ayurveda is Indian philosophy that has been accepted into the mainstream. Idaho-based hatha yoga teacher Ryan Redman is in Manila this month to share his knowledge of Ayurveda after intensive studies in India. He will be teaching a comprehensive way of life that includes yoga, breathing techniques, cooking demonstrations, intensive meditation and the principles of Ayurveda and how to use this to bring harmony and balance to life.

It’s a foreign philosophy yes, but sometimes in our lives, it pays to step back from our normal patterns to expand our minds and learn something new. This knowledge will be shared a number of weekends this February (9 to 11, 16 to 18 and 23 to 25).

(Reservations required. For more information, contact Yoga Manila at 0917-522YOGA (9642) or e-mail yogamanila@gmail.com. For details, log on to www.yogamanila.com)