Physical Well-being!… What joy we feel when we hear the word “health”! Being healthy means being disease-free, not suffering from any ailment. In Ayurveda, disease or illness is defined as an adverse condition of suffering that occurs in our body and mind. When humans encounter distress, that condition can be considered a state of disease. Health envisions a human life free from suffering. The concept of health is not merely related to physical well-being; rather, complete physical, mental, social, and spiritual wellness constitutes true health.
What is True Holistic Health and Well-being?
Today’s disordered diet, lifestyle, and way of living are considered the primary causative factors for chronic and non-communicable diseases that persist for long periods. When envisioning health, it becomes essential to understand the path to wellness. It is necessary to know, understand, and adopt the factual and scientific principles contained within Ayurveda’s life management guidelines.
Vedic knowledge is a blessing for us countries of Eastern civilization. The facts that our ancestors experienced, learned, researched, and discovered during the development of human civilization are recorded in the Vedas. The measures mentioned and prescribed in any Veda are not imaginary creations written by a single individual. Therefore, Vedic health principles are suitable for our soil. The health knowledge appropriate to our geography and our physical and mental constitution is an invaluable gift left to us by our ancestors. The principles of health, mainly the methods for maintaining good health, are described in Ayurveda, which exists as a subsidiary of the Atharvaveda.
The collection of knowledge compiled by various Ayurvedic masters and sages for maintaining health is what we call the Ayurvedic Samhitas. The principles of health are described in detail in numerous classical texts including Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, Ashtanga Hridaya, and many others. Proper knowledge and observance of these principles have proven extremely effective in paving the path to wellness.
Simply following a proper daily routine can reduce the risk of hundreds of so-called fatal non-communicable diseases to nearly zero. By merely incorporating the limbs of yoga into our daily practice, mental health can be achieved. When we learn to make our food suitable according to time, we can be freed from disorders caused by dietary excess and deficiency. The description of seasonal regimens (Ritucharya) is found in Ayurvedic texts to teach the rules of seasonal food and activities. All these regulations are the health principles that were preserved in the form of commentaries and verses as systematic guidelines two thousand years ago.
Even as we have arrived in today’s so-called scientific age, the initial step in our journey toward health today is to search, study, understand, and follow the treasure troves of knowledge that our ancestors discovered, researched, discussed in assemblies, approved through councils, and documented in scriptures. We must also explain this knowledge to others and inspire them to follow and practice it.
