Perfect Balance: Ayurvedic Nutrition for Mind, Body and Soul

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1: Classical Ayurveda
Ayurveda is based on a vision of wholeness, not one of fragmentation. This is why we use the word holistic when speaking about the system, because it looks at the whole person, not just one element of health.

Chapter 1: Classical Ayurveda, Part 2
In Ayurveda there are three main categories or types that help determine the proper diet for an individual. To simplify matters, I call these individual profiles A, B, and C. (In Sanskrit the types are called, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, respectively.)

Many of us who struggle with one-size-fits-all fad diets are realizing that the only program that can promise lasting benefits is a comprehensive yet individualized approach to nutrition and weight loss. This is the very attitude espoused by Ayurvedic medicine, the 5,000-year-old holistic system that incorporates diet, exercise, breathing, meditation, visualization, and other therapies into its practice. Perfect Balance illustrates how the principles of Ayurvedic medicine can be used by anyone, no matter what their present health needs may be.

Beginning with a self-test to determine an individual's specific metabolic and psychological profile, the book emphasizes the importance of balance among all levels of the healing process-mind, body, and spirit. The three dominant groups that emerge are based on metabolic type (skin, hair, digestion, sleep patterns, etc.) and psychological characteristics (emotional tendencies, learning patterns, goals, and relationship needs). It then presents clear guidelines for selecting foods and making lifestyle choices to support a natural, healthy state and avoiding those practices that disrupt natural metabolic balance.

Perfect Balance offers a profile-specific, flexible "21-Day Plan" to integrate dietary and lifestyle changes sensibly. It explains the importance of timing and food combinations and outlines nutritional prescriptions for particular conditions caused by stress and other lifestyle issues. Most important, the Ayurvedic approach takes into account the many factors often ignored by other programs, which ultimately determine an optimal state of harmony and health for each individual.

Atreya is the founder and director of the European Institute of Vedic Studies. An internationally recognized teacher of Ayurvedic medicine, he is a practicing herbalist and the author of four books on Ayurveda, including Ayurvedic Healing for Women and Secrets of Ayurvedic Massage. He lives in the south of France..

	Home \| Forum \| Search
Health Parenting Personal Growth Relationships Religion & Spirituality Career & Money