आयुर्वेद

What is Ayurveda?

India's oldest medicine. It aims to keep body and mind in balance, rather than to treat after the fact.

Illustration: a figure in meditation, a fire in the belly, surrounded by spices, plants, ancient scrolls and a sleeping person

Ayuआयुःlife

Vedaवेदknowledge

Ayurveda is the “knowledge of life”. Born of the Vedas, the founding texts of Indian culture, it has been practised for more than 4,000 years.

It has two aims: to preserve the health of those who are well, and to relieve those who are not. Prevention therefore comes first. It sees each person as a whole: body, mind, emotions and way of life.

The World Health Organization counts it among the major traditional medicines.

A philosophy of life

The four aims of life

For Ayurveda, health is not an end in itself: it is what makes a full and balanced life possible, guided by four aspirations.

Dharmaधर्म

The right path

Living in line with your values and responsibilities.

Arthaअर्थ

Prosperity

Giving yourself the material means to live well.

Kamaकाम

Pleasure

Welcoming joys and desires, in moderation.

Mokshaमोक्ष

Liberation

Moving towards inner peace and serenity.

Day to day

The three pillars of health

Ayurveda offers a way of living built on three pillars.

Illustration of the three pillars linked around a lotus: a bowl of food, a sleeping person and a person in meditation

Ahara
Food
Eating according to your constitution and the season, at regular times, fresh and well-digested foods.
Nidra
Sleep
Enough restorative sleep, in tune with the rhythm of day and night.
Brahmacharya
Right conduct
Preserving your energy, nurturing healthy relationships and a kind attitude.

Routines

Dinacharya

The daily routine

Rising early, self-massage with oil, moving, eating at set times.

Ritucharya

The seasonal routine

Adapting your diet and activities to the climate of each time of year.

Humans, nature in miniature

Five elements, three qualities

Ayurveda sees human beings as a reflection of the universe. We are made of the same five elements as the nature around us.

पृथ्वी

Earth

solidity

जल

Water

cohesion

अग्नि

Fire

transformation

वायु

Air

movement

आकाश

Ether

space

The mind, for its part, is driven by three subtle qualities, the gunas, whose balance colours our state of mind:

Sattva

clarity, harmony

Rajas

activity, passion

Tamas

inertia, stability

The three doshas

Your balance is unique

The five elements combine into three energies, the doshas, which govern all the functions of the body. Everyone is born with their own blend, their constitution or prakriti. Stress, diet or the seasons can then throw it off balance.

Find out my dosha

वात

Vata

Air · ether

Movement. Breathing, circulation, nervous system, elimination.

Light, dry, cold, mobile

In excess: restlessness, anxiety, light sleep, dry skin.

पित्त

Pitta

Fire · water

Transformation. Digestion, metabolism, body heat, quickness of mind.

Hot, intense, penetrating

In excess: irritability, overheating, inflammation.

कफ

Kapha

Earth · water

Structure. Muscles, joints, endurance, emotional stability.

Heavy, stable, soft, cold

In excess: heaviness, sluggishness, weight gain.

Ayurvedic massage

Massage, at the heart of Ayurveda

Passed down for nearly 3,000 years, massage is one of the essential practices of Ayurveda. What we call “massage” in the West is, in India, first and foremost a preventive treatment.

It works on the body's energy points, the marmas, to restore the balance of the doshas when it is disturbed and to keep prana, the vital breath, flowing. Each treatment is adapted to your constitution and how you feel at the time.

Discover the massages