What is Nature?

All life & all living beings have one origin – Nature

* What is this nature?

Nature is everything around us that is unchanged by man……rivers, air, trees, flowers, space, even man himself. Nature is from where all human life has sprung

Characteristics of Mother Nature form our basic characteristics. Understanding our basic characteristics is the best way to manage ourselves. All the disorders/problems that we face are an imbalance of one or many constituents that form us. The constituents that form us are the Five elements of nature – Earth, Water, Fire, Ether (space) & Air.

Earth represents the solid state of matter. It manifests stability, permanence and rigidity. In our body, the parts such as bones, teeth, cells, and tissues are manifestations of the earth. Earth is considered a stable substance.

Water characterizes change and represents the liquid state. A large part of the human body is made up of water. Our blood, lymph, and other fluids move between our cells and through our vessels, bringing energy, carrying away wastes, regulating temperature, bringing disease fighters, and carrying hormonal information from one area to another. Water is a substance without stability.

Fire is the power to transform solids into liquids, to gas, and back again. In other words, it possess power to transform the state of any substance. Within our bodies, the fire or energy binds the atoms together. It also converts food to fat (stored energy) and muscle. Fire transforms food into energy. It creates the impulses of nervous reactions, our feelings, and even our thought processes. Fire is considered a form without substance.

Air is the gaseous form of matter which is mobile and dynamic. Within the body, air (oxygen) is the basis for all energy transfer reactions. It is a key element required for fire to burn. Air is existence without form.

Ether is the space in which everything happens. It is the field that is simultaneously the source of all matter and the space in which it exists. Ether is only the distances which separate matter. The chief characteristic of ether is sound. Here sound represents the entire spectrum of vibration.

There exist plenty resources to manage and fulfill our needs like:

• Medicinal value of different plants

• Minerals from oceans, rivers, soils and rocks

• Rich nutrients of fruits & vegetables

Nature has provided the best for everyone in the proportionate amount. The proper use of these resources in the required quantities can help us lead a better, healthier life. The human body is part of nature and when it runs perfectly, it can be perfectly healthy. It is trying to be perfectly healthy all the time, using its innate self-healing, self-regulating ability as it strives for a perfect homeostatic balance. But we repeatedly interfere.

Facts about Skin

Do you know –

- The skin is the largest, heaviest & most visible part of the body?

- The skin weighs 4 kilograms & covers an area of approximately 2 sq.m?

- The skin sheds off dead cells every 28 days?

- Your skin ages by 8 days whenever you sleep with make-up on?

What happened to my skin? How did it happen? How can I get my soft and young skin back? What should I use? Which products are safe?

The skin consists of three layers - Epidermis, Dermis & Subcutaneous tissue.

a) Epidermis : Outer most layer, which is visible to the eyes. Acts a the protective barrier. Thin layer, thickness varies around the body. Cells continuously shed & new cells are generated

* The dead cells wear away @ of 10 billion cells every 24 hours.

* By the time we reach puberty, most of us have already damaged the baby soft skin, we were born with.

* As one ages, the tendency for this layer is to thicken as natural skin shedding process slows down, leaving one’s skin rather tired and lifeless.

Melanin (produced by Melanocytes - color to the skin)

More the melanin darker the skin

Less the melanin whiter the skin

b) Dermis : Inner layer of the skin. Contains the blood vessels, the hair follicles, sebaceous glands and sweat glands; elastin & collagen fibers. Here, layers of cells are produced and on maturity moves to the surface of the skin. It is the dermis which absorbs the moisturizers and gives the impression of plumped up skin.

Collagen Fibers: Protein fiber; pre-tensioner of skin. Keeps fabric of skin in shape. When fibers break, wrinkles, lines around eyes & mouth appear

Elastin Fibers: Protein fiber; present in Collagen. With time they become less responsive, because of stretching, sunshine, slower blood supply.

c) Subcutaneous Layer : Fat storage bank of skin. Varies in different parts of the body; more in hips, buttocks etc. Contains larger blood vessels & nerves. Made up of clumps of fat filled cells – Adipose cells

What is Panchakarma

Panchakarma (Sanskrit: ‌, literally meaning "five actions") is the word for the five different procedures used in Ayurveda which are believed to purify the body. This is done in two ways: 1)pacifying the aggravated Doshas by using appropriate diet, natural herbs and minerals, and 2) eliminating the increased Doshas from the body.

Panchakarma (meaning "five actions") developed in India, though th

ere are regional variations in therapeutic procedure as we

ll as in the equipment used. According to Charaka, the five actions are

- Nasya (nasal therapy)

- Vamana (emesis or vomiting)

- Virechana (purging)

- Two

kinds of Vasti (therapeutic enema) : Nirooha Vasti and Sneha Vasti. Herbal decoctions are used for Nirooha Vasti and herbal oils for Sneha Vasti.

Another school, that of the surgeon Sushruta, regards Rakta (blood) also as a dosha

(humour), the vitiation of which can cause diseases, and advocates Raktamokshana (bloodletting) as the fifth in the Panchakarma therapies. In this school the five therapies are Nasya, Vamana, Virechana, Vasti and Raktamokshana. As bloodletting involves medical venesection, it is no longer popular. Leeching, however, is still practised.

This five-fold therapy is aimed at Shodhana, the eradication of the basic cause of disease. Shodhana or eradication, along with Shamana, the mitigation of the disease and its symptoms, are the two concepts of disease management in Ayurveda. Panchakarma is also believed by practition

ers to have a rejuvenating effect.

Panchakarma is always performed in three stages - Purva Karma (pre-treatment), Pradhana Karma (primary treatment) and Paschat Karma (post-treatment). The patient who opts for any one of the five therapies must invariably undergo all three stages.

Pre-treatment: Pre-treatment consists of oil therapy, massage and fomentation therapy.

Snehana (oleation or oil therapy) and Swedana (sudation) are the two Purva Karma procedures. Snehana (internal and external oleation) is believed by followers to loosen the ama they believe is stuck in various sites of the body. Sneh

ana is administering sneha or snigdha dravyas in the form of taila or gritha to the body. The sneha is given with herbs tailored to what the practitioner believes will help a specific client's disease. If sneha is given in a pure form without adding herbs its called Achcha sneha, and is considered the most effective.[citation needed]Snehana is given in the early morning for a maximum of seven days. Snehana is believed to help the doshas or toxins to move into the alimentary tract from the extremities for easy evacuation (vilayana and uthkleshana of doshas). If snehana is not given before panchakarma, the body is understood to bend like a thin dry stick through the effect of five karmas.

Oil massage (Sanskrit: abhyanga) is an important treatment in Ayurveda. It involves a therapeutic massage of about 45 minutes' duration, which is believed by followers to treat disease. Th

e massages are done with two therapists working on either side of the patient who lies on a wooden bed called a droni in Sanskrit. Special attention is paid to the foot area. Practitioners of panchakarma believe there are nerve nodal points (called Marmas in Sanskrit) on the soles of the feet, which are closely related to certain internal organs. The sole of the right foot is massaged with clockw

ise movement and the left foot with anti-clockwise strokes. During the treatment the patient is made to recline in seven standard positions. This begins with the person seated in an upright position, supine or flat on the back, turning to the right side, supine again, turning to the left side, supine once again, and finally sitting as in the beginning, Sometimes the position of lying face down is also adopted.

Swedana is a fomentation therapy given to the whole or part of the body depending on the disease. Steam of medicated herbs is given, using the fire-saagni sweda. Without using the fire fomentation, anagni sweda is done by sitting under the sun, being in thirst, hunger, covering the body with thick bed sheets, or being in a closed dark room. Swedana is believed to dilate channe

ls in the body to facilitate the movement of the ama towards the Koshta (alimentary canal). Fomentation covers both dry and sticky materials (snigdha dravyas). It is believed to help in the liquifaction of doshas; it is given after Abhyanga or massaging the body, so after the seventh day of oleation, the patient is made ready for Vamana and other procedures.

Primary Treatment: The ama that reaches the Koshta is believed to be eliminated during the Prad

hana Karma (primary treatment). This is the panchakarma itself: Nasya (nasal therapy), Vamana (emesis or vomiting), Virechana (purging) and two kinds of Vasti (therapeutic enema), Nirooha Vasti and Sneha Vasti. Herbal decoctions are used for Nirooha Vasti and herbal oils for Sneha Vasti.

After Treatment: Dietary regimens, restricted bodily exertion and the intake of herbs believed to promote health come under the Paschat Karma (post-treatment). Paschatkarma is administering required food for the body after the purification of the body, to intensify the agni (digestion power) which will subside after Panchakarma. During the treatments, food is given according to the degree of purification intended for the body.

Reference : 1. Wikipedia

Herbs & Beauty

A herb is a plant or plant extract, including leaves, bark, berries, roots, gums, seeds, stems and flowers which is bestowed with nourishing and healing elements. Herbs are the endowment of Mother Nature which has been used for healthcare through out different ages and cultures of human history.

Herbs have the elements that help the human body to live in harmony with nature and its laws. According to the most ancient system of natural medication, Ayurveda, herbs work depending on the Self Correcting Mechanism and balance of three elements “Vata”, “Pitta” and “Kaplan” in the human body.

The use of the herbs for beauty solutions dates back to antiquity. The women of the ancient world used the grounded leaves and seeds of herbs on their hair, face and over-all body, drank herbal tonics and applied oils obtained from herbs for different body–massages.

Herbs can be used for beauty & act against the internal impurities and external toxins of our body, add additional nutrients to it, make it glow and shine. Herbs provide natural, flawless treatment to our skin; nourish it from within, leading to its internal development.

Reference : 1. Herbs 'N' Cures

What is Ayurveda ?

Ayurveda provides both curative and preventive measures towards optimal physical, mental and spiritual well-being. The word "Ayurveda" is from the ancient Indian language, Sanskrit, and literally means "Knowledge of Life". Inherent in Ayurvedic principles is the concept that you are capable of taking charge of your own life and healing.

Ayurveda is an ancient, holistic system for diagnosis and treatment, perhaps the oldest system of medicine known to humanity. Fundamental to ayurveda is the use of well-balanced combinations of plants and other agents in synergistic formulas.

More than simply medical care, Ayurveda offers a philosophy whereby one may prevent unnecessary suffering and live a long, healthy life. Known as the mother of all medical systems, Ayurveda has undergone continuous research, development and refinement over past 5,000 years. Originally from India, Ayurveda is currently experiencing world-wide popularity as a revival sweeps in all continents. Ayurveda employs the judicious application of nutritional guidance, herbal medicines, exercise therapy, transce

ndental meditation and many special rejuvenation and purification therapies. Preferring to focus on the type of person who has the disease, rather than just understanding the type of disease the person has, Ayurveda is a patient-orientated system of healing.

Ayurveda believes that five great elements make up the universe and the human body: earth, water, fire, air and space. It also believes that humans possess a unique constellation of body types or doshas: vata(wind/spirit/air), pitta (bile), and kapha (phlegm). Each represents a divine force, and Ayurveda seeks to bring them into balance through proper diet, herbal treatment and spiritual practice.

According to Ayurveda, you can achieve health through daily routine. A typical Ayurdedic routine might look like this:

- Rise with the sun.

- After emptying the bladder and bowels, one should meditate for 20-30 minutes and thenexercise.

- Exercise should preferably be done early in the morning before the daily shower or bath.The intensity of the exercise depends on your dosha - your body type. (We will look at what doshas are in more detail below.) The ideal amount of exercise should be 1/2 of your capacity. For example, if you get tired after 30 minutes of jogging, you should stop after 15 minutes. When sweat appears on the armpits and forehead, respiration speeds up and one starts breathing through the mouth, the exercise should be stopped. Yoga is considered the preferred way of exercising because it combines physical and mental exercise.

References: 1. Wikipedia 2. Himalaya Herbal Health Care