Ayurveda is the ancient medical system of India.  It is one of the oldest and most time tested healing systems known to man and is the point of origination for many world medical systems.  Ayurveda is traditional knowledge drawn from the wisdom of the Vedas, the oldest and most sacred scripts of India.  It is at the same time profound and expansive, both practical and simple.  What is the meaning of Ayurveda?

Ayur (life) + Veda (science) = the science of life 

This body of medical tradition dates back thousands of years.  The Ayurvedic conceptual framework was expounded in the writings of Charaka, Shushruta and Vagbhata prior to 500 B.C.   This is considered a codification of a much more ancient oral tradition.  Ayurveda spread to Arabia, Egypt, Greece and Rome around the beginning of the Christian era influencing medical thought throughout the ancient world.  Ayurveda has been practiced continuously for thousand of years not only as a healing system but as a science on the art of appropriate living.  Ayurveda continues to be practiced today throughout India where at least 100 Ayurvedic colleges remain open.

The basic principal of Ayurveda is that we humans are composed of the same elements or qualities as all of the universe and all parts of our mind, spirit, body and environment are integrally connected.  Ayurveda encompasses herbology, pharmacology, plastic surgery, massage, hatha yoga and psychiatry.  The primary focus is preventative medicine, although unique and effective curative practices exist as well.