Ayruvedic medicine

It was during my training sessions at a Transcendental Meditation(TM) course I discovered Ayruvedic medicine. Supposedly the founder of this course, someone named the Maharishi, was a big advocate. I thought if it was good enough for the Maharishi, whoever the hell he was, it was certainly good enough for me. As luck would have it there was a Western Doctor up the road practicing this form of medicine. During my first session he asked me a load of questions to ascertain whether I was Vata, Pitta or Kapha in nature. I was supposedly Vata, full of excess energy, something I think I already knew. To re balance I was given a list of foods to eat and foods to avoid. This in itself would prove to be a challenge as I find any diet hard to stick to at the best of times. He then taught me a form of relaxation called Shivodata, very similar to any relaxation method that relies on mentally scanning the body and relaxing it bit by bit. I did nod off during the first consultation though this was the only time it seemed to have any effect as the tape I walked away with didn’t continue working for me.

I also found the guy seemed to be annoyed at my manic personality, which seemed crazy as he obviously knew it was due to me having too much Vata, something that until I knew how to prevent from occurring, was something I couldn’t help.  I didn’t feel we gelled very well and that made me think that it wasn’t the perfect solution for me. I would be keen to try another Ayruvedic doctor one of these days when I’ve saved enough cash. Ironically years later I was matched up with this practitioner on E harmony. Either I got it totally wrong all those years back, or E harmony isn’t as scientific as those corny ads say.

Overall I did find this treatment very expensive. Another luxury perhaps doable for the likes of Madonna but not for a regular Joe like myself. I do however recommend the Vata tea which is lovely and sweet, comes in an easy to use tea bag, is reasonably inexpensive, you can find it at your local supermarket and at least you feel like you are doing something. Another easy tip I took home with me was the ready-made Ayruvedic powder that can be sprinkled onto any savoury meal. The main ingredient is tumeric and has a calming effect on the nervous system. I found the first night of eating this was absolutely delicious, particularly when sprinkled over a red lentil dish. Night after night of this I’m not so sure. I also think you could easily make it yourself and save some money.