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As humans, we can occasionally feel out of balance. This can be even more pronounced in times of extreme stress, such as dealing with illness. What are practical ways to understand ourselves and regain optimal vitality? For many cancer patients, turning to the ancient Ayurveda practice can help them find an integrative healing method and life balance. Here we will explore what Ayurveda is, its role in wellness, and how it can help you understand yourself and your journey back to wholeness.

What Is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is an ancient healing modality that helps one balance themselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. Ayurveda’s approach is one of completeness, emphasizing harmony in these three aspects to achieve optimum well-being. It can use research based and concrete methods for achieving balance, such as exercise, meditation, and yoga. Ayurveda may also recommend herbs for healing, sleep cycle recommendations, and foods to eat or avoid. While Ayurveda has gained popularity in the West, it is not meant to heal disease, though it may help you incorporate an integrated approach to overall health. Ayurveda ultimately highlights the importance of living a balanced a life in those key areas for optimum wellness.

Ayurveda’s Role in Wholeness

In Ayurveda, there are three doshas, or life forces: Kapha, Pitta, and Vata. Collectively, these contribute to one’s wholeness. Everyone has all three doshas that help them maintain balance, but one, two, or all three of them may be dominant to someone personally. Understanding your dominant dosha can help you recognize when you are off balance. Each dosha has different physical, mental and spiritual aspects, which the recommendations for balance center around. For example, if you are a Pitta, you typically have a dominant energy in personality. Due to this, Pittas may overexert their energy and step on someone’s toes, showing them that their balance lies in maintaining composure and calm. If a Pitta finds themselves to be irritable for a long period of time, they may be burned out, so Ayurveda helps them identify those warning signs and get back on track.

Getting Back To Wholeness

It’s completely normal for us to fall off the path to wholeness. It is simply a part of life. Not every instance of imbalance means something significant, but it can be helpful to know the points to look out for. Sometimes it simply takes one thing, such as going to bed earlier or avoiding sugary foods, before you start to feel better.

This is the key to Ayurveda. Understanding your triggers based on your dominant dosha can help you formulate a plan for optimal health. This is especially important in patients that have cancer. The more aligned these three areas of your life are, the better you will feel. In cancer treatment, traditional medical practices are important, but integrative measures such as Ayurveda can do wonders for the human body and spirit as well.

Dr. Carrie Barlow understands that the healing journey with and after cancer is about much more than just medicine. It is about the integrative approach that provides one with a lifetime of wellness tools that they can pull from daily. For more information, contact Dr. Carrie Barlow here.