Ayurveda Made Modern

This book explores the ways in which Ayurveda, the oldest medical tradition of the Indian subcontinent, was transformed from a composite of 'ancient' medical knowledge into a 'modern' medical system, suited to the demands posed by apparatuses of health developed in late colonial India.

This book explores the ways in which Ayurveda, the oldest medical tradition of the Indian subcontinent, was transformed from a composite of 'ancient' medical knowledge into a 'modern' medical system, suited to the demands posed by apparatuses of health developed in late colonial India.

Authentic yet easy-to-follow, this is the most accessible, effective and simple guide available to using the complex ancient wisdom of Ayurveda in a modern lifestyle "Brings Ayurveda, and all of its healing power, into the 21st century" Ravinder Bhogal, writer, chef & TV presenter Health journalist and sceptic Eminé Rushton was converted to an Ayurvedic approach during pregnancy, when she discovered how eating and living according to the ancient Indian principles of Ayurveda rebalances the body for the better. Ayurveda teaches that we each have a dosha - a basic body type that defines our personality and physical wellbeing, from the foods we crave to those that spark intolerances and increase weight gain. This book decodes this 5,000-year-old science of wellbeing specifically for busy, modern lives. It shows just how simple and practical a body-balancing seasonal lifestyle can be, helping you beat stress, lose excess weight and feel energized and positive every day. Ayurveda for Modern Life guides your through the process of determining your dosha type, and teaches how to eat for your own dosha and make your body feel light, vital, energized and well again. It offers a simple 3-day nutrition plan, as well as 20 delicious, seasonal recipes that can be made using ordinary supermarket ingredients. This ultimate guide to living the Ayurveda way also includes expert advice from leading nutritional therapist Eve Kalinik, TCM practitioner Annee de Mamiel and the founder of The Organic Pharmacy, Margo Marrone.

A comprehensive overview of Ayurveda.

This text offers a perspective on Ayurvedic practice and on Jyotish, or Vedic astrology. The author's thesis is that it is not Constitution but the Seven Disease Tendencies which are fundamental to the treatment of illness.

There is considerable interest now in the contemporary lives of the so-called traditional medicines of South Asia and beyond. "Doctoring Traditions, "which examines Ayurveda in British India, particularly Bengal, roughly from the 1860s to the 1930s, is a welcome departure even within the available work in the area. For in it the author subtly interrogates the therapeutic changes that created modern Ayurveda. He does so by exploring how Ayurvedic ideas about the body changed dramatically in the modern period and by breaking with the oft-repeated but scantily examined belief that changes in Ayurvedic understandings of the body were due to the introduction of cadaveric dissections and Western anatomical knowledge. "Doctoring Traditions" argues that the actual motor of change were a number of small technologies that were absorbed into Ayurvedic practice at the time, including thermometers and microscopes. In each of its five core chapters the book details how the adoption of a small technology set in motion a dramatic refiguration of the body. This book will be required reading for historians both of medicine and South Asia.

'An excellent masterpiece that brings the ancient timeless wisdom of Ayurveda, in a very simple and practical way, to our modern day-to-day life' - Dr Vasant Lad, Director of The Ayurvedic Institute Ayurveda is a 5000-year-old system of medicine that takes a much needed holistic approach to life and wellbeing. Through balancing the three energy forces in the body known as 'doshas', Ayurveda goes beyond the boundaries of conventional practice to reveal your unique physical, emotional and mental needs. Expert practitioner Geeta Vara BSc and PGDip in Ayurvedic Medicine, gives simple, daily applicable rituals and wisdom that can be personalised to suit you, including guidance on food as medicine, detoxification, movement and meditation. By teaching us to reconnect with our natural bio-circadian rhythms, Ayurveda will lead you out of the doctor's surgery and on a journey towards self-healing. WITH THIS BOOK, YOU CAN: · Discover your mind/body type · Better understand the epicentre of your health - the gut · Learn to identify early signs of imbalance · Transform your diet through taste and mindful eating · Be empowered to take a preventative approach to healthcare · Tackle personal health problems including: stress and fatigue, immune system issues, gastro-intestinal problems, disturbed sleep, migraines, weight management and more

This book looks at the institutionalisation and refashioning of Ayurveda as a robust, literate classical tradition, separated from the assorted, vernacular traditions of healing practices. It focuses on the dominant perspectives and theories of indigenous medicine and various compulsions which led to the codification and standardisation of Ayurveda in modern India. Critically engaging with authoritative scholarship, the book extrapolates from some of these theories, raising significant questions on the study of alternative knowledge practices. By using case studies of the southern Indian state of Kerala – which is known globally for its Ayurveda – it provides an in-depth analysis of local practices and histories. Drawing from interviews of practitioners, archival documents, vernacular texts and rare magazines on Ayurveda and indigenous medicine, it presents a nuanced understanding of the relationships between diverse practices. It highlights the interactions as well as the tensions within them, and the methods adopted to preserve the uniqueness of practices even while sharing elements of healing, herbs and medicine. It also discusses how regulations and standards set by the state have estranged assorted healing practices, created uncertainties and led to the formation of categories like Ayurveda and nattuvaidyam (indigenous medicine/ayurvedas). Lucid and topical, the book will be useful for researchers and people interested in social medicine, history of medicine, Ayurveda, cultural studies, history, indigenous studies, and social anthropology.