Ayurveda and Yoga: Twin Paths to One Goal

By Dr.  Partap Chauhan

‘Yoga’ is a Sanskrit word that means ‘to join’ or ‘to link’ or ‘to combine.’ Although the word can be used in various connotations, its fundamental meaning is to join or link the soul to God or the ‘Supersoul.’  The process of Yoga (that is, of linking the soul to the Supersoul) involves a step-by-step preparation aimed at balancing the body through various physical postures, controlling the mind and the senses through pranayama, and finally realizing the truth that the soul is the real conscious energy.

The word ‘Ayurveda’ is formed from an amalgam of two Sanskrit words—‘Ayu’ meaning a combination of body, mind and soul, and ‘Veda,’ meaning knowledge.   The ultimate goal of Ayurveda, too, is to attain a connection with God, though its procedures are different.   Through adherence to a proper diet and lifestyle, Ayurveda aims to keep the body toxin-free, which in turn induces clarity of the mind and awakening of intelligence, leading to the realization that the soul is the real conscious energy and needs to be cared for too.

The fundamental processes in both Ayurveda and Yoga involve purifying the mind and body, controlling the mind, and finally linking the soul or consciousness with God.   According to both systems, it is this connection with God that is the ultimate purpose of human life and leads to a state of eternal bliss, even while one is resident in this material world.

Just as Yoga is not limited to physical postures and fitness, Ayurveda, too, is not limited to herbal remedies for physical disorders.   Both systems have deeper levels and if practiced properly, can lead to a state of complete balance at the physical, mental and spiritual levels.   Not only are Yoga and Ayurveda similar, they supplement each other.   A person practicing Yoga needs to follow a specific Ayurvedic diet and regimen according to his or her constitution.   Similarly, a person following an Ayurvedic diet and regimen also needs to practice Yoga on a regular basis to stay healthy.  

In Ayurveda, the process of treatment or healing is not restricted to the physical body, but encompasses the mind, senses and soul as well.   And as Yoga mainly deals with strengthening and controlling the mind and senses, it can be seen as a sister discipline of Ayurveda.   This is important because we see that in general, most people today suffer from mental disorders, related to the stress-filled lifestyles that we follow.   The knowledge of Yoga has proved to be very beneficial in this regard.   And since all the techniques of Yoga are natural and do not involve synthetic or chemical drugs, its closeness to the principles of Ayurveda is further underscored.  

People generally consider Yoga to be merely a ‘fitness regimen’ or even some kind of religion.   But Yoga, like Ayurveda, is also a way of life and can be practiced by any person in any part of the world.   Yoga has today evolved beyond its spiritual form and come to be known as:

a) a cure for mental tension
b) a treatment for psychosomatic disorders
c) a form of physical medicine
d) an alternative and better form of physical exercise to keep your body in shape.  

Although Yoga encompasses the mind, soul and body, in the modern age Yoga has evolved as a branch of medical science.   All the current research on Yoga evaluates its physiological effect on the body.   Most of the research is focused on the endocrinological, metabolic, neuro-physiological and psychological effects on the body.   Moreover, its effect on human behavior and working has been shown to be useful for many states of the body.  

The achara rasayana (code of conduct) described in Ayurveda is same as the yama and niyama of Yoga.   Both Yoga and Ayurveda proclaim moksha (liberation from material bondage) to be their ultimate goal.  Both systems see the body as being composed of subtle and gross elements and help each other in healing.  Ayurveda takes care of the dosha-dhatu-mala (body humors-tissues-body wastes), while Yoga suggests how to keep the mind balanced in different circumstances.  Sattvavajay, which means ‘healing the mind by increasing purity of mind’ is one of the three main types treatments mentioned in Ayurveda, and there is mention of the use of Yoga techniques and meditation to maintain a healthy state of mind. 

The conclusion is that Ayurveda and Yoga need to be practiced side by side in order to attain a state of complete health and happiness.  During my travels around the world in last ten years, I have encountered people practicing Yoga without a clue about Ayurveda, and vice versa.  I have found that these people have not been able to attain health and happiness, although they think they will one day.  I believe, however, that this will be difficult till they integrate the two systems of Yoga and Ayurveda, as each is incomplete without the other.  Ayurveda and Yoga are like twin sisters that are separate in form, but have a deep and fundamental bond. 

Please feel free to contact us for more information on this topic.

Dr.  Partap Chauhan
E-mail: info@ayurvedic.org
Phone: 91-129-2296174
Fax: 91-129-2295547
Website: www.ayurvedic.org

Dr.  Partap Chauhan (Ayurvedacharya) is an author, educator and master Ayurvedic physician.  Dr Chauhan is the founder of Jiva Ayurveda, India, and has traveled to more than 25 countries to teach Ayurveda and help patients suffering mainly from supposedly incurable diseases like MS, Fibromyalgia, AIDS, Cancer and CFS.  Dr.  Chauhan launched the world’s first Ayurvedic website in 1995 and has done pioneering work in the field of telemedicine.  TeleDoc, a telemedicine program started by Jiva Ayurveda for the poor villagers in India, was declared the best e-health project (from amongst entries from over 136 countries) by the United Nations in Geneva in December 2003.

Teledoc, with its ground-breaking use of Java-enabled mobile telephones and the GPRS data network to deliver traditional healthcare to India's rural community, was competing against nominees from 136 developing and developed nations. Teledoc is funded in part by a generous grant from the Soros Foundation.

Teledoc is a telemedicine project started by Jiva Institute to offer health services to rural poor in India, where expert medical help is not available.  The best part is that the "Teledoc" offers Ayurvedic medicine to the village people.  So it is a matter of great pride for all of us that a project which involves Ayurveda has been recognized by United Nations. Teledoc will be carried internationally to many countries by UN in their road show program in next two years.  This gives us a great opportunity to popularize Ayurveda.  We are already getting a tremendous response in Geneva where people from various countries are meeting us and enquiring to start a similar project in their countries.  So this is great news for Ayurveda and it seems like the dream of bringing Ayurveda to every town and village is taking some real shape.