What Is Ayurvedic Yoga?

Ganges River. Varanasi, India. India is the home of the sister sciences of yoga and Ayurveda.

Ayurvedic yoga is a holistic wellness practice in which the principles of Ayurveda are applied to yoga, and the postures and other practices of yoga are applied as targeted therapies in Ayurveda. The aim of Ayurvedic yoga is to promote harmony, ease, and optimal health in the individual. Ayurvedic yoga recognizes that each individual is unique and therefore requires a personalized approach. The Ayurvedic yoga approach takes into consideration each person’s fundamental constitution (Prakriti), current state of imbalance (Vikriti), digestive (Agni) health, level of consciousness (Manas Prakriti), resilience (Ojas), and other factors that influence physical, mental, and emotional well-being, including sleep (Nidra), time of life, season of the year, physical pain, and trauma.

How is an Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist Different from any Other Yoga Teacher?

An Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist is a yoga teacher who has gone beyond a normal yoga certification to learn ways to apply Ayurvedic principles to yoga and yogic principles to Ayurveda. The Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist is trained to:

• Design group yoga classes according to Ayurvedic principles;

• Educate classes and individuals about Ayurveda;

• Discover an individual’s health history and concerns, basic constitution, level of consciousness, and areas of imbalance; and

• Use the information from the discovery process to prescribe yoga postures and healthy daily and seasonal routines, including a personalized diet, breath, and movement practices.

  In addition to focusing on diet and movement, an Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist may suggest other practices not normally taught in yoga classes, such as accupressure, cognitive behavioral therapy, chanting or toning, and the topical application of oils for nourishment and stress relief. Grounded in the nondual Tantric tradition of Ayurveda, Ayurvedic yoga is a practical approach that helps to ensure that our bodies are healthy and strong enough to support our best and happiest lives and our soul’s work. By aligning our unique constitution and the rest of nature through conscious lifestyle choices, Ayurvedic Yoga empowers individuals to cultivate a deeper connection with themselves and live a balanced life.

  Aren’t Yoga And Ayurveda just Two Names for the Same Thing?

  While yoga and Ayurveda are sister sciences and both are gifts from India, there are important differences between the two. For instance, the ultimate aim of yoga is the realization that we are more than a physical body. Meanwhile, the ultimate aim of Ayurveda is to ensure that our physical lives and bodies are harmonious and pleasant. Yoga was designed for renunciates with ambitious spiritual goals, whereas Ayurveda was designed for householders. Another difference between Yoga and Ayurveda is the philosophy about diet. While yoga traditions promote vegetarianism regardless of the realities of the individual’s constitution, health challenges, or geographical region, Ayurveda is not a strictly vegetarian health system. Ayurvedic Yogic dietary advice is based on what is best for the health of the individual. Which is not at all to say that Ayurvedic Yoga is at odds with the overall ecology. On the contrary, Ayurvedic Yoga is an exquisitely ecologically sensitive approach that promotes eating in harmony with the one’s home land (desha) and the seasons (rutacharya). Eating locally available, whole, seasonal food has many benefits for individuals and ecosystems, including promoting synergy between one’s native soil and gut microbiota, eliminating pollution caused by shipping vegetables to distant climate zones, and preserving grasslands and the native flora and fauna that depend on them.