Knowledge base

Ayurveda: the School's Knowledge Base

We explain Ayurveda the way we explain it to our students: what it is, how it's done by hand, and who shouldn't have it. No promises of healing, and with sources.

Basics

Fresh leaves being ground in a stone mortar, with bowls of dried herbs, black pepper and turmeric beside it

Ayurveda Books: What to Read and Where to Start

There are thousands of books on Ayurveda, but they all rest on a handful of classical texts. Here is what those texts are, which modern books to start with, where to read about panchakarma, and why no book replaces a doctor.

Yoga on the bank of the Ganges in Rishikesh

Ayurveda and Yoga: What They Share and How They Differ

Ayurveda and yoga are often called sister sciences, and with good reason: a shared worldview, a shared language, even a shared ministry in modern India. But their subject matter is different, and their tools should not be confused. Here is what they really have in common, how their goals differ and why the shatkarma of hatha yoga is not panchakarma.

An Ayurvedic consultation: the doctor reads the pulse at the patient's wrist

The Ayurvedic Doctor: Who They Are and What They Do

The word 'doctor' appears on almost every page about Ayurveda: a doctor prescribes treatments, a doctor runs panchakarma, a doctor determines your constitution. Here is who that really is — what and how long they study in India, what happens in a consultation, what they may prescribe, and how to tell a doctor from the therapist who performs the treatment.

Morning mist over a canal among coconut palms in Kerala

Ritucharya: The Ayurvedic Seasonal Routine

Ritucharya is the second half of ayurvedic prevention: if dinacharya is about the day, ritucharya is about the year. The classical texts divide it into six seasons and adjust food, sleep and exertion for each. The logic of this scheme, and what carries over to a climate with four seasons instead of six.

Medicated oil being cooked in a large bronze cauldron over a fire, with bundles of herbs beside it

Ayurveda in India: Regional Traditions and Schools

There is one Ayurveda in India, but it speaks with different accents. We explain how the Kerala tradition differs from the northern schools, where else Ayurveda is strong, how Tamil Nadu's Siddha medicine differs from it, and why Kerala treatments are now offered all over the country.

A doctor rests three fingers on a patient's wrist, reading the pulse

Siddha Medicine: Tamil Nadu's Own System, Not Ayurveda

Siddha is often called 'southern ayurveda', but it is a separate medicine with its own texts in Tamil, its own teachers and its own diagnostics. Where it comes from, what it rests on, how it treats, where to find it in Tamil Nadu and how it differs from ayurveda.

Hands tying a linen bundle of herbs, rice and lemon, with three finished bundles on a brass plate beside it

Kapha Dosha: Signs, Diet and Routine

Kapha is the dosha of structure: Ayurveda assigns to it everything in the body that holds form, lubricates and retains moisture. It is heavy, cold, moist and stable, and goes out of balance with rich food, damp and inactivity. We cover the signs of a kapha constitution, the signs of its aggravation and what balances it: tastes, routine and movement.

A craftsman stirs oil in a copper vat over an open fire, with bundles of herbs and roots nearby

Pitta Dosha: Signs, Diet and Daily Routine

Pitta is the dosha of transformation: everything in the body that digests, heats and processes belongs to it in ayurveda. It is hot, sharp and mobile, and it is thrown off balance by heat, rush and skipped lunches. The signs of a pitta constitution, the signs of aggravated pitta, and what brings it back into balance: tastes, routine and coolness.

A therapist's hands rubbing warm oil into a foot

Vata Dosha: Signs, Diet and Daily Routine

Vata is the dosha of movement: everything in the body that moves belongs to it in ayurveda. It is light, dry, cold and mobile, and it is the first to go out of balance — through rush, lack of sleep and travel. The signs of a vata constitution, the signs of aggravated vata, and what brings it back into balance: tastes, routine and warm oil.

A simple vegetarian meal on a banana leaf: red rice, dal and stewed vegetables

The Ayurvedic Diet: Principles and Eating for Your Dosha

Ayurveda hardly divides food into healthy and unhealthy. It asks what the food is, how it was cooked, what it was eaten with, how much, when and by whom. We go through the rules of eating in the classical texts and the principles for vata, pitta and kapha — as a guide, not a diet against disease.

The herb garden of an ayurvedic clinic after rain: tulsi, aloe, turmeric

What Is Ayurveda? A Plain-English Introduction

Ayurveda is India's traditional medicine, more than two thousand years old. In plain terms: the ideas it rests on, what it is made of and how it is recognized in India.

A simple vegetarian meal on a banana leaf: red rice, dal and vegetables

Agni and Ama: the Digestive Fire and What Stays Undigested

Agni is the body's capacity to digest and assimilate; ama is what remains when that capacity fails. Almost every Ayurvedic prescription rests on these two ideas. We explain them from the classical texts, without the myths about toxins.

Dinacharya: the Ayurvedic Daily Routine

Dinacharya is the daily routine that Ayurveda regards as the foundation of prevention. Behind the list of morning practices lies a simple logic: each time of day has its own qualities, and things are best done when the day supports them. Here is what the texts say and what still applies today.

Pulse diagnosis: the doctor's three fingers on the patient's wrist

The Three Doshas: Vata, Pitta, Kapha

The doshas are the three principles Ayurveda uses to describe how the body works: movement, transformation and structure. We explain how they work according to the classical texts, what is meant by imbalance, and why a magazine quiz does not replace a doctor's examination.

Brass bowls of medicated oils with neem leaves and roots on a wooden table

Ayurvedic Body Type: Prakriti and Vikriti

Prakriti is the balance of doshas a person is born with. Vikriti is how far they have drifted from it right now. An ayurvedic doctor looks at both but works with the second. Why that is, and what it changes in a prescription.

Kati basti: a ring of dough on the lower back holding warm oil

Ayurvedic Treatments: Types and How They Differ

There are dozens of Ayurvedic treatments, each with its own purpose: some nourish the body with oil, some warm it, some focus on one area, some cleanse. We explain how the classical texts and Kerala practice group them, how the groups differ and which treatments are done only on a doctor's prescription.

Brass bowls of golden medicated oils, a brass lamp, neem and tulsi leaves on dark wood

Ayurvedic Treatments in the Spa: What to Put on the Menu

Abhyanga, head and foot massage, shirodhara, kizhi and udvartana translate well to the spa when the therapist is trained and respects the contraindications. The cleansing procedures of panchakarma do not. Here is what you can put on the menu, what a genuine treatment needs, and how to describe it without medical claims.

A therapist pours warm oil from a brass vessel onto the back of a person lying on a wooden table

Ayurvedic Massage: What It Is, Types and How It Differs

Ayurvedic massage is work with warm oil chosen for a person's condition. It is calmer than classic massage, follows its own rules and is not given in a whole range of conditions. We cover the types, how a session goes and how to tell a genuine treatment from an oil massage with a pretty name.

Brass bowls of amber and golden oils with dried roots and bark on a dark wooden table

Oils for Ayurvedic Massage: Which to Use and How to Choose

The main oil of ayurvedic massage is sesame. Coconut, mustard oil and ghee are chosen according to the person's state, and medicated oils cooked with herbs are prescribed by a doctor. How these oils are chosen, why they are warmed, how to store them and how to test an oil on your own skin.

A Kerala treatment room: a wooden table, a brass shirodhara vessel above the headrest, shutters open onto the garden

Ayurveda vs Spa: What a Spa Is and How They Differ

A spa is a place and a set of treatments for relaxation and self-care. Ayurveda is India's traditional medicine, where treatments are prescribed according to a person's condition. They often appear on the same menu, but they work differently. What the difference is, and which to choose when.

A therapist's hands applying warm oil to the back during abhyanga

Abhyanga: the Ayurvedic Warm Oil Massage

Abhyanga is a full-body massage with warm oil that follows a strict sequence: seven positions, strokes in the direction of hair growth, and an oil chosen by the doctor. Here is how the treatment works, who should avoid it, and how it differs from an oil massage at a spa.

Kizhi: two therapists warm the back with cloth poultices, holding a brass bowl

Kizhi: Heat Therapy with Herbal Poultices

Kizhi is a Kerala treatment in which the body is tapped and rubbed with hot cloth bundles of leaves, herbal powders or medicated rice. We cover the three main types, how the treatment goes and its contraindications.

Two therapists squeeze warm oil from cloths over a person's back on a wooden table

Pizhichil: Kerala's Warm Oil Bath Treatment

Pizhichil is a Kerala treatment in which several therapists pour liters of warm medicated oil over the body for about an hour without a break, squeezing it from cloths. Where it comes from, how it is done, what it is traditionally used for and why it is only done in a clinic.

A brass vessel hangs on chains above the forehead of a woman lying down — shirodhara

Shirodhara: a Stream of Warm Oil on the Forehead

Shirodhara is a treatment in which warm oil or another liquid is poured onto the forehead in a thin stream for half an hour or more. How it works, the different types of dhara, what to do afterwards and who it doesn't suit.

Udvartana: Dry Herbal Powder Massage

Udvartana is a vigorous rub of the body with herbal powder, from the bottom up, against the direction of hair growth. In ayurveda it is used for kapha conditions. How it differs from oil massage, which powders are used and who it doesn't suit.

Herbs being ground with a pestle to prepare a medicated oil

Rasayana: Ayurveda's Strengthening Regimen Explained

Rasayana is not a single remedy but a whole branch of ayurveda on how the body is strengthened after cleansing. What the classical texts say about it, what such a course is made of, and which promises have nothing to do with rasayana.

Ayurvedic Detox: What It Really Is

Panchakarma is often called an Ayurvedic detox. It's a convenient word — but it usually carries a promise to 'flush out toxins' that Ayurveda itself does not make. Here is what actually happens on a program and how it differs from detox programs.

A red cliff above the ocean and the beach from the air, Kerala

What Is a Retreat? Types of Retreats Explained

A retreat is a few days or weeks spent away from everyday life for rest, practice or recovery. Very different things are sold under this word. The kinds of retreats there are, how they really differ and what to ask the organizer before you pay.

An empty treatment room: a wooden droni table and a brass vessel for dhara

Who Panchakarma Suits and Who Should Not Have It

Panchakarma is a doctor-led program of cleansing treatments, and it is not for everyone. We have gathered the contraindications from the classical texts and the practice of modern centers, the rule about medications, questions to ask a clinic and the signs that should make you walk away.

The clinic's herb garden after rain: tulsi, aloe, turmeric

How to Prepare for Panchakarma and What Comes After

Panchakarma doesn't start on the day you arrive or end on the day you leave. How to lighten your diet and routine in advance, what to expect at the clinic, how to look after yourself in the first weeks at home and what to do if you feel worse.

A therapist gives a head and face massage on a wooden table, with a brass shirodhara vessel above the headrest and herbal boluses nearby

What Is Panchakarma? A Plain-English Guide

Panchakarma is neither a single treatment nor a spa package but a doctor-led program in three stages: preparation, cleansing procedures and a return phase. What the word means, what determines the length and why a doctor is needed.

A thick turmeric paste being applied to a young woman's face — the Indian haldi ceremony

Ubtan: What It Is and How to Cleanse With It

Ubtan is an Indian cleansing blend of legume or grain flour with herbs and spices. It is mixed with water, milk or yogurt and used to cleanse the skin gently instead of soap. What goes into ubtan, how to make it at home for your skin type, how to wash with it, how it differs from an enzyme powder and a scrub, and who it doesn't suit.

How to read these articles

Ayurveda is a traditional medical system with its own language: doshas, agni, ama. We explain these ideas the way Ayurvedic doctors use them.

Every article about a treatment has a “who shouldn’t have it” section, and it matters more than the “why” section. Treatments and panchakarma are prescribed by a doctor after an examination; the articles don’t replace a consultation.

Each article lists its sources: classical texts, textbooks and reference works.

If you’re reading about the doshas for the first time, it’s easiest to start with yourself: the dosha test shows which doshas are prominent in you, and the articles below explain what that means.

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