Often times, when we are studying ayurveda we get caught up in the details and lose sight of the big picture. For example, as an ayurvedic educator, I receive lots of comments like “I’m not sure what constitutional type I am,” or “the diet list tells me not to eat carrots.”

So let’s review some of the guiding principles of ayurveda to give us a proper perspective. The first guiding principle is life itself. The word ayurveda can be translated as “the science of life” or “the science of the life force.” The life force is also known as prana. Anything we do that enhances or wakes up our life force is considered helpful. Anything we do that detracts from or depletes our life force is considered harmful.

To apply this principle, think of the life force as our energy level through the course of a day. The ideal is to have a steady arc of energy from morning to night without a lot of ups & downs. To enhance our energy level, consider the value of fresh air and fresh food (full of life-energy). Also consider the importance of sound sleep in restoring your energy reserves. In addition, yoga teaches us how to build up our energy reserves through deep relaxation, deep breathing, and meditation.

The second guiding principle is consciousness. Anything that enhances the quality of consciousness or awareness is helpful. The way to gauge our consciousness is to understand the three gunas. Activities or foods that leave us feeling mentally dull or sleepy are called tamasic. Anything that creates agitation in the mind is called rajasic. And anything that leaves the mind calm and clear is termed sattvic. These distinctions are easy to make during meditation practice. If we fall asleep during meditation we are tamasic. If our mind races we are rajasic. But if our mind is calm and collected during meditation we are experiencing the joy of sattva. The key point is that the everyday choices we make have a direct effect on our consciousness.

The third guiding principle is love or compassion. This means to be loving and gentle with ourselves and with others. Or, as Hippocrates said, “First, do no harm.” The first principle of yoga is ahimsa, or non-harming. So we can strive to be gentle, non-harming, compassionate and loving according to our capacity. But don’t confuse this with weakness or timidity. On the contrary, harshness and violence are the signs of weakness.

Now that we have reviewed some of the guiding principles, let’s return to the comment “I’m not sure what constitutional type I am.” The answer probably doesn’t matter for now. Stay focused on the fact that you are a unique expression of the life force endowed with consciousness and the capacity to love. Then simply look at a few of the pairs of opposites. Are you suffering from too much heat or cold? Then apply things that have the opposite quality. Are you showing symptoms of dryness or dampness? Where are you on the scale from completely dried out on one extreme to completely damp and congested on the other? Is your world moving too fast or too slow? If it is too slow, perhaps you are stuck in a rut. So change up your routines, do something different, take a risk. If you are suffering from an extreme, move in the opposite direction. But don’t move too far! Sometimes people get so enthusiastic with their success they go all the way to the opposite extreme. Remember, be gentle and loving with yourself and maintain your self-awareness. Not too much and not too little. This simple approach often yields better results than trying to pigeonhole what is your type.

The main point is to understand that our health is dynamic and subject to change. It is more important to develop a sense of our own inner process and to be self-correcting of our habits than it is to follow some constitutional guideline or prescription by rote.

But “the diet list tells me not to eat carrots,” you say. You have seen that carrots are not recommended for hot (pitta) constitutions. Why is that? It’s not because they themselves are hot. It is only because they can have an effect on skin coloration, which is one of the functions of pitta. In the big picture, vegetables in general are excellent for reducing excess heat. A more important question is how will the carrots be prepared? Fried carrots can definitely aggravate pitta (heat) conditions, while fresh, organic carrot juice prepared lovingly will definitely help clear up heat conditions. Notice the carrots are fresh (full of life-force) and organic (grown in a healthful, non-harming way). Juicing can help release the prana of the carrots and the juice is best drunk immediately. The key to a healing diet is fresh foods freshly prepared. The most important ingredient however is the love and compassion of the preparer. In fact, any food given with love can be healing.

To me, the beauty of ayurveda is that it provides such a broad context yet gives us clear guidelines on how to make choices. Is it supportive of the life force?  Is it conducive to self-awareness? Is it non-harming? Metaphorically, ayurveda is likened to the ocean or an endless forest full of life. So remember, when studying ayurveda, don’t lose sight of the forest for the trees.

Editor’s note:

Gary Gran, CYT, DAy., is a certified yoga teacher and ayurvedic practitioner trained in the Himalayan tradition. He lives and practices in Evanston, Illinois, USA, with his wife Cynthia. Gary currently offers workshops and writes about yoga and ayurveda.