Ayurveda recognises three types of energy that contribute to our health. Vata made from air and space, Pitta made from fire and water and Kapha made from earth and water. Each of us has our own unique combination of these energies when we are born and providing our energies stay in their original state of balance we stay healthy but that is easier said than done. If we have to breathe air, eat supermarket food and cope with the ever increasing stressors of modern life the chances are that even the healthiest person will become a little less healthy as time goes by.

The older we get, the more likely we are to eat, drink, think and behave in ways that alter our original blueprint and create a sense of imbalance or dis-ease. This lack of ease may show up in the early stages as mild symptoms which we treat with over the counter drugs or a visit to the GP. But if we don't change the way in which we live, the cause of the condition will remain and may eventually develop into a full blown condition.

According to Ayurveda the development of disease is a gradual process and there are said to be six stages. The first three are fairly easy to treat with changes to diet, lifestyle and some gentle herbs. If these changes are not made however then the disease is likely to progress to the fourth, fifth and sixth stages which become progressively more difficult to cure. Most diseases are so much easier to prevent than they are to cure so the earlier we can act the better.

First and foremost Ayurveda aims to prevent disease. An Ayurvedic diet and lifestyle can help you to correct an imbalance to avoid it ever developing into disease. Ayurveda encourages you to take notice of small changes in your body, to hear the messages that tell you something needs to change. The earlier you address the situation, the easier it will be to resolve it; this is the basis of Ayurveda. Nevertheless, if we fail to take notice of the early warning signs and we find ourselves diagnosed with a worrying condition, Ayurveda can still help with a deep, systematic process of detoxification. The human body is remarkable; if we can learn how to understand its needs and find a way to meet them it is never too late to reclaim vibrant health and wellbeing.

First and foremost Ayurveda aims to prevent disease. An Ayurvedic diet and lifestyle can help you to correct an imbalance to avoid it ever developing into disease. Ayurveda encourages us to take notice of small changes in our bodies, to hear the messages that tell us something needs to change. The earlier we address the situation, the easier it will be to resolve; this is the basis of Ayurveda. Nevertheless, if we fail to take notice of the early warning signs and find ourselves diagnosed with a worrying condition, Ayurveda can still help with a deep, systematic process of detoxification. The human body is remarkable; if we can learn how to understand its needs and find a way to meet them it is never too late to reclaim vibrant health and wellbeing.

Ayurveda considers body, mind and spirit as inextricably linked. The way we live, feel, think, speak and interact with others affects our physical health as surely as our diet. Ayurveda literally means the 'science of life' and refers not just to physical life but to the whole of life in all its complexity. When we choose to go beyond diet with Ayurveda we can begin to understand the causes of things in our lives and begin the process of releasing that which no longer serves us.