Ayurveda literally translates as the “Knowledge of life”. It was originally classified as an Upaveda, a supplementary part of the Vedas, which are the ancient texts that form the core of most religions in India.

Ayurveda arose within the context of the yoga system as a means to prolong the lifespan of human beings within each reincarnation, and thus can be regarded as the healing branch or medical side of the system of yoga. This does not mean that it is a religious dogma but a way of unfolding our spiritual and physical potentials. While one can approach Ayurveda from different spiritual backgrounds, recognition of consciousness as the underlying factor in healing is a great help for applying Ayurveda in an authentic manner.

Ayurveda is a medical science of our entire nature: body, mind and spirit. As such, it is not a mere physical or chemical form of medicine, it is an art, weaving the natural forces within and around us in order to create new forms of harmony and transformation. The aim of Ayurveda is to remedy the root imbalances that lead to disease and create optimal conditions for health and healing. Ayurveda teaches that the foundation of true health is alignment with our spiritual nature and living in harmony with the natural world. Ayurveda's holistic paradigm and lifestyle therapies perfectly complement modern health care. 

Ayurveda follows an organic, naturalistic, and energetic approach, based on the recognition of the life force. In addition, it is also a qualitative type of energetic medicine as it considers the spiritual factors in the disease process and the spiritual qualities inherent in natural substances. Ayurveda is mostly concerned with improving the quality of our lives so we can attain a higher state of consciousness and therefore does not recommend substances or actions that lower consciousness, even if they might balance the life-force at an outer level.