Ayurveda books

Don’t trust the "quick-act health" and "beauty and slimming" derivatives recommended by Internet celebrities. Prioritize your choice from three types of books based on your needs - if you want to trace the origin of the theory, choose the recognized original text; if you want to be a professional practitioner, choose academic general textbooks; if you just want to adjust your status on a daily basis, choose localized popular science books that have been reviewed by professionals. Just cross out the rest of the popular pseudo-scientific publications.

When I was in Kunming a few years ago to learn aromatherapy adaptation content from an Indian Ayurvedic healer with 30 years of experience, he made a book list for me on the first day, and specifically told me not to buy random Ayurveda-related books online with "Lose 10 pounds in 7 days" and "Detox and beauty benefits" printed on the cover. Nine out of ten books were about cutting leeks.

If you are interested in the core logic of Ayurveda and want to get to the root of it, you can't avoid the three recognized core original texts: "The Chalukya Samhita", "The Wonderful Information Sambhita" and "Eight Branches of Heart". Now there is a relatively authoritative abridged translation in China, which can be read without reading the original Sanskrit version. However, regarding the necessity of the original scriptures, there have always been different voices in the industry: traditional Brahmin system healers feel that not learning the original scriptures means that they have never touched the real Ayurveda, and all practical practices are castles in the air; but many therapists who are engaged in contemporary clinical practice feel that ordinary love There is no need for those who are good to stick to the original text. After all, many of the contents in it are adapted to the social environment of ancient India. For example, half of the thousands of medicinal herbs mentioned cannot be found in China. There are also many contents tied to sacrifices and traditional customs that are simply not applicable in today's life scenes. I didn’t believe in evil at the time, so I read the abridged version of the Chalukya Samhita for half a month, and evaluated myself on the representations of the three major life energies (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) in it. I was stunned to classify myself as a “three-fold person” who stayed up late all the time, was prone to flatulence, and occasionally had acne. The rare physical condition of "complete energy imbalance" was later brought back to me by my teacher - ancient Indians rarely stayed up late to check their mobile phones, nor did they eat ice cream every day while the air conditioner was on. These common habits of contemporary people have long since changed the common manifestations of energy imbalance. It will only make a joke to stick to the original provisions.

If you plan to become a related practitioner, such as a yoga teacher or an aromatherapist who wants to integrate Ayurveda into your services, it is more practical to use practical textbooks common to various Ayurveda schools, such as "Ayurveda Therapy" designated by the North American Yoga Alliance, and There is a Chinese translation of the introductory textbook "Basic Ayurveda" from the Indian public Ayurvedic medical school. These books have filtered out the inapplicable content in the original text. The system is very complete, with clear operating standards from energy assessment, dietary adjustment, herbal application to massage techniques. However, this kind of book is not without controversy. Many teachers who do folk healing will complain that the academic content is too rigid. For example, it is clearly stipulated that the Pitta constitution must completely avoid spicy and hot foods. However, I met a student from Heilongjiang before who was a typical Pitta. Due to her physical condition, she cut out all hot foods as required by the textbook, and ate warm foods every day in the winter when the weather was minus 30 degrees Celsius. Within half a month, she developed stomach pain. Later, we adjusted her to drink a small half cup of ginger tea every morning and eat less fried and spicy food, but she was well balanced. After all, the core of Ayurveda is "adaptation", and no matter how authoritative the textbook is, it cannot adapt to everyone's living environment.

If you just want to adjust your state, such as frequent insomnia, easy flatulence, allergies when changing seasons, and want to find some simple home methods, then it is enough to find localized popular science books that have been reviewed by domestic professional healers, such as "Ayurveda Home" co-authored by several domestic Ayurvedic healers with Chinese medicine backgrounds. "Home Care Guide" simplifies the judgment methods of the three major constitutions into 10 multiple-choice questions. It also replaces the ingredients recommended in the original guide with those that can be found everywhere in China. For example, the Indian ghee is replaced with ordinary butter and coconut oil, and the Indian herbal medicine is replaced with safer poria and tangerine peel. Ordinary people will not have any problems if they follow the instructions. Of course, many traditional practitioners look down upon this type of popular science books, and feel that Ayurveda has been reduced to a trivial matter of "drinking ginger tea, applying essential oils, and going to bed early" and has lost the core of the holistic view. However, I think that ordinary enthusiasts can learn it through these books. Observe your physical condition. For example, if you know that you are constipated, don’t take laxatives blindly. It may be a vata imbalance that can be relieved by drinking warm flaxseed oil. That is enough. It is better than being deceived by fake science on the Internet and buying a bottle of "Ayurvedic detox pills" worth hundreds of dollars.

By the way, when choosing books, remember to avoid two types of books: one type ties Ayurveda to horoscopes, tarot, and spiritual awakening. This kind of pseudoscience is basically a hot-selling pseudoscience. Ayurveda is essentially the traditional medicine of ancient India and has nothing to do with metaphysics;

I now have all three types of books on my bookshelf, with the original texts on the top shelf and occasionally flipping them down to check when I want to clarify concepts; the academic practical books are placed next to my desk and I often flip through them when making plans for clients; the popular science books are usually placed on the coffee table in the living room, and friends can take them out and flip through two pages if they are interested. In fact, there is really no need to pursue the "most authoritative" or "most complete" when choosing an Ayurveda book. Choose whatever you need at the moment. After all, this therapy, which has been passed down for thousands of years, essentially teaches you how to eat well, sleep well, and get along well with your body.