The Textbook of Ayurveda

Fundamental Principles Volume 1

That is the title of a big yellow book my friend handed me 5 years ago. Before we talk about my experience with that book we should talk about the man who gave it to me. His name was Brian and he was quite the character. He was a good friend of mine and had been for years. He was always different from anyone else I knew. He was the first person I ever knew to give up shoes and walk around barefoot for an entire summer. He was the first person I ever saw allow a mosquito to land on his arm, draw his blood, and fly away unharmed. He also did way more drugs than any of my other friends. He believed in conspiracy theories and had radical views on all sorts of things I had never even heard of. He was pretty out there.

Sometimes I would look into things he was saying and I would be astonished that he could believe such a ridiculous idea. Other times I would look into it and find that he knew exactly what he was talking about and I was the foolish one. And so this is the guy who hands me a big yellow textbook. He didn’t tell me what Ayurveda was or anything about it. I imagine he just said something like “You should read this.”

For whatever reason I actually did start reading it. I started reading a textbook on a subject I’d never heard of. The first chapter is titled The Shad Darshan - The Six Philosophies of Life. It tells me that Ayurveda is a science of life and that it’s cosmic knowledge was originally cognized in the minds of ancient meditation masters. It said that everything in the Universe is made of the 5 great elements and that there are 9 causative factors that give rise to a universe.

I remember reading a lot of things and not understanding what it was saying. It was very mythical and sounded like folk lore from an ancient civilization. I remember thinking some things it said were wrong but also finding other things that seemed to make sense. To it’s credit the book is incredibly well written. So even though the content seemed like ancient mysticism, the sophistication of the writing was undeniable.

What really started to get my attention was when it would tie things together that I had not previously understood. I would experience that light bulb effect and have those “ah-ha” moments. This often occurred when it would correlate the mental emotional aspect of something with the physical aspect. There were also times it would describe me with pinpoint accuracy. Almost like reading an eerily spot on horoscope or something.

I continued to read and it didn’t take long before the material got very dense and difficult to understand. Not only were there all these Sanskrit words and concepts I’d never heard of but he was using current medical terminology to describe them. I’d never studied medicine, anatomy, or anything of the sort so it was quite a lot to swallow. Eventually I had to stop looking things up and just keep reading through passages I didn’t understand. Had I stopped every time I didn’t understand something I would have simply never finished the book.

I learned about vitamin b12, gastric intrinsic factor, and erythrogensis. I also learned about pachaka pitta, Samana vayu, and Kledaka Kapha. Oh and I learned how to release my trauma and forgive my parents as well. Did I mention that all of that is on the same page?!

One of the most extraordinary aspects of that book is how it seamlessly weaves through Western Medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, philosophy, lifestyle, and spirituality. All while using the thread of supreme practicality. I remember many days where I would pick up the book and after reading one paragraph set it right back down. I would need at least 24 hours to digest what I had read.

On and on I continued. Navigating, guessing, doubting, exploring, learning. It took me over a year to finally finish it. It was the first book I ever read that as soon as I completed the final page I immediately said “again.” “I want to read that again.” I knew something magical had happened. I knew I understood my body and my health in a revolutionary way. The crazy thing was I couldn’t articulate any of it. I couldn’t explain it. If you had asked me what I learned I couldn’t tell you.

I did end up reading it again. And then again after that :) once it grips you there’s nothing you can do. To this day I genuinely find the science of Ayurveda to be the most fascinating thing on the planet. It’s like learning the magical energetic universe that undergirds the physical world.

The science of Ayurveda is but the articulation of the life knowledge that is already governing you in this very moment. You don’t tell your cells what to do or how to function. You don’t release your hormones or govern your physiology. There is a cellular intelligence governing all the systems in your body. Vata, Pitta, and Kapha dosha are in a constant interplay within you all the time. Learning Ayurveda is to simply match your conscious knowledge with your subconscious wisdom.

My friend Brian by the way was the first Yogi I ever met. He was the first person to point out to me that worms were on the sidewalks after it rains and that I should be careful not to step on them. He was also the first of my friends to look me straight in the eye and say “I love you.” He is one of my best friends to this day. I’ve learned a lot from him over the years and I’m honored to call him my brother.

So cheers to you Brian,

Namaste