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7. Know these 10 Gunas of Ayurveda!

These Ayurvedic Gunas are of great help for when you seek balance between diet, lifestyle and health.   Ayurveda is a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) that traces its origin in India over 3000 years ago, a true test of time. It draws its basis on the belief that to achieve good health, holistic healing, and wellness; there is a need to strike a balance between mind, body, and spirit. The likelihood of one falling ill is determined by the balance of their Doshas, which are life forces or energies. There are three Doshas which are Vata Dosha, Pitta Dosha, and Kapha Dosha. This therapy aims to achieve a required equilibrium of the three Doshas to prevent diseases.   The word guna means quality. According to Ayurveda, everything is experienced when 20 different qualities that describe everything in the mental and physical world mix. A deficiency or an excess of any one quality leads to an imbalance in health. For a treatment to be effective, it should be the opposite of the ailment it's treating because if it is similar to the ailment, it will only aggravate the ailment.   These qualities are organized into ten pairs with opposite characteristics as listed below:  

• Cold-Hot
• Slimy-Rough
• Cloudy-Clear
• Dense-Liquid
• Dull-Sharp
• Heavy- Light
• Unctuous-Dry
• Soft-Hard
• Gross-Subtle
• Stable-Mobile

Ayurveda qualities can be applied to any life experience.    When one is happy, they feel clear, mobile, and light. On the other hand, when one is angry, they feel rough, gross, and sharp. Sharpness promotes understanding while it's opposite, which is dullness leads to sluggishness. Oiliness creates vigor and lubrication and encourages love, but dryness increases nervousness and anxiety.    These qualities work together to create action and instruct one how to balance their diet and lifestyle so as to achieve a healthy mind, body, and spirit.