Okay…I am going to be honest right here and right now. I have a few obsessions in my life. Some of these obsessions, I feel, are in my best interest. For example, I am totally obsessed with riding my bike. Other obsessions are not really in my best interest. For example, I am totally obsessed with ice cream, which does not help my weight and cholesterol problems. My other obsession, which is probably familiar to most of you, is the search for the ever-elusive “life balance.” I am bound and determined (because I have an extreme personality – see, this post is all about being honest) to find it once and for all, and get my life in shape.

To begin my search for “life balance,” I started by posing a question: What are we trying to balance anyway, and where do we start? I believe we begin our search where all things begin – within ourselves. We start by learning about and creating opportunities around the mind/body connection. That’s where Ayurveda comes in.

In an effort to explore the concept of balance, I opened the door of possibility and experienced an Ayurveda treatment at the Canyon Ranch in Tucson. Ayurveda is an ancient healing system of India. The rough translation of the word Ayurveda (life + knowledge) is “Science of Life.” The fundamental concept is that we are all part of nature. If we are to create health and balance with our beings, we must respect the Laws of Nature. Ayurveda is a system that helps us maintain health by using the inherent principles of nature to bring us back into equilibrium. It is a system that encompasses a total lifestyle – daily movement, food sources, stressors, etc. In other words, when people practice an Ayurvedic lifestyle, they look at everything in their lives using Ayurveda principles to guide their choices – from the foods they eat to the exercise they do each day.

When I received my Ayurvedic treatment at Canyon Ranch, the therapist began the balancing process with right herbs and oils. She determined the correct herbs and oils by considering my dosha. My what? Yes, boys and girls, and we all have one.

There are three primary doshas – vata, pitta, kapha. Each dosha is comprised of the five elements – ether (space), fire, water, air and earth. A dosha will be more excessive in a person, depending on physical characteristics and personality traits. Depending on which dosha is prevalent with you, certain herbs and oils should be used in your treatment. Let me tell you – from the dripping of oil on my third eye to the manipulation of my marma points (yes, you have these things too – who knew that Canyon Ranch was a whole new lesson in biology?) – I was left to embrace a true sense of calm, a mind/body connection.

One of the lessons that I have learned from my brief experience with Ayurveda is that a sense of peace (balance) is not necessarily the absence of chaos, but maintaining the feeling of calm in the midst of chaos. Perhaps you are with me on the obsessive search for “life balance” – seeking to understand the real essence of mind/body connection. If so, I would highly recommend you experience an Ayurvedic treatment. I found it quite enlightening, and hope to explore it more. Good luck in your search, and let me know what you discover along the way!