Ayurveda is the science of natural healing and purifying the body and mind. Yoga brings us to self-realization through asana and pranayama. Through ayurveda and yoga people may be able to heal their bodies naturally through diet and exercise.
    Recently I traveled to India for an ayurveda and yoga conference. This trip reminded me of how important it is to eat right, exercise and do breathing exercises in order to live a happy, healthy and stress-free life. It is possible to live a stress-free life, we just don’t seem to know how to let things go, we feel that we have to hold onto everything.
    In my travels, I witnessed people living on the street, the railroad tracks, in shacks, as well as many people living in overcrowded situations. I mention this because, believe it or not, these people did not have a bad attitude. The people of India, rich or poor, shared the attitude of respect and patience. Americans tend to lack patience; if we feel that we don’t have as much as another person we can justifiably be nasty, rude and disrespectful.
    Stress, as well as an imbalanced diet and life style, can make you sick, it is crucial to maintain a balance in your life to stay healthy. It is also important to release the things that stress you, and to let go of the resentments that you may carry with you from day to day.
    It was amazing to see the people of India dressed in beautiful sari’s as they worked in the fields or conducted their day-to-day lives. Ayurveda was brought to the forefront by these people, who have for generations passed the knowledge of ayurveda (natural living through herbs, plants, roots and spices), yoga and pranayama.
    It is important to let go of some of the stressors of daily life and focus on healing and purifying the body and mind, an understanding of ayurveda and yoga can help in this quest to live happier, healthier and stress free.
    As they say in India, Namaste.