Yoga and Ayurveda are sister sciences that developed together and have continually influenced one another throughout history. Yoga is primarily the science of self-inquiry and realisation. It teaches us how to move beyond identification with the body. Ayurveda is the science of self-healing, aimed at alleviating the diseases of the body and mind.

Together, Ayurveda and Yoga can help us to restore wholeness and balance in body, mind, and soul. Ayurveda shows us how to obtain optimal health which when combined with yoga can transform our existence.

There are two basic principles that underpin both Ayurveda and Yoga. The first is Ahimsa which translates as non-violence, or not causing harm; and the second is Sattva, translating roughly as a balanced and harmonious state of being.

Ahimsa (non-violence, or not causing harm to ourselves and others) is the foundation for establishing mental peace. It is based on the idea that we can’t triumph in this life at the expense of the world around us. Ahimsa extends to the way we use our intellect. Wrong use of intellect is believed to be one of the root causes behind a lot of diseases. That is, acting in a way that repeatedly causes harm to yourself. Knowing that an action will not have desirable consequences and continue doing it. It sounds simple, and yet if we look into our everyday actions there are probably numerous cases where we have acted in a way that causes harm to ourselves. Not causing harm to ourselves and others requires a certain amount of awareness. In Yoga the practice of ahimsa is cultivated through meditation; by slowing down we are able to observe what we say and do, we become mindful of our actions. We can go behind our emotions and disentangle our emotions from our actions. Often misunderstood, ahimsa does not imply passivity, protecting yourself and others, or acting in a way that can prevent harm is also ahimsa. We are not trying to stop negative emotions but rather break the habitual cycle, so that we act, not react, to a situation. By practicing ahimsa we become more conscious of our actions and also improve our health. Sattva (harmony and balance) is the goal, if you like, of Ayurveda and Yoga. We are shown how to develop a sattvic nature so that we can then transcend it. Which is the ultimate of Yoga.

The second is Sadhana or devotion. According to the Vedas, our individual soul or reincarnating consciousness is called the “Jiva” or Jivatman, the individual Self. It is our individual portion of Divine consciousness. It is generally identified with the spiritual fire within the heart. The soul as our true individuality apart from the false personality or separate self of the ego. It leads us back to unity whereas the ego drives us into division and multiplicity. In our souls, we feel that we are one with all beings. This is the identity of consciousness, not the self‑image or ego. Our dharma at the level of soul is sadhana, spiritual growth, awakening and the cultivation of higher consciousness and unity with the universal being, Yoga.

Yoga teaches us how to understand the realities of the outer world, the world of nature, but as a means of directing us inward. It teaches us that the outer world exists for inner experience and self‑knowledge. It reveals to us that when we approach anything in nature through direct perception, we find that on the deepest level it is intrinsically one with our own consciousness. It guides us back through the fundamental laws and powers of nature (the Tattvas) to return us to our own Self and seeing nature (the Purusha).

There are special power points and matrixes of pranic transformation in body, mind, and nature. Marmas are such power points on the body, of which 108 are most important. The seven chakras are such special power centers in the mind and subtle body that are conduits to higher forces and activated by Yoga practices, opening inner energy flows. There are special powerful moments in time, like sunrise, sunset, new moon, full moon, solstices, equinoxes, eclipses and powerful conjunctions, in which special pranic energies move. Most common is Brahma Muhurta or the period about an hour or two before sunrise. It is important that we learn how to access these pranic energies of time.