Smashing Four Common Myths About Ayurveda

by Anjali Sunita

Many people shy away from Ayurveda because it classifies substances and people into basic categories or bio-energies called the doshas; classification of people in general bares warranted suspicion. As we have seen in Westernized Yoga communities, half-baked information can lead to stereotyping and a diluted understanding of rich indigenous wisdom, which remarks on natural patterns. Like yoga, when filtered through white supremacist capitalism, Ayurveda falls into the trap of many common misconceptions, a few of which I would like to smash through this post.

There is an Ayurvedic diet

While you may find South Asian Ayurvedic cookbooks out there, did you know there are many “ Ayurvedas”? Yes, these traditions are as varied and vast as the people. Did you know that there are twenty-two official languages in India? Imagine then, how much diversity there would be in home remedies and recipes passed orally in the kitchen.

Ayurveda is not a fad diet, prescribed for losing weight or getting a better “insert body part here.” In fact, traditional images of beauty are vastly different. Kapha, the most heavy and substantial of the three doshas, comprised of elements earth and water primarily, is the least celebrated in Western media next to less substantial body frames. Yet because of the…