Learn Ayurveda With Us! Accessible Ways to Deepen Your Understanding of Ayurveda

If you are new to Ayurveda and are eager to learn more about your dosha, the philosophy behind this 5,000-year-old traditional medical system and how to incorporate the Ayurvedic lifestyle into your daily routine, you have come to the right place! At PAAVANI, we believe that Ayurvedic medicine is a healing modality accessible to anyone willing to learn how to utilize it. Our mission is to share ancient Ayurveda with the modern world through familiarization, education and, of course, high-quality Ayurvedic herbal products made by yours truly in our Northern California apothecary. We hope that PAAVANI products introduce individuals to the transformative science of Ayurveda and inspire them to learn more. Here, we share available ways to deepen your knowledge of Ayurveda through this very website.

We invite you to begin your Ayurvedic journey by taking our Discover Your Dosha Quiz. Designed by our founders, this dosha quiz contains just over 20 prompts asking specific questions about your constitution. Questions range from the topics of skin, digestive and emotional health to physical traits, tendencies and characteristics. The answers to these questions help us to gain a better understanding and awareness of the elements (ether, air, fire, water and earth) that make up your constitution, which ultimately helps us to determine which doshas (vata, pitta and/or kapha) are most predominant within you. This is an excellent place to start exploring your understanding of the 3 doshas and how they apply to your life. 

Once you have taken the dosha quiz, we encourage you to expand your knowledge of Ayurveda by navigating to the Learn Section of our website. Here, we introduce you to the philosophy of Ayurveda, its history and what it means to be predominant in vata, pitta, kapha or even tridoshic. In this section of our website, we also demystify the art of cultivating dinacharya (Ayurvedic daily routines) and offer a printable PDF guide to help you incorporate dinacharya seamlessly into your daily life. We define what the term abhyanga means and why it is an essential part of Ayurvedic self-care. Additionally, we share some of our most valued tips on how to achieve healthy, glowing skin the all-natural way with Ayurvedic beauty rituals and the healing herbs found within the Ayurvedic apothecary. 

When you are ready to take your Ayurvedic understanding a step further, we cordially invite you to geek out with us in our Ayurvedic Virtual Courses! We offer three introductory Ayurvedic classes: Introduction to Ayurveda, Introduction to Dinacharya and Introduction to Ayurvedic Skincare. Each class is taught by PAAVANI co-founder, Trudy Collings, and provides a thorough, informative and accessible approach to the fundamentals of Ayurveda and Ayurvedic skincare. Once you complete the class, you will continue to have it available for reference time and time again.

We recommend completing this class first to ensure that the basic roots and tenets of Ayurvedic philosophy are understood. The various topics explored include:

• The 5 Elements

• The 10 Opposing Qualities

• The 3 Doshas

• Ayurvedic Psychology & the Doshas

• How to Determine your Predominant Doshas

• Prakruti vs. Vikruti

• The 5 Sense Therapies for Healing

• The Limbs of Yoga through the Ayurvedic Lens

After completing this class, you will feel confident in your knowledge of the fundamental perspective of Ayurveda. It will serve as an excellent foundation to continue building upon as you journey deeper into the knowledge of Ayurvedic medicine and how it applies to you. 

If our Dinacharya page piques your interest, this class will give you a more in-depth understanding of how to properly practice and incorporate Ayurvedic routines into your lifestyle. You will learn the history, benefits and most important preventative health practices of Ayurveda, including:

• Tongue Cleaning

• Oil Pulling

• Neti (nasal irrigation)

• Nasya (nose oiling)

• Eye Washing

• Ayurvedic Skin Care

• Self-Abhyanga (lymphatic oil massage)

• Pranayama (breathing exercises)

• Meditation…and more!

All dinacharya practices will be explained in a detailed yet approachable way so you can easily incorporate these ancient Ayurvedic rituals into your daily self-care routine. After completion of this virtual class, you will feel confident and empowered to initiate healthy habits and make positive changes in your life in a fun and sustainable way.

Ayurveda is a firm believer that beauty is more than skin deep. In fact, Ayurveda understands the skin (the body's largest organ) to be a manifestation of one's internal health. In this virtual course, we explain the holistic perspective on healthy skin and share DIY recipes to help you commit to a healing, daily skincare routine. In this class, you will learn:

• What is Ayurveda?

• The 3 Pillars of Life

• The 5 Elements

• The 10 Opposing Qualities

• The 3 Doshas

• Prakruti vs. Vikruti

• The 3-Step Ayurvedic Skincare Ritual

• What is Vata-type skin?

• What is Pitta-type Skin?

• What is Kapha-type skin?

• Beneficial Herbs & Oils for Each Skin Type

• Dosha-Specific Skin Tea Recipes

• DIY Dosha Specific Skincare Formulas

After completing this virtual course, you will have a solid understanding of the doshic skin types and feel equipped to unveil your healthiest inner and outer glow!

We recommend seeking professional guidance if you want a deeper understanding of your imbalances or are experiencing chronic health issues. Meeting with an educated and experienced Ayurvedic Specialist will give you an in-depth understanding of your imbalance(s), custom treatment plans to best support your healing journey and consistent check-ins to evaluate your progress. Our Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist, Laurel Odom, is highly practiced and qualified to address even the most severe health concerns. Plus, Laurel is an Ayurvedic educator at the California College of Ayurveda and Shakti School, so her wealth of Ayurvedic knowledge can be communicated in a way that is easily understood. An Ayurvedic Consultation with Laurel includes an Initial Wellness Consultation, Elemental Findings and follow-up Wellness Sessions. 

As you continue on your Ayurvedic journey with us, we are pleased to offer The Ayurveda Lifestyle Blog - a free source of helpful Ayurvedic topics to keep you inspired and committed to your health and wellness goals. Blog topics range from healthy dosha-balancing food recipes, DIY herbal formulas, dosha-balancing food lists, seasonal remedies, herbalism, women’s health, Ayurvedic philosophy, yoga, meditation, pranayama, environmentalism and more! Subscribing to our blog will keep you up to date on Ayurvedic ways to stay motivated and focused on your physical, mental and spiritual health. 

If you want to learn more about the healing benefits of each of our Ayurvedic herbal ingredients, scroll over to ‘ Our Ingredients ’ under the ‘About’ section. Here, you will find a list of each herb and mineral that makes up our apothecary and why we have intentionally selected them to formulate our products. This is a great place to get yourself acquainted with the herbal allies within the Ayurvedic apothecary.

We hope this blog article has given you helpful insight into how to further your Ayurvedic education. As you continue on your healing journey, always remember to be gentle and kind to yourself. Implementing lasting change does not happen overnight and takes patience and perseverance. Although learning about all of the new Ayurvedic practices is exciting, we recommend moving slowly and incorporating one new Ayurvedic lifestyle change per week and focusing on this new habit until it is ingrained into your daily routine before inviting in more. We wish you balance, health and much success as you begin to see and live your life through the Ayurvedic lens.

If our website has inspired your Ayurvedic healing journey in any way, please share a message in the comments section below!