“We are not tired, overworked, ill and lonely because we do too much; we are weary because so much of what we do runs counter to the rhythms of nature.” Maya Tiwari

What is true and essential is, by its very nature, accessible to everyone. Ayurveda is the science of life. It is a healthcare system that originated in India more than 5,000 years ago. The rishis (sages) teach that the pathway to a harmonious life is honoring the flow of energy in the universe and within us. Ayurveda invites us to live according to our inborn instinct; with wisdom, common sense, measure and purpose. This makes life simple and clear, even in the storms of fate.

Our body-mind is a marvelous thing; its resilience, amazing. We have the fundamental duty to care for our body-mind, while peacefully aligning with the laws of nature. What does that mean?

Everything in nature is rhythm, sound, breath, light and vibration. All elements in the universe are interrelated and in motion. Nothing is permanent. From all the suns to the smallest cell, each entity is born and then matures, dies and reawakens to life in another form. No raindrop falls to the Earth without moistening a comet a light-year away. No thought passes by without a trace.

Every moment of our life arises and dissolves by the influence of nature’s rhythms. Human beings, animals, plants, stars, planets, sun and moon are all in the same flow. We’re part of the rhythmic dance of the universe. The tricky part for humans is that we have the power to choose to go against the flow. When we do, we become exhausted and sick.

A balanced life means honoring and adapting harmoniously to this flow. Ayurveda teaches us to thrive with an understanding of the independent and combined effects of solar and lunar rhythms, biorhythms and breathing; whole food nutrition and herbs; the power of sound and thought; respect for our homes and love for the Earth.

Ayurveda paves the way to a clear understanding of what weakens or strengthens people physically, mentally and spiritually. Wise Earth Ayurveda is a particular methodology drawn from the Vedas (the oldest scriptures of Hinduism) by Maya Tiwari, who founded the first U.S. school for ayurveda in 1981. It advocates simple daily practices, called sadhanas, which allow individuals to prioritize all that is natural, plain and simple, without discarding the gifts of the modern age. This enables us to slow down, sense, watch and experience, providing the true secrets to healing.

Mother Nature willingly gives us everything we need, providing we live in friendship with her and ourselves. This friendship is a personal decision and achievement. Wise Earth Ayurveda prioritizes awakening the memory and inner knowing that the power to heal lies within. The approach uses food, breath and sound practices to awaken the courage and unshakeable will to trust and apply what Wise Earth identifies as inner medicine healing power, or the choice to heal.

Shakti, our innate intelligence, is the primordial energy of the universe and the foundation of inner medicine healing, according to the teachings of Wise Earth Ayurveda. Shakti knows what is truly beneficial to our growth. Felt first as an inner knowing, intuition or inkling, it is the voice that recognizes the exact cause of our problems and illnesses, telling us what we must really do to heal. Awakening Shakti is central to the work of Wise Earth Ayurveda. Shakti presents us with an unerring, brightly polished mirror, seeing things exactly the way they are and seeing the essential, deepest self, poised for self-expression and self-care.

This transforms lives and opens the door to true freedom, which permits the rapid and certain knowledge that there really are not so many choices. Decisions come from the rock-solid certainty there are no true alternatives to what is part of the flow. When we accept responsibility for our own life, thoughts, speech and actions, Shakti flows freely within us. We trust what we know and act from that knowing.

Our inner knowing is unlike any other impulse within us. It isn’t a feeling, in the sense of an emotion, sentiment or desire; nor is it a thought, in the sense of calculating, planning or hoping. Self-love sharpens our entrainment to the voice of inner knowing. Ayurveda offers exquisite practices to support honing this aptitude.

Wise Earth Ayurveda provides the map to awaken the memories of our inner medicine healing power; the best medicine we have. It is the deeper purpose of life to follow this personal awakening and support it in others.

Sarita-Linda Rocco is a master teacher and sadhaka adept of the Wise Earth School of Ayurveda and has studied under the tutelage of its founder Maya Tiwari for the past 18 years. Rocco owns YOGA INLET, a yoga/ayurveda school, located in West Reading. For more information, visit YogaInlet.com and WiseEarth.com.