Ayurveda for Women: A Guide to Vitality and Health

Ayurveda is one of the oldest known systems of healing. It emphasizes the quality of life and all that can affect it. Dr. Robert Svoboda focuses on the health and happiness of women in Ayurveda for Women: A Guide to Vitality and Health, his latest book. Dr. Svoboda is the first Westerner to graduate from a college of Ayurveda and be licensed to practice in India. He currently writes, teaches, and lectures internationally. According to Ayurvedic principles, "every substance that we encounter and every action that we perform or that is performed on us influences our inner balance for good or ill." Dr. Svoboda adds that "Ayurveda aims to train individuals to evade disease, rather than insisting that they wait for illnesses to develop before they can be treated." He describes three stages in women's lives-youth, adulthood, and old age-and provides complete information on the role of Ayurvedic practices in each stage. Essential to good health at any stage of life is "flow," that is, the ability of "substances and energies [to] continually and adroitly find their ways into and out of living organisms." In humans, this includes processes like digestion and menstruation. Blockages in any of the fourteen primary flows lead to problems. Ayurveda is based on three "forces" which are called doshas. Dr. Svoboda describes the characteristics of each dosha, and provides a simple quiz that allows women to determine which dosha predominates in their life. He explains the strengths and weaknesses of each dosha, and how to incorporate those into daily life. A balanced life includes exercise, sleep, diet, meditation, and good relationships. Ayurveda principles include becoming aware of the role of each of these, and practicing body-mind-spirit healing. Dr. Svoboda says that "the better you can awaken your awareness, the better you will flow through life, and the more health will accrue to you." Ayurveda for Woman provides all the information contemporary women need to achieve awareness, and does so in an easy to understand manner. It's essential reading for any woman interested in keeping herself and her family healthy and happy.

This book is an excellent introduction to Ayurveda in general because all the theory is carefully detailed. However, the slant is towards women, so of course women will find this book extremely relevant.The book explains that the stages of a woman's life, that is: childhood, adulthood, and old age, correspond to the the three arrangements of qualities, or humors. Therefore, there is relevant and interesting information for women of any age. Since this is a not a lengthy book, a woman looking for specific treatment or explanation of a condition will need supplemental books.Nonetheless, this book contains such fascinating language and facts covering all aspects of Ayurveda that anyone who is interested in Ayurveda will be thrilled. I must emphasize that the page layout is very clear, simple, and contains pictures and summaries in the indentations, so it is a pleasure to look at.