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When COVID hit and the world scrambled for a cure, I found myself returning to a Sanskrit verse written more than 5,000 years ago — one that spoke not about treatment, but about epidemics and prevention.
Before we even coined the word “wellness,” Ayurveda had already written an entire playbook on it.
Prevention is better than cure.
A line we’ve all heard — Ayurveda built an entire science around.
Long before self-care became a hashtag and immunity supplements crowded supermarket shelves, the foundational texts of Ayurveda — had verses on prevention and remaining disease-free.
Let’s decode how this ancient wisdom can translate to our lives today — and why it still applies to our forever multitasking, sleep-deprived, screen-obsessed, overstimulated lives.
Ayurveda begins with prevention, not treatment.
Healing starts with how you live — not just what you eat.
Vegan na dharayet vata vin mutra kshavathu truta kshudham nidra kasa shramashwas jrumbha ashru chardi retasam
Translation aside, the message is simple:
Don’t suppress your natural urges.
Hunger, thirst, tears, sleep, breath, even yawns — these are not inconveniences.
They are intelligent whispers from your body.
Every urge has a purpose:
Hunger nourishes
Tears detox
Sleep resets
Ignore them long enough, and imbalance begins.
That urge to nap after school drop-off? Honour it.
That deep thirst after back-to-back meetings? Hydrate.
And no — holding it because “there’s no time” isn’t willpower.
It’s an invitation for Vata (Air + Space) to spiral.
Ayurveda’s first rule of prevention:
Listen before your body starts to scream. Wellness begins when you start to tune in.
Once you learn to tune in, the next step is learning how to live in rhythm.
Dinacharyām niśamyātha yathāvat paripālayet
Ayurveda places daily routine — Dinacharya — at the foundation of health, long before herbs or therapies are discussed. The reason is simple: health is maintained through rhythm, not repaired in crisis.
When we wake, eat, work, and rest at irregular hours, the body slowly loses its ability to adapt. Digestion weakens, immunity falters, hormones drift, and fatigue becomes chronic. Modern research now mirrors this wisdom, linking disrupted circadian rhythms to metabolic disease, inflammation, and burnout.
Dinacharya is not about rigid schedules.
It is a relationship with time.
Waking with the light.
Movement before screens.
Meditation and reflection before meetings.
Biggest meal at lunch.
When daily life follows a natural cadence, the body remains in a state of good health.
And rhythm also extends into the seasons.
When seasons change, people fall sick. Sounds familiar? The solution? – Alignment.
Food, sleep, movement, emotions — everything shifts with nature.
So as we move from winter to spring, monsoon to autumn, or through the different seasons of life itself, we need to realign our diet and lifestyle as well.
Eat differently in monsoon than in summer. Focus on what nature naturally grows in a season.
Summers are for play, winters are for rest. Work differently in your forties than in your twenties.
And please, stop living like it’s eternal summer in the middle of your life’s winter.
Even epidemics arise when entire communities ignore seasonal rhythm — a concept Ayurveda calls Janapadodhwamsa, the collective decay of health.
In short: The earth has seasons. So do you. Honour them both.
But rhythm isn’t only about what you do but also how you do it.
Asatmya hi roga syuh sahasa tyaga shilanat.
Diseases arise when one abruptly abandons accustomed habits.
Your body is nature’s calendar — not your phone’s software.
Don’t hit “Update all” overnight.
Fad detoxes, overnight diet shifts, sudden high intensity workouts after months of Netflix — that’s shocking your system.
Even change must follow rhythm — Health is not a switch. It’s a symphony.
And every instrument — diet, rest, movement, relationships — must be fine tuned gradually.
And beyond habits, Ayurveda also looked at character.
Nityam hitaahara vihaara sevi samikshyakari vishayesvasaktah data samah satyaparah kshamavan aptopasevi cha bhavantyarogyah
One who eats mindfully, lives moderately, acts with awareness, and practices truth, patience, and generosity — remains free from disease.
Let’s take a pause here.
This verse could easily be titled:
“The Emotional Biology of Health.”
Modern research now confirms what Ayurveda observed centuries ago:
Chronic anger, hostility, and loneliness raise inflammation
Kindness, forgiveness, and generosity regulate immunity
Immunity isn’t just physical defense.
It’s mental clarity and emotional alignment.
Virtue — not vitamin C — is the foundation.
Modern wellness often sells us powders and programs. Ayurveda says: Start with how you think, how you speak, and who you sit with.
And yet Ayurveda is not meant to be restrictive — but just the right amount of indulgence!
Atitrushna na kartavya, trushna naev parityajaeth; Shaneha shaneshchaha bhautakvyam svayam vittammupajritamaha
Be mindful of excess yearning, but do not avoid desire itself; learn to enjoy what you have in moderation and gradually.
This verse reminds us: don’t chase excess, but don’t completely deny desire either.
Desire, when honoured gently, becomes nourishment. When pursued compulsively, it becomes depletion.
In a world that swings between indulgence and extreme restraint, Ayurveda offers the middle path — slowly, gradually, with awareness of time and context.
Enjoy your food, but stop before heaviness sets in.
Work with dedication, but know when to rest.
Aspire, but don’t get lost in the hustle culture.
When we learn to consume — food, effort, ambition, even pleasure — in moderation, the body stays steady, the mind stays clear, and imbalance doesn’t set in.
Now, here’s the mind-blowing part: the same logic that prevents individual disease also prevents epidemics.
Ayurveda may not use the word “virus,” but it explains epidemics (Janapadodhwamsa) beautifully:
When the natural order of air, water, land, and ethics breaks down — when collective rhythm collapses — widespread disease follows.
The antidote? Restoration of rhythm.
Clean air, pure water, ethical conduct, seasonal living, calm minds.
When individuals live aligned with nature, communities naturally become resilient.
So no — the sages weren’t just talking about immunity.
They were building public health systems before the modern concept of public health existed.
Prevention Is the New Luxury
Ayurveda’s wisdom is simple yet radical.
Don’t chase health; cultivate balance.
Listen to your body.
Oil before it aches.
Eat before you’re famished.
Sleep before you crash.
And forgive before resentment creeps into chemistry.
The beauty of Ayurveda lies in how it weaves biology with morality, lifestyle with consciousness.
It reminds us that health isn’t something to be achieved — it’s maintained, moment by moment, choice by choice.
In One Verse: Ayurveda’s Entire Philosophy of Prevention
Nityam hitaahara vihaara sevi samikshyakari vishayesvasaktah data samah satyaparah kshamavan aptopasevi cha bhavantyarogyah.
He who lives with moderation, mindfulness, generosity, and truth — remains free from diseases.
Nothing fancy and not doing more.
Just rhythm, awareness, and grace – the ultimate longevity blueprint.
If this way of living resonates, you may enjoy Mudita — my monthly longevity newsletter where I share seasonal reflections, simple rituals, and timeless wisdom from Ayurveda and Yoga for a joyful, intentional life.
A monthly longevity newsletter curated with insights, simple rituals, and practical tips for a joyful, intentional life — plus exclusive updates on upcoming programs.
