The Book of Ayurveda: A Holistic Approach to Health and Longevity

by Judith Morrison

Beautifully repackaged and completely redesigned, this practical guide to the ancient Indian healing system of Ayurveda has been a popular reference since its 1995 publication.

The Book of Ayurveda offers personalized ways to achieve and maintain long-term wellness based on your unique combination of fundamental energies—now redesigned and repackaged for this new age.

Genres: Health, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Reference

192 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1995

Reviews

[Miya (severe pain struggles, slower at the moment) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very simple book to learn about ayuvedic principles. It isn't long. There are a lot of pictures and charts to help makes things more clear. Super super interesting!

[Jude Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I thought I knew what Ayurvedic Medicine was - NOT!
Very interesting, informative and useful!
By the time I finished this I was really confused!
What are my primary energies?
How do I tell if they are out of balance?
Do you limit or emphasize the energy to bring it into balance?
So, I loaned the book to my wise GoodReads friend Ginny to read.
Then I'm going to reread it again!
All I can tell you is that Ayurveda is like Feng Shui - it relates to every aspect of life!
It has practical applications to everything!

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a decent but dumbed-down intro to Ayurveda. As a serious student I dislike that the Sanskrit has been omitted for concepts such as the tissues. The worst part is the design and editing. The book has numerous typos, and a font that is hard to read and often printed on dark purple to boot. I am scratching my head as to why this was an assigned text for my yoga therapy training - other books are much more comprehensive and more professional.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very detailed, very summaritive book about the IDEA of Auyrveda. This book gives a lot of info about a very complex system of thought and ideas regarding how the body works based on Hindu teachings. The layout is beautiful, the pictures are pleasing; I was left with way more questions than answers, though. I did enjoy it in a gee-whiz-that’s-an-interesting thought kind of way.

[Raysha Letchman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great content, a high level view of ayurvedic living that makes it practical.

[Jonathan Grisé · Rating 3 out of 5]

Méthode très spécifique pour l'application de l'ayurveda dans son quotidien.

[Clarissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent reference book if you need a nice refresher for Ayurveda. I enjoyed reading this book, and liked how the information was laid out with the pictures, and charts.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would have been a starter book on ayurveda, but I'm not a beginner, and I still learned some stuff.

[Keshia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent introduction of the comprehensive medical system and science of life that focuses on the subtle energies in all things, Ayurveda, is made available in this read. Some time and effort may be necessary to 'wrap the brain' around concepts somewhat new to western medicine, but overall this is an informative and simple read.

You will learn about the three vital energies called doshas and how many foods, objects, climates, the operation of the mind, health, disease, and individual body constitution, etc. relate to them; Pitta, Vata and Kapha. The disease manifestation process is sure to strike a chord with those recovering or suffering from any ailment of the body from the most minor to the severe.

The gems contained in this book are the many pictures, illustrations, charts, diagrams, and exercises. There is something for everyone. I recommend this book for all lightworkers, seekers, and individuals on the enlightened journey!

[Sirpa Grierson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good, basic outline of the Indian practice of medicine that integrates physical and emotional well-being. If you really want to learn what "type" you are, go to an Ayurvedic specialist, but this many thousands of years old tradition adds a lot to our understanding of unbalance as it manifests itself in modern Western culture.

[Josie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm really interested in Ayurveda, but I didn't really like the way this book was written. I guess what I'm really looking for is not "an introduction to" but rather some deeper understandings of this way of thinking about food and dosha types.

[Araminta Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent overview. It does an excellent job at clarifying the infrastructure of doshas, dosha balance, and how everything we do, experience, or have has qualities of doshas. I'm starting to see connections between my habits and my health I had never considered before this book. Worth the read.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is perfect for us Westerners who have never been exposed to the Ayurvedic methods. This book is just an introduction to Ayurveda. Morrison gently explains the principles behind Ayurveda so that we are able to understand basically how it all works.

[Angela Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess this is good for an intro, but that should just be in the title. The title denotes some kind of all inclusiveness that hardly applies to this. Pictures are pretty elementary, buuut! The organization is great, and my husband could understand it.

[Ichatelain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great info! Just wish it had been a bit more in depth rather than an intro to Ayurveda. It’s hard finding more extensive writings, in my experience, as most of the books I’ve read are introducing people to the sister science of yoga. Great refreshers for me as a Yoga Teacher/Therapist!

[Rhonda Kauffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great intro to ayurveda.

[Payal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Has partlu served to form a foundation on Ayurveda for me

[Reiden · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Book Of Ayurveda has good general information on Ayurvedic practices. The main thing that turned me off was the overly basic illustration throughout the book.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice picture book / summary

[Belann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covered a vast amount of information for such a small book (almost too much). Definitely gives a strong background of Ayurvedic principles.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe in the concepts of this book, but find it confusing to figure it all out.

[Carol Eshleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this. Seemed to be a good introduction to what is obviously a very complicated practice. Made me want to study more.