Health is balance, as ayurveda said millennia ago

When starting to learn ayurveda, the student is introduced to a key verse early on from the ancient text, the Sushruta Samhita. It defines the state of “svastha,” a state of health that is the goal of the treatment.

The endpoint of ayurvedic treatment is not merely diminishing the symptoms of the patient. That is part of it, of course. But the journey goes further than that, towards comprehensive balance, labelled “svastha.”

samadoṣa-samāgniśca-samadhātu-mala-kriyaḥ |
prasanna-ātma-indriya-manāḥ svastha iti abhidhīyate ||

– Sushruta Samhita (Sutra Sthana 15.41)

“A person who has balance in the doṣa-s, tissues, metabolism, elimination, and other functions, with clear and pleasant self, mind, and senses, is said to be svastha.”

This is the same word that is in “Svastha Yoga.” In fact, we chose this name because it represents the work we do and a key principle in Sri Krishnamacharya’s approach: that yoga for health is about restoring holistic wellbeing to each person, rather than doing a standardized sequence of asanas or pranayama.

This principle that holistic wellbeing derives from balance is a cornerstone of ayurveda. When the qualities and functions of the body and mind drive us towards one side of a tripod of the doshas (vata, pitta, kapha), we become unwell. When we can come back to balance, not only do disease symptoms diminish, but we also feel well.

Especially in the context of health problems that build gradually due to our habits (what we sometimes “lifestyle disease” in modern medicine), this view of health is crucial. People do not develop chronic pain, ischemic heart disease, type II diabetes, or burnout abruptly. These problems build slowly, as imbalances growing over time.

Reversing these diseases is not just about medication, but about restoring the habits and experiences that create a balance that opposes these imbalances, organically (meaning, by looking at what is happening in the organism as a whole).

The lens of ayurveda—qualities and functions, doshas, constitution, diet changes, and then herbs—repeatedly grounds us in this view and reminds us to keep an eye on our balance as we journey through life.