In Ayurveda, health is seen as a wholeness that includes more than the body's function. In the Caraka Samhita, one of the most important of the ancient Ayurvedic texts, it is stated, among other things, that "good health is the very foundation of righteous actions, fulfilment of desires and final liberation". Health is described in four areas that are considered fundamental to life: dharma, artha, kama and moksha.
• Dharma is about living in accordance with one's life task. According to Ayurveda, everyone's life has a purpose. There is something that you can do better than any other person in the whole world. It's just a matter of finding it, which isn't always easy in today's messy world. But the closer you get, the better you feel.
• Artha is the material prosperity. This is important for health as many suffer from malnutrition, inadequate hygienic conditions etc. But there is a limit. If we already have decent finances, we usually don't get happier because we get richer. Then it's more about how you appreciate what you have. It is not certain that you enjoy a luxury meal at an exclusive restaurant more than a good cup of tea in your own kitchen. And that leads us over to the next area.
• Kama, which are the pleasures of life. Life is to be enjoyed; the purpose of life is to increase happiness. But it is important not to lose yourself in the pursuit of pleasure. Then it can instead become obsession, frustration and destructive desires. To avoid that, we need to develop our consciousness, which follows in the next area.
• Moksa is enlightenment – when one experiences the whole, that everything is one, everything is consciousness, and everything is divinely beautiful. Then you live in constant happiness and peace. It may take a while to develop it fully. But through yoga, meditation and life-enhancing living, we can continuously strengthen our consciousness and move in that direction. And in this way, we also support all the other areas.
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