Customer Reviews

Essential Ayurveda: What It Is and What It Can Do for You

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a very basic, very essential introduction to Ayurveda. It is very well organised into the different segment of life (foods, exercise, beauty, mental well-being etc), but the style is narative, it takes you along as if on a journey. At one point you will find yourself in an Indian kitchen, smelling the spices and the vegetables, and imagining the colours, sounds and the surroundings of an Indian family eating breakfast. I've implemented almost to the letter and sometimes with scepticism the advice of the author and after 6 weeks, our life (family of 6 with baby and small children) has truly changed and improved in all spheres (physical health, happiness, pleasure in smaller things, less materialistic etc). Now we are ready for more books and research on the subject, the book is a great spring board for it.

I tried the step-by-step morning massage recommended in this book: and discovered bliss! And the author has a very easy, readable style. Go get it!

"Amazing how beautifully the author has condensed the essence of a whole philosophy of healing into a few hundred pages. Who knew that Ayurveda can be so easy and fun to follow? I always thought it was something ancient and obsolete, until I found this book. Read it--just the first few pages can change your life! It opened my eyes."

I picked up Essential Ayurveda on a whim at a natural foods store when I was really looking for something else. What attracted me was the simple recipes and the pleasant, conversational voice of the author. When I began reading it at home, I was so glad I had trusted my instincts! I have been interested in Ayurvedic diet for many years but felt it was complicated and hard to prepare. But this author shows how simple it can be--and very clearly illustrates how the loving, respectful, harmonic way of living with and caring for yourself flows through all of life--not just diet. A wonderful book. I think it's the last book I'll ever need in order to understand Ayurveda better. I also already have "Heaven's Banquet," which the author recommends as a great source for balanced and healing recipes. Now I'll go back to that book with new eyes!

I don't agree with the reviewer who says this book is too basic, and not for those who want 'more'. Of course it isn't, because it never claims to be! This book is meant to be a simple introduction to Ayurveda, and does a wonderful job of doing that.

I would go as far as to say that this book can change your life, because it underlines, emphasizes and stresses on one and only one aspect of Ayurveda: its simplicity as a way of life. The author succeeds in making you believe that you can actually do something about your well-being, even if you belong to the rush-rush fraternity of today.

The beauty of this book is that it is so simple. If you ever thought Ayurveda was hard to understand, you'll be pleasantly surprised once you delve into this book. It works because after reading just the first few chapters,you want to actually try out the ayurvedic routine. And the recipes...yum!!

I came back from India a few months ago where I had a consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor. When I returned to NY I looked for a book to learn more about this wonderful kind of medicine, and life. This book explains everything in easy terms, but goes in depth into all topics.

I started to looking into Ayurvedic herbs and healing more out of curiosity than anything. And I'm really glad I did. This is the first book I read and it's great. It's simple but the author has a deep and profound way of looking at life and health. I also like how she includes ingredients that you can easily find here in the US in her skin care recipes. I highly recommend this book for everyone to read!

I heard about ayurveda from a friend and purchased this book to become more familiar with its tenets. This book was very informative and extremely easy to read. It engaged me from the first page and didn't bog me down with a lot of technical terms. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a thorough introduction to ayurveda.

This book was an enjoyable read and I had it completely read in one afternoon. It is a good overall introduction to most parts of ayurveda. The author states she wanted to write in a basic, simple style for all to understand and gain the overall focus of ayurveda, to begin to listen to your body.

There are a few simple recipes to get one started, I have not tried any offered in this book, however many are in other ayurveda books like stewed fruit, chutneys, rice dishes, etc.

So if you are looking for an easy light read on ayurveda to begin to understand the science offered at a reasonable price, this book may be for you.

If you are looking to dive into a more developed understanding, this book may not offer you as much as you desire. It does not provide information from a techincal standpoint, however this appears to not be the goal of the author.

I offer a 4 star rating since I enjoyed the read and the author's style, and the information was well organized.