Customer Reviews

Perfect Balance: Ayurvedic Nutrition for Mind, Body, and Soul

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Ever been really interested in Ayurvedic principles of nutrition but the reading material that you come across is very heavy, and only ends up confusing you more before you even started to research the topic? Well this is the book for you! Atreya once again provides a book on Ayurveda that is easy to read and understand. How does he do this you may ask? Ayurveda is one of the many Vedic sciences that have been gifted to us through the insight of the Rishis and sages of the past. Thus being a Vedic science its foundations are the roots of Vedic philosophy, and the language and terms used are that of Sanskrit. To one not common with the philosophy and Sanskrit terms, reading material that refers to these in order to explain the science can be very confusing and become too heavy a lesson to be able to mentally digest. This is where Atreya shines. Although fully conversant with the science and its original spoken and written form of Sanskrit, Atreya provides tools that first explain the original form then provides an alternative way of remembering the meaning without having to use or learn Sanskrit. Perfect Balance is a thorough insight into the principles of Ayurvedic nutrition and its practice. Its contents cover a vast spectrum, from "Classical Ayurveda", to "The power of perfect digestion", to "Your perfect weight: How to lose weight permanently by increasing metabolic function", are but to name a few. Atreya also gives the reader a chance to follow a structured 21 day plan in order to embrace Ayurvedic principles in a controlled and guided environment. The inquisitive who have never come across Ayurveda before, too the practitioner that has embraced the Ayurvedic lifestyle for some time, all will find "Perfect Balance" to be a wealth of knowledge.

Just a correction on the latest review regarding the taking of spices and herbs in our daily life. Yes one does cook with herbs, spices and food according to ones Prakriti(constitution) and Vikriti(present state of imbalance), however Ayurvedic medicine prescribes formulas made of different herbs and spices to be ingested daily and at certain times depending on the quality (Guna) of the substance and the desired effect. For instance the Ayurvedic formula Trikatu which is a combination of Sunthi (dry ginger powder) maricha (black pepper) and Pippli (long pepper). Looking at the individual substances we would expect to find two of the three in most kitchen pantries and if black pepper is not in ever kitchen in the modern world then I would be truly amazed such is the commonality of this spice. This formula Trikatu is revered for its effect on correcting slow digestive problems (low Agni), expelling mucus (Kapha) and toxins (ama) out of the channels (Srotas) and as a stimulant.
Or take Trijat, made of cinnamon, cardamom, and cinnamon leaf, this combination of spices reduces Ama (toxicity), stimulates Prana (the vital force, energy) and increases Agni (the digestive fire). Most of the ingredients found in the two formulas can be found in the kitchen cupboard and it is this simplistic approach to healing that Atreya is trying to share. Present the knowledge in an easily accessible fashion that all can share. If one wishes to read more "in-depth" material that goes into the Ayurvedic fundamentals in detail then Atreya's previous books "Practical Ayurveda: Secrets for Physical, Sexual & Spiritual Health", "Ayurvedic Healing for Women: Herbal Gynecology and "Secrets of Ayurvedic Massage" all deal with this. As a student of Ayurvedic medicine I can honestly say that Atreya's knowledge is unquestionable.

I was truly disappointed in this book. I bought it so that I could understand Ayurveda, but this writter discounts the true principles. He refers to Vata, Pita and Kapha as Body Types A,B and C. I think he should call it by the proper names and not try to take shortcuts. It is not a well written book on the subject. If you are interested in Ayurveda, I highly recommend Deepak Chopra's "Perfect Health". Not only does Chopra cover the topic completely, his book is inspiring. Perfect Balance is unrealistic. It recommends that people take teaspoons of spices and herbs daily. While the true way of following Ayurveda is to cook with the spices and herbs in the food. I do not recommend this book. It has some helpful information, but not enough. Why read more then one book on the subject? Deepak Chopra's book covers it all and he also has a website that offers Ayurveda products.

Although I found this book to be easy to read and the test to be thorough enough to determine my body type, I had a really hard time figuring out how to adapt to it, since the diet prescribed was not vegan. I don't know, maybe I can't be vegan and practice ayurveda?