Two important and fascinating aspects of Ayurveda are: Prakriti, the individual constitution and Nadi Pariksha, the pulse examination for diagnosis. Prakriti is not only the fundamental human constitution at physiological level, but also denotes the basic personality of an individual. People find it fascinating and are many times mystified when they are told about their basic likes and dislikes, as well as their fundamental behavioural patterns just by observing them externally. Prakriti ascertains your identity and individuality, though at a very basic level. Due to the prevalence of mechanistic view of life for the last two hundred years, all human beings are treated like machines and at the same level. Parents tell their children: Why cannot you be like your brother (or sister)? Couples tell each other: Why cannot you get dressed quickly like I do? A friend or someone in a group may be condemned for not deciding quickly or sleeping too much. Another may be criticized for eating too much or too little. With the concept of prakriti that ascertains natural variation in individuals, people get some breathing space for being and accepting what they are. Pulse is the music of life in our body. It helps us not only to diagnose our state of health but also enhances the sensitivity towards our own body. We discover that there is an ever-changing rhythm within us that gets affected with the change in our inner and outer environment. Learning about the pulse paves way for understanding of oneself and to de-mechanise the way of living. It also specifically helps those of you who lead very mind-oriented lives and are indifferent to the throbbing and pulsating 'ground reality'. Knowledge of pulse and its ever-changing rhythm help provide us the consciousness of the living element within us, thus leading an understanding of our system as an ever changing whole. The purpose of this book is to teach you practical wisdom of both pulse and prakriti. Therefore, the book has also the well planned practical exercises. It is impossible to learn these themes fast and put them in practice. They are learnt both by practice and experience and this book can lead you to gradually attain this wisdom. The wisdom of prakriti and pulse is beneficial for maintaining health and preventing ailments. This wisdom helps us to detect any diversion from health or from the natural state of being with an optimum energy level. For using it beneficially, one requires to attain fundamental knowledge of Ayurvedic lifestyle and methods to revert back from the state of vikriti (being unwell) to state of prakriti.
About the Author: Along with a doctorate degree in reproduction biology in India, Dr. Verma studied Neurobiology in Paris University and obtained a second doctorate. She pursued advanced research at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda (USA) and the Max-Planck Institute in Freiburg, Germany. At the peak of her career in medical research in a pharmaceutical company in Germany, she realised that the modern approach to health care is basically fragmented and non-holistic. Besides, we are directing all our efforts and resources to cure disease rather than maintaining health. In response, Dr. Verma founded The New Way Health Organisation (NOW) in 1986 to spread the message of holistic living, preventive methods for health care and to promote the use of mild medicine and various self-help therapeutic measures. Dr. Verma grew up with a strong familial tradition of Ayurveda with a grandmother who had enormous Ayurvedic wisdom and was a gifted healer. She has studied Ayurveda in the traditional Guru-shishya style with Acharya Priya Vrat Sharma of the Benares Hindu University for 23 years. Dr. Verma is an ardent researcher and is working hard to compile the living tradition of Ayurveda and spread it in the world through her books and other activities. She has published twenty three books on yoga, Ayurveda, Women and Companionship. The books are published in various languages of the world. Besides, she has published numerous scientific articles. Several other books are in preparation. She lectures extensively, teaches in Europe for several months a year, trains students at her two centres in India and gives radio and television programmes. A film on Ayurveda with her was made by German television in 1995 and was shown in 100 countries, in 130 languages. It was the first film on Ayurveda. Dr. Verma has founded Charaka School of Ayurveda to train interested people with genuine Ayurvedic education so that they can further impart the knowledge of Ayurvedic way of life and save people from becoming a victim of charlatanry in Ayurveda. She is doing several research projects on medicinal plants and their combination in the form of remedies. She is the founder and chairperson of The Ayurveda Health Organisation, which is a charitable trust for distributing and promoting Ayurvedic remedies and yoga therapy in rural areas of India. She does regular lectures and workshops for school children in rural and remote areas of Himalayas to promote wisdom of traditional science and medicine.