Ayurveda is one of the oldest known systems of healing. It emphasizes the quality of life and all that can affect it. Dr. Robert Svoboda focuses on the health and happiness of women in Ayurveda for Women: A Guide to Vitality and Health, his latest book.
Dr. Svoboda is the first Westerner to graduate from a college of Ayurveda and be licensed to practice in India. He currently writes, teaches, and lectures internationally.
According to Ayurvedic principles, "every substance that we encounter and every action that we perform or that is performed on us influences our inner balance for good or ill." Dr. Svoboda adds that "Ayurveda aims to train individuals to evade disease, rather than insisting that they wait for illnesses to develop before they can be treated."
He describes three stages in women's lives-youth, adulthood, and old age-and provides complete information on the role of Ayurvedic practices in each stage. Essential to good health at any stage of life is "flow," that is, the ability of "substances and energies [to] continually and adroitly find their ways into and out of living organisms." In humans, this includes processes like digestion and menstruation. Blockages in any of the fourteen primary flows lead to problems.
Ayurveda is based on three "forces" which are called doshas. Dr. Svoboda describes the characteristics of each dosha, and provides a simple quiz that allows women to determine which dosha predominates in their life. He explains the strengths and weaknesses of each dosha, and how to incorporate those into daily life.
A balanced life includes exercise, sleep, diet, meditation, and good relationships. Ayurveda principles include becoming aware of the role of each of these, and practicing body-mind-spirit healing. Dr. Svoboda says that "the better you can awaken your awareness, the better you will flow through life, and the more health will accrue to you." Ayurveda for Woman provides all the information contemporary women need to achieve awareness, and does so in an easy to understand manner. It's essential reading for any woman interested in keeping herself and her family healthy and happy.
As a woman interested in the art and science of Ayurveda I was of course drawn to this book. It is a very informative and helpful book but the tone of Svoboda's writing is very condescending. In the beginning the author appears to have great respect for women and the fact that they are the givers of life. But in every other paragraph to follow the doctor seems to make a point to talk down to the reader. It's hilarious actually. I wish I had the book in front of me to quote from. He even goes so far as to instruct mothers in how to raise their children. I don't know if this doctor is even a parent. He makes no mention of his own experience in this area. The amount of effort and energy that goes into creating and then raising up human beings is enormous and deserves respect and appreciation, which Svoboda for some reason is unable to offer to his readers. This book does little to truly support women of any age group now that I really think about it. Women need compassion, not simply facts and a "talking to" about how they should be doing better. So for all those who wish to read this book, you will find clearly presented valuable information about how Ayurveda relates to womenkind. But getting past Dr. Svoboda's holier-than-though tone is like scraping a heavy layer of ama off the tongue.
