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The Wisdom of Ayurveda

AND WHY IT REMAINS RELEVANT TODAY

Holistic Wellness 5 Minute Read

Ayurveda's roots stretch back some 5,000 years, yet its core ideas resonate in an age of biohacking and personalised wellness for longevity.

Resident Ayurvedic doctor Prasanth Vayanakathu at COMO Shambhala Estate, Bali, walks us through its philosophy, from breathing patterns to gut health.

About Your Practitioner

Prasanth Vayanakathu

Prasanth graduated from Mangalore University, India, with a Bachelor of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences and has been conducting consultations in Ayurveda and Stress Management for the last 25 years. Ayurvedic medical science’s unique approach is specific to an individual’s constitution and treats through a medicinal lifestyle, Ayurvedic nutrition, body therapies, yoga and herbal medicines. Prasanth uses his Integrative Medicine concept based mostly on Ayurvedic science combined with naturopathy to create comprehensive wellness programmes for detox, rejuvenation, relaxation, and de-stressing. Prasanth also conducts Marma Therapy for guests.

AYURVEDA COMES FROM THE VEDIC TRADITION — WHAT'S THE UNDERLYING IDEA OF HEALTH IT TEACHES?

Ayurveda, "the science of life," is one of the Vedic sciences, first recorded in the Atharvaveda — an ancient Hindu text that focuses on remedies and healing practices. Its underlying premise is that health isn't the absence of disease but a dynamic balance between body, mind, and consciousness, sustained by living in rhythm with nature. Ayurveda and Bali's own healing traditions share a common root in Vedic and Hindu philosophy — both treat wellness as elemental balance rather than isolated symptoms. 

IF YOU HAD TO DEFINE AYURVEDA’S CORE PHILOSOPHY IN THREE SENTENCES, WHERE WOULD YOU START?

Be dosha-specific, breathe well, and eat well. Every individual has a unique dosha constitution — a blend of the three doshas, Vata (Air), Pitta (Fire), and Kapha (Water), each rooted in a combination of the five elements — so the starting point is a personal consultation rather than a one-size-fits-all prescription. For perfect health, we need a balance of all three doshas. Each dosha is uniquely vulnerable to certain ailments. Air types are more prone to sleep disturbances and sinus issues; Fire types are more likely to experience acid reflux, stomach ulcers, or IBS; and Water types often contend with hormonal imbalances, including thyroid issues, or in women, polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Breath is the second pillar. in Ayurveda, it's believed that animals and birds with slower breathing rates tend to live longer, with humans falling somewhere in the middle — the idea being that we are each born with a finite number of breaths to use in a lifetime, so maximising the value of each one in turn maximises our health-span and longevity.

Digestion is the third pillar. Food that is fully cooked is easier to digest than raw food, which is one reason Ayurveda tends to recommend minimising raw intake. Eating for your dosha also means being mindful of what to favour, minimise, and avoid, and we also provide an extensive list of recommended foods at the end of every consultation. Together, these three principles — dosha awareness, breath, and digestion — support graceful ageing and help slow the pace at which the body ages.

"DIGESTIVE FIRE," OR AGNI, COMES UP OFTEN IN AYURVEDIC THINKING. WHAT DOES IT ACTUALLY MEAN?

Agni, or digestive fire, is one of the foundations of Ayurvedic health — it's the metabolic energy responsible for not just digestion, but the transformation of food into nutrients the body can actually use. How it's managed depends entirely on an individual's dosha. Fasting can be beneficial for Air or Water types, but it isn't recommended for Fire types, who have a naturally strong digestive fire and healthy stomach acid secretion.

In many ways, modern research is only now catching up to what Ayurveda has held to be true for millennia: that the gut-body connection is bi-directional. A growing number of gut studies show that what happens in the mind is affected by the gut microbiome — a connection Ayurveda has recognised for centuries through its emphasis on both breathing and digestion as intertwined, rather than separate, systems.

MANY GUESTS COME TO COMO SHAMBHALA SPECIFICALLY FOR THE AYURVEDIC TREATMENTS. WHAT IS THE EXPERIENCE LIKE?

Ayurvedic treatments tend to be oil-based. These oils are completely natural, and are formulated with medicinal properties. 

Shirodhara — from the Sanskrit shiro (head) and dhara (flow) — involves warm oil poured in a slow, continuous stream over the forehead and third eye. It's deeply calming and particularly effective for migraines and insomnia, largely because the sustained, rhythmic sensation helps quiet the nervous system. Pizichil, which originates from Kerala's royal Ayurvedic traditions, inundates the body in a "bath" of warm medicinal oil, applied in long, uniform strokes by multiple therapists working in synchrony. We also offer marma therapy, a form of Ayurvedic acupressure that works on the body's marma points — vital energy junctions believed to connect to specific organs and systems. 

WHAT CAN GUESTS EXPECT IF THEY BOOK THE AYURVEDIC WELLNESS PATH?

This is one of our most popular multi-night stays. It begins with a full Ayurvedic consultation, which shapes the guest's entire itinerary — meals, treatments, and movement built around their dosha, sometimes paired with hyperbaric oxygen or infrared heat therapy for Air types needing warmth and grounding. Daily yoga and breathwork helps reset the nervous system. One couple has returned every year since 2015. For repeat guests like them, the focus shifts from diagnosis to maintenance — staying consistent with a rhythm that already works.

FINALLY, HOW MUCH DOES THE ESTATE ITSELF FACTOR INTO THE PRACTICE?

At COMO Shambhala, the intention is to let the environment do the work — the greenery keeps the air oxygen-rich, the climate is naturally suited to rest rather than working against it, and the water temple offers a deliberate point of grounding. Guests often start winding down before a single treatment has even begun, allowing the setting and the practice to support the client's needs together.

The Ayurvedic Wellness Path is available at COMO Shambhala Estate in Bali. To book a stay, please click here.

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