Ayurveda Beginner's Guide: Essential Ayurvedic Principles and Practices to Balance and Heal Naturally

by Susan Weis-Bohlen

"Susan's approach to Ayurveda is simplicity itself. In Ayurveda Beginners Guide she has described the complex network of Ayurvedic information in a very practical, straightforward way so that every person can understand the healing modality of Ayurveda." —Vasant Lad, BAM&S, MASc, Ayurvedic Physician Founder of the Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico, advisor for the National Ayurvedic Medical Association, and author of numerous books including Science of Self-Healing and The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies

Ayurveda is a profound science with wisdom spanning so wide that it can be difficult to know exactly where to begin. As an Ayurvedic consultant, Susan Weis-Bohlen helps those who are new to Ayurveda address this exact issue. In Ayurveda Beginners Guide Susan explains of the holistic principles behind Ayurveda, and offers gentle guidance for incorporating its restorative practices in your everyday life.

Designed with the newcomer in mind, Ayurveda Beginner's Guide

Ayurveda Beginner's Guide will show you how to unlock the transformative powers of Ayurveda and move forward in your journey towards a healthier state of mind, body, and spirit.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Food, Spirituality, Audiobook, Self Help, Cookbooks

188 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2018

About the author

SUSAN WEIS-BOHLEN is a certified Ayurvedic consultant and writing teacher. She is the author of the best-selling Ayurveda Beginner’s Guide: Essential Ayurvedic Principles and Practices to Balance and Heal Naturally (Althea Press), and Seasonal Self-Care Rituals: Eat, Breathe, Sleep, and Move Better According to Your Dosha (Simon Element). Her latest book is from Quarto, The Beginner's Guide to Ayurvedic Home Remedies: Ancient Healing for Modern Life. Susan has studied with many Ayurvedic teachers including Deepak Chopra, Dr. Vasant Lad, and Amadea Morningstar. Susan served on the board of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) from 2017-2023. She travels regularly to India, introducing Ayurveda to hundreds of people over the years. Susan is also a certified teacher of the Gateless Writing method and leads writing salons and retreats. She lives in Reisterstown with her husband Larry, and their dogs Ella and Joonie.

Reviews

[Miya (severe pain struggles, slower at the moment) · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those interested in Ayurveda, this is an easy to follow guide. Some of the books I have previously read were a bit over my head, but this is easier to grasp. I like the way things are laid out. Makes it simple. Although some of the practices or ways of living may be difficult it is incredibly interesting and intriguing. One of those rabbit holes I have gotten stuck in.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always been interested in Ayurveda and this book was a good introduction. I think there is a lot of useful healing principles in the Ayurveda System and I have made notes to remember many of them. However, I do not think I could ever follow it completely and I found some of the information and logic confusing. A lot of the principles are just not adaptable to my northern environment. For example: in the summer months, you should get up before sunrise and go to bed at 11pm; that would be about 4-5 hours of sleep. In the winter months, you should get up at sunrise and go to bed between 9 and 10pm; that would be about 11-12 hours of sleep. Really? Don't eat fruit with any other food because it digests at a different rate. Yes and vegetables, proteins and fats do too, but no mention of this (?) Plus the morning and evening rituals were very elaborate and time consuming and the whole idea of rubbing oil all over your body (especially your head and therefore hair) would just be way too messy. I now wonder if anyone really does follow all of this? And how?

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Really well organized with a great overview of just what Ayurveda entails. I think I’ve always been drawn to Ayurveda because it is a holistic way of living and isn’t just about what you eat, but is also mind, body and spirit. I also really like that it’s not a fixed diet designed for a specific person, but rather changes with the seasons and times of imbalance....”it can be tailored to suit any person’s unique needs.”

I learned a lot from this book and have added it to my list to purchase in the future! I’ve always known my predominant dosha (vata), but this book helped me to have a better understanding. The author breaks it down really well so you know the categories of food (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent) and how, depending on your dosha, each can create balance or imbalance. She also lists guidelines for each dosha - which not only include what foods are beneficial and those to limit, but also ideal exercises, best times to eat for proper digestion, essential oils that are most therapeutic for your dosha, and yoga poses! I like how she discusses how to get the most out of the poses depending on your dosha.

There are a few recipes in here, but sadly they don’t work for my diet at the moment. Overall, I think this is an excellent introduction for those new to Ayurveda and I love that the author provides resources at the end of the book...websites to learn more and places to purchase herbs and spices.

[Rose M. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing. I thought, like others, that this would be more informative. There could have been more on the history of Ayurveda, with more explanations and pictures. My biggest issue with this book is the false information. She states that microwaves kill all the nutrients in food, which is not true. In fact, Harvard found that more nutrients may be killed while cooking in the oven or on the stovetop due to how much longer the food is cooked. 

She also says not to eat raw food because it is hard to digest. This may be true, but what she doesn't realize is that because of that, it may make it easier to lose weight! Also, raw foods have the most nutrients! She states that fruits should be eaten 45 minutes after or before anything else because they digest differently, but so do veggies and other foods, about which she says nothing. 

I also think this was a self-help book vs. an understanding of Ayurveda. And I never really like self-help books. It feels like really basic suggestions that you hear over and over again to make your life great—but in reality, they're all kind of lame or don't work. I guess that's my bias. But the other issues in this book I cannot get past.

The suggestion to spread your sweetness by volunteering somewhere to stop craving sweets seemed so ridiculous to me. There is a lot of science behind cravings that we should pay attention to. We know self-control is important, and if you distract yourself, a craving will go away after a few minutes, naturally. Ultimately, volunteering would just be a distraction, which would help, but you could also just go read a book, do some yoga, or any number of other things. Volunteer because you want to do good in the world, not to spread your sweetness to beat cravings. 

I would like a book about the history of Ayurveda. one that is not just one person's experience of it, who then too quickly jumps into writing about it and ultimately misleads many.

If it turns out that our current science about nutrition and health is better than the 5,000-year-old medicine called Ayurveda, I want to understand that from a real book explaining Ayurveda, not from one person's understanding of it in an attempt to lose weight.

[zeknir · Rating 1 out of 5]

There’s a lot of praise for this book, so I was very excited. I was slowly and continuously let down throughout. Don’t get me wrong, the information is there, and I’m sure she knows her stuff, but that doesn’t mean she can write a good book. It had its moments, and some good takeaways, but mostly it get fairly chaotic, had me looking up more things than she explained (as she just threw in terms or referenced something but gave no explanation), and her poor spelling and downright incorrect math annoyed me and lost her credibility and respect. I don’t understand why the basics of Ayurveda are explained in appendix, rather than in text. for a beginners guide, why don’t you actually lay out some of the inner workings of ayurveda? instead, she just jumps into routine or recipes without an explanation of “why” or “how” it works. she tells you to do things, but doesn’t say why. i think most of us have found this path because we question things, instead of taking it at face value. i want to know WHY i should be using spices i’ve never heard of or sayings a mantra in a language i don’t know (she went so far as to say, quote, “The meaning of the mantra you chant isn’t necessary to know” and backs it up by not telling you the meaning of any of the mantras in the mantra chanting section. don’t waste your time. pick up Prakriti by Dr. Robert E Svoboda and Everyday Ayurveda by Dr. Bhaswati Bhattacharya.

[Vis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good easy intro to ayurveda.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an easy guide for finding ways to incorporate Ayurvedic practices into your daily life. It was perfect timing that I got this from the library and was diagnosed with COVID the next day. I like the simple recipes and seasonal approaches to health. I also appreciate that it recommends brands that can be found at the grocery story -- Yogi tea, for example.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to follow. Good overall info.

[Charlotte Fay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for beginners

I really enjoyed reading this as a beginner to Ayurveda it provides a great amount of information and resources without being too much. A great book to refer back to as and when I need to.

[Lark Petty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book after listening to Depak Chopra's podcast on Ayurveda. This book explains everything on staying strong and healthy.

[Priyadarshini Singha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was super simple and easy to read. Perfect for the beginner to the Ayurvedic lifestyle. Definitely recommend!

[Rob McFarren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great entry book for ayurvedic principles and practices. It's meant to be a beginning and an entry, and it did that well for me! Already implementing some simple routines into my lifestyle.

[leonie steenkamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable

Loved every page and will incorporate everything I’ve read in to my everyday life. Thoroughly enjoyed every page an amazing book

[Wiljar Ojuro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found that this guide is helpful in teaching me how to listen to my body.

[Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall it's a nice introduction but a bit messy and not very well written. The basic information is there but you really have to do additional research. I found myself leaving the book and googling things. This should not be the case with a beginners book! The book felt very rushed. For someone who used to own her own bookstore and I assume read thousands of books, this one did not live up to my expectations.

Since it is a beginners guide I feel she should of explained some of the terms, spices, mantras etc. like in a little side box. The spices could of been shown in a picture so you don't have to go googling for it. There was a lot of "do this" but no explanation as to why? She actually said something along the lines of "say this mantra", I think it was, "but don't worry what it means. It doesn't matter". ok then.

The yoga chapter would have been so much more useful if there were images showing the poses. I can not stand books that try to explain a pose or exercise with words!!!! JUST SHOW ME FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.

The recipes would have been so much better if we could see the finished dish! No recipes including meat? I understand that it's to be limited but it is not an complete exclusion.

The book just felt so cold, no spiritual vibe about it. I felt like I was reading an school report and not a book promoting healing and spirituality.

I did get through it and made notes. However I now have to go and read another one for a deeper understanding. I finished it in a couple of hours.

[El W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent Guide

Although I still have a LOT of questions about ayurvedic lifestyles, I appreciated Weis-Bohlen's mostly I realistic and helpful voice. There's too much to learn from just one book and this is my first, but I feel mostly empowered and almost ready to embrace this. The scary part of this is the hours these routines would take, paired with the difficulty of tracking these spices down where I live in Greece (no online shopping.) When I travel to the Middle East in a month I will be searching for what I couldn't find here, which should really be a huge help! This book is very inspiring.

One complaint: homemade sunscreen is not a good idea. Ok one more: she says things like "invite a friend" a lot and I never have met someone who would do these things with me lol but if you do have friends like that, definitely invite them to chant mantras and cook Indian food with you!

[Hari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and informative overall, but at times it was a bit dodgy from a health perspective. For example, when talking about about ghee the author said "ghee is amazing, some people say that ghee is high in saturated fats which is unhealthy, but that's not true. Ghee is super healthy!" She then didn't back this up with anything whatsoever?! The fact is that ghee is high in saturated fats which increases blood cholesterol, and this increases your risk of heart attack and stroke (reference: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34794...). She cannot deny that without providing any evidence or explanation and encourage eating lots of ghee when doing so ultimately causes deaths.

There were a couple of things like that where I was like ummm this is a bit dodgy and potentially harmful, but besides that it was a brilliant book. Ayurveda is a fascinating topic and I learned a lot from this book.

[Joanna Katelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick read, easily finished in an afternoon. Comprehensively structured and provides a good overview of Ayurveda, fitting its purpose as a beginner's guide.

However, a few improvements could be made -

- The text is primarily prose; tables categorizing the do's and don'ts for each dosha’s dietary recommendations would have been helpful for easier practical application.

- Accompanying the recipes with photographs would aid visualization, especially for those unfamiliar with Indian cooking. This would give readers a clearer idea of what the finished dishes should look like.

3.5 stars. Beautiful packaging and visuals make it enjoyable to read, but the need for improvements and lack of depth prevent a higher rating.

[Spinneretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

This is a great introduction to the basics of Ayurveda.
It explores both health and beauty aspects, giving the reader a broad overview of the various practices that can be used those who follow an Ayurvedic path.
It’s not an in depth exploration, but rather a broad spectrum introduction to a variety of philosophies and rituals that the Ayurvedic practitioners might follow, or that those who are interested in Ayurveda may wish to try.
It’s an excellent place for those interested to start, and for the beginner to try things on for size.
You will need to read and explore further if it is a practice you wish to deepen, but as an overview, it’s a good one.

[Wren McNeil · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had some mildly helpful explanations followed up by a lot of new-age mystical thinking which I found odd considering how old Ayurveda is. Not only that it felt like a sales ad for a bunch of oils, tools and supplements not to mention the ridiculous notions of things like her Ayurvedic Shelf in the bathroom. The recipe chapter basically had less than 10 recipes and two were for tea. Sadly there was also inaccuracies and bias. Microwaves do not reduce nutrients more than a stove. Fluoride is good for your teeth. Stuff like that. I’m sure there are much better books to introduce the beginner to Ayurveda philosophies.

[Daivik Ayurveda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book beautifully explains the fundamental principles of Ayurveda in a simple and easy-to-understand manner, making it perfect for beginners. It covers essential topics like doshas, diet, self-care rituals, and natural healing techniques, helping readers bring balance to their body and mind.

One of the best aspects of this book is its practical approach. The author not only explains Ayurvedic concepts but also provides actionable steps to incorporate Ayurvedic practices into daily life. Whether you're interested in Ayurvedic therapy or ayurvedic beneifts, this book will give you the knowledge to make informed decisions about your well-being.

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book shortly after finishing my Yoga Teacher Training, and found it informative and interesting. While I don’t find scientific merit with all the suggestions (an example: depending on your dosha, you’re meant to cut out certain foods, many of which are nutritious), there were also some great holistic remedies and daily rituals to follow. I liked the dinacharya (“simple daily routine”) section, the sheetali pranayama (“cooling breath”) instructions, and the seasonal food/routine recommendations.

[Correen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with interesting ideas most of which are in agreement with others in the Functional Medicine community. In addition this books has suggestions that seem to be more applicable to India than our country. Food suggestions seem to follow only Indian cuisine although the book targets an American audience.

I have made several changes based on this information and appreciate the source. Books that round out the information for me are The Prime and Happy Gut.

[Joel Schaefer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good intro to Ayurveda. There are better questionnaires available. This book explains a lot of what one should do, but does not explain the why behind it. While the information is helpful, it is difficult to incorporate without knowing the bigger picture. Still, this is a good start. If one can take what is offered and incorporate one or two ideas on a regular basis, this is a great start. The most prominent idea to me has been to have my main meal at Kapha time, between 10 am and 2 pm.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this book was okay. It gave some good overall advice and I liked how the author suggests just trying to implement a few things to start. I don't know that it had enough substance, though, to make me want to reach for it again and again. I also didn't like how the yoga section didn't have pictures. I find it difficult to do some of these poses without a visual guide.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Great first part, but once it went into recipes and such it became less helpful. Many of the recipes call for things we can't even get in our town, and the yoga poses, while interesting, have no pictures or anything to guide you. For all that I prefer Kate O'Donnell's books, which contain much of the same introductory info but far easier recipes to implement (no yoga, though).

[Marine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy reading book. This was my first book about Ayurveda and I enjoyed the slow paste and general information that were offered. It was just enough details to understand the main principles. I am also looking forward to trying a few of the recommended recipes.
A little negative note for the Dosha's test,I though it could have been a little bit more elaborate.

[Erin McNary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ayurveda Yeah!!

I couldn’t put this book down. I had a notebook by my side writing things as I read them in hopes that I’d better retain the amazing information I was reading. This book is so packed in information I know I’ll be referring to it constantly as I move towards an Ayurvedic lifestyle.

[Tamara Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew very little about Ayurveda and this book is excellent. Some really good recipes as well as information about each dosha....and what to do to balance your body. I have since read parts of other books on the subject and they seem quite esoteric. This one is quite easy to follow and put into practice. A quick read if you are just curious about Ayurveda and want a practical guide.

[Vibhooti Chauhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am starting out on Ayurveda and have read plenty of blogs on the subject and now I am in search of in depth knowledge starting from the very basics and this is why I picked up this book. Maybe it's a good read for Western audience who are new to the term Ayurveda but for Indian audience, you will come out disappointed. You can get this information by reading blogs online.