Abstract:
Vyäyäma or Physical Exercise is quite essential for a person to maintain his
normal health. Also it helps to carry out daily tasks with energy and attentiveness,
without undue tiredness, and with ample vigor.
Ayurveda also has given an importance to the physical exercise or Vyäyäma
considering the maintenance of good health. The consequences resulting from
physical exercise are not only lightness of body, capacity for work, collectedness,
power of enduring hardship; but also it removes of all imperfections and
augmentation of the digestive fire, which is very much need for the balance of
three humors which otherwise causes illness. Nevertheless, the intelligent person
should never indulge in physical exercise as, according to Ayurveda, it results in
fatigue, faintness, loss of vigor, thirst asthma, consumption, fever and attacks of
cold. Further, the time, when the physical exercise to be done, is also to be highly
considered. The use of the physical exercise, according to Ayurveda, can be
included in both preventive and curative methods.
We, therefore, hope to discuss in this paper the use of physical exercise
according to Ayurveda, mainly the Vrddhatrayi (the Carakasahhitä, the
Sugrutasamhitä and the Astäigahrdayasafflhitä) with special reference to Sri
Lankan medical texts like the Särärthasahgrahaya, the Bhesajamanjüsä and the
Yogärpa vaya and the Prayogaratnaväliya).
