Ancient Ayurvedic wisdom, when you ready to heal with rhythm, and stop outsourcing your wellness. 

Disease Is Not Just Physical — It’s Disconnection

We tend to think of disease as something that happens to us. A virus, a malfunction, a diagnosis. But Ayurveda invites us to consider something deeper: disease begins in disconnection.

From the Ayurvedic lens, health is the union of mind, body, and soul. Disease (dis-ease) occurs when that union is disrupted. The word itself holds a clue: "dis" implies reversal or negation; "ease" implies effortlessness and flow. So, disease is the reversal of ease — the breakdown of natural rhythm.

Johns Hopkins Medicine defines Ayurveda as "a system based on the idea that disease is caused by stress or imbalance in a person’s consciousness". That means your physical symptoms may not always come from a physical cause. And they may not require a purely physical solution.

In Ayurveda, this breakdown of ease comes from three specific roots. Let’s explore them together.

The 3 Causes of Disease in Ayurveda

1. Prajnaparadha — Crime Against Your Own Wisdom

This is the entrenched pattern of knowing better—and doing the opposite. We all fall victom to it when we know what we should do, but don't do it. Or have the inner nudge NOT to do something and we do it anyway. Our people pleasing conditioning often in opposition to our inner wisdom. 

We do this when we stay up too late, eat food that doesn’t nourish, scroll instead of rest. Over time, this breaks down our confidence, our joy, and our capacity to respond wisely to life.

Each time we override our inner knowing, we add friction to our day and confusion to our senses. That tension accumulates and becomes dis-ease.

Reflection:

• When was the last time you knew what you needed—but didn’t listen?

• What happens in your body when you ignore your own truth?

2. Asatmendriyartha Samyoga — Disrespecting the Senses

Our senses are sacred messengers. What we see, hear, taste, touch, and smell all influence our health. In Ayurveda, improper use of the senses—overstimulation, underuse, or misuse—is a major root of disease.

Sensory overload is real. Our world constantly bombards us with noise, screens, processed foods, harsh lighting, and background stimulation. We stop noticing the strain until we're exhausted, anxious, or burned out.

When we push our senses beyond their capacity, we dull our discernment and damage our ability to feel and respond appropriately. 

Reflection:

• Which of your senses feels most overloaded right now?

• What would it look like to delight and care for your senses today?

3. Parinama — Living Out of Rhythm

Our cushy first world luxuries allow us to live in disharmony with nature's timing. We are rhythmic beings needing to honour when we are waking and sleeping, eating and digesting, resting and creating.

When we eat late, sleep erratically, overwork, or neglect to recognize the need for seasonal shifts, we fall out of sync with the natural cycles that govern our biology. This causes all sorts of imbalances. 

This is one of the most common and overlooked causes of disease today: ignoring the rhythms of the day, the seasons, and our life stages. If you feel like you have hormonal imbalance. This is the first and most essential step in bringing them back in line.  

Reflection:

• Where in your day do you feel most out of sync?

• What is one small rhythm you could restore this week?

The Path Back to Ease

The good news? Ayurveda doesn’t just name the causes of disease—it offers a clear and embodied path back to health.

That path is rhythm.

When we live in rhythm—with our meals, our rest, our seasons, our energy—our digestion improves, our mind settles, our immune system strengthens, and our joy returns.

Ayurveda names three foundational pillars of health:

• Ahara — Nourishment

• Nidra — Sleep

• Brahmacharya — Energy Management

When you restore these pillars, you rebuild trust in your own system.

Here are a few starting points:

• Eat earlier and close the kitchen at night.

• Sleep on a rhythm and wake naturally.

• Begin each day with breath, hydration, and elimination.

• Move daily, even gently.

• Respect your senses: less noise, more beauty.

You don’t need more restriction, rigid rules or external fixes. You simply need to fall into rhythm.

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If this message stirs something in you, If you'd like to learn more. Jill hosts webinars and has recordings that help you lean into this new way of considering your relationship to dis-ease.  We go deeper into the 3 causes of disease and explore the Ayurvedic map for restoring ease in your body, mind, and soul.

Let this be your invitation to return to rhythm.

The Year of YOU is a guided year-long journey that helps you realign with your body, your senses, and your deeper knowing—through the time-tested rhythms of Ayurveda and habit evolution. Through small daily steps, weekly support, and seasonal recalibration, you’ll learn to step out of the way of disease—and step into ease, vitality, and clarity.

This isn’t about doing more. It’s about finally doing what feels right—for you.