A year for an Ayurvedic approach

Will Ayurvedic healing be the wellness trend of 2025?

It’s a bit ridiculous to posit that a 5,000-year-old medical system would be the wellness trend of 2025. So, I won’t do that.

But seeing so much “wellness content” from all corners of the internet has me convinced that people are lost. Instead of looking at the newest shortcut being excreted by the snake oil salesmen of the internet (usually ripped shirtless dudes that look like a real bucket of fun), they should look backward to this centuries-old approach to health that just makes sense.

I was introduced to it by my wife about a decade ago. (She was introduced to it in her 20s, when a mentor passed along an Ayurvedic cleanse recipe. She did the cleanse, felt great, and felt inclined to learn more.)

Ayurveda has its roots in ancient India; it translates to “science of life” in Sanskrit. The practice is alive and well in modern India, where the system is mainstream, recognized by the government as a form of traditional medicine, and offered alongside a more conventional (by Western standards) practice. It is a holistic approach to health emphasizing balance between the mind, body, and spirit for overall well-being. Sadly, it is less well-known here in the States.

Without getting too in the weeds (you can read a bit more here or here), I’m drawn to the practical, natural system. Ayurveda proffers no supplements promising eternal health, no fitness fads promising bulging biceps - it simply suggests to eat well, be good to your body, and look to the Earth for its healing properties for mind, body and soul. While I don’t dogmatically subscribe to Ayurvedic principles, I can’t help but find the teachings to be valuable.

Ayurveda prizes diet (eating based on your natural constitution), exercise/physical health (often yoga/massage), and mental wellness (via meditation) together to create a fuller picture of well-being. I don’t meditate, but I find I can achieve the same state of mind with a long run, painting, or going on a hike in nature - no headphones.

In our house, my wife makes her own Ayurvedic team, a blend of tulsi, ashwagandha, ginger, and cardamom. We drink it most nights. And when we’re coming off of a busy season (like December) we often like to reset with a cleanse from The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook.

Over the past couple years, I’ve been seeing more Ayurvedic principles, dishes, or ingredients proliferating into the mainstream. Kitchari, the traditional healing food of Ayurveda, is one of the standout dishes at ABCv, the plant-forward canteen from Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

Erewhon’s much-buzzed-about smoothie menu is peppered with Ayurvedic ingredients (Tocos and Ashwagandha, among them), many from Sun Potion, the niche natural supplements brand that is also slowly inching into the mainstream. You can find their elixirs at any new hip food-centric “shoppy shop” like Dimes Market or Happier Grocery.

And a quick scroll through the social media wellness complex will show a growing chorus around the power of adaptogens, the very herbs and plants that are celebrated in Ayurvedic medicine for their healing properties. Mushrooms are everywhere, being ground into coffee, gummies, and beverages. These ancient medicines are being branded and packaged for the “wellness set” in the West by brands like Moon Juice, making them palatable for a new kind of health-focused consumer, and suggesting the potential of a wider adoption of Ayurvedic ingredients and principles in the years to come.