Immunity as vitality: The Ayurvedic approach to cultivating resilience

Āyurveda is a 5000-year-old all-encompassing system of medicine and philosophical guide to aligned living. It is both a system of curative medicine and preventative health through diet, lifestyle, rituals, ethical living, herbs and more. Ayurveda considers good health as far more than the absence of disease. To thrive with optimal health, we need to cast the net much wider.

How vibrant and alive do you really feel in the body, how calm and focused do you feel in the mind, how settled do you feel in your emotions and how nurtured do you feel from your social network and environments? All these elements contribute to our well-being.

Immunity is often only really considered during illness yett the immune system is constantly working in the background, maintaining health throughout life, bringing balance, homeostasis, healing wounds, and resisting invading pathogens. Immunity is the front-line defence of physical existence. 

In modern science, immunity refers to the system that protects the body from illness and infections that are caused by foreign invaders (pathogens), such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and toxins that cause disease in the body.

Bala, ojas and the three dimensions of strength
How the body responds to infectious conditions is deeply influenced by our underlying health or what is known as our bala (inner strength). Sage Vāgbhaṭa explains that bala sustains life, supports endurance, and determines resistance to disease, however the depletion leads to vulnerability (1). In Ayurveda, immunity is understood through three pillars of strength (bala):

• Hereditary (sahaja bala) — our innate immunity and strength we are born with
• Seasonal (kālaja bala) — immunity influenced seasons, stage of life, time
• Established (yuktikṛta bala) — acquired immunity developed through diet and lifestyle and self-care 

While we may not have total control over our encounters with infections or diseases, we have the power to navigate how our body responds. Through conscious choices in diet and lifestyle, we can build our immune resilience. This adaptive immune resilience is known as vyādhi-kṣhamatva’and it has two fundamental aims:  

• To maintain resistance to disease by building strength (bala)
• To enhance our capacity to adapt, recover and rebuild ojas after illness 

In other words, as mentioned in Charaka Saṃhitā scripture (2)Vyādhi-kṣamatva is both the art of preventing the onset of disease and of reducing disease severity once it has manifested. Immunity in Ayurveda is not merely about fighting disease, but about sustaining strong healthy body tissues from within that subsequently preserves vitality (ojas) (3) and supports long-term resilience (bala).

The purpose of immunity is to help us maintain balance in a world that is constantly changing. Today, immune challenges show up as infections, allergies, intolerances, autoimmune patterns, hormonal imbalance, and sensitivity to stress — all signs that the system is struggling to adapt.

Building strength (bala) and vitality (ojas) happens gradually over time and our task is to support our immunity through daily choices in diet, routine, rest, and how we relate to stress. When bala and ojas are strong, the immune system responds well, neither overreacting nor underperforming, but constantly adjusting to restore equilibrium.

From an Ayurvedic perspective immunity becomes compromised by a gradual wearing down of the body’s ability to adapt and self-regulate. The gradual loss of resilience reflects how well digestion (agni), doṣic balance and the body channels have been functioning over time. As these elements become strained, bala declines, and the formation of ojas is compromised. Some key factors that weaken immunity over time include:

• Improper diet, poor gut microbiome and ongoing digestive issues such as irregular or weak agni (visamāgni/mandagni) — disturbing how the body tissues get nourished.
• Nervous system dysregulation caused by excessive vāta, ongoing stress, negative mindset and emotions
• Lack of recovery time after an illness prevents the immunity from being fully recharged.
• Ongoing misalignment to daily and season rhythms including poor quality and lack of sleep, irregular eating patterns, lack of or excessive exertion.
• Excessive or prolonged cleansing or long-term stimulating / suppressive medications.

75–80% of immunity is formed in the gut, so it’s only as strong as agni (digestive fire). We are what we digest, and healthy ojas formation is the result of the healthy nourishment of the body tissues.

Through the Ayurvedic pathological lens immunity weakens when:

• Agni (digestive and metabolic fire) becomes impaired
• Āma (metabolic waste) accumulates
• Doṣas (vāta, pitta, kapha), the body’s functional intelligence becomes chronically aggravated
• Dhātus (tissues) are under-nourished, reducing ojas (the subtle essence of immunity and vitality)

Ayurveda aims to rebalance us at the root level. There are no short cuts to long-lasting wellness. The focus is to restore the doṣas to equilibrium, clear toxins from deep within and rebuild strength in every body tissue, rejuvenating the body at a cellular level.

The two-stage process of restoring mind-body-emotional balance.

1. Langhana – Lightening and cleansing therapies, including palliative measures and purification practices such as fasting, pañcakarma, to reduce excess, clear toxins and restore balance.
2. Rasāyana – Rejuvenation therapy focused on rebuilding strength in the tissues after cleansing. This includes supportive ahāra and vihara – wholesome diet, proper daily routines, good conduct and medicines when necessary.

Ayurvedic immune support through rasāyana

Rasāyana (rejuvenation therapy) focuses on protecting and rebuilding ojas. Through supportive diet, lifestyle adjustments, and targeted tonics, rasāyana helps restore strength, resilience, and long-term wellbeing, especially during periods of depletion or vulnerability.

In Ayurveda, herbs and home remedies are selected according to their energetic qualities — taste (rasa), potency (vīrya), action, and post-digestive effect (vipāka) — and the way they influence the doṣas, body tissues, channels, senses, and mind. This is the same principle applied to food, reinforcing the Ayurvedic view that food itself is medicine.

Immune-supportive herbs are traditionally used to build yuktikṛta bala, support digestion, clear metabolic waste, and nourish ojas. Classical formulations such as the Ayurvedic elixir Chyawanprāsha is valued for its holistic rejuvenating qualities.  Sitopalādi, Tālisādi are valued for their respiratory-supporting qualities. Single herbs such as tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia), amalakī (Emblica officinalis), turmeric (Curcuma longa), garlic (Allium sativum), ginger (Zingiber officinale), shatavari (Asparagus racemosus), and ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) are commonly used to support resilience, digestion, vitality, and stress adaptation.

How herbs are taken is equally imperative. Traditional carriers (anupāna) such as milk, ghee, water and honey help guide the action and absorption of herbs to specific tissues. Rasāyana herbs are always personalised and used consciously, since herbal remedies work gently with a cumulative and nourishing approach to immune health as opposed to the quick fixes, we have become accustomed to. 

Actively cultivating yuktikṛta bala, begins with the first pillar of life in Ayurveda: satmya āhāra, a diet that is suitable for one’s constitution, digestive capacity, and current state of balance.

The body is shaped by what we are able to digest and assimilate making seasonal, local, whole foods the most supportive. Home-cooked, freshly prepared warm meals and slower cooking methods are becoming rare, yet they are the foundations for digestive and immune health. Our modern pace and reliance on processed foods weaken digestion (agni), contributing to rising food intolerances and gut imbalance. Stale, leftover, and heavily processed foods contain little vital energy (prāna) and do not support the formation of ojas.

Meals such as soups, stews, and gently spiced dishes provide grounding, easily absorbed nourishment for our immunity. A balanced immune-supporting diet may include wholesome grains and legumes, eggs or ethically sourced meats where appropriate, seasonal fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and healthy fats such as ghee.

The connection between digestive health and immune resilience makes prebiotics and probiotics a vital part of the dietary mix. Traditional foods such as takra (spiced buttermilk) and fermented vegetables help support gut flora.

Eating consciously, in appropriate portions, and avoiding excess are just as important as food quality. Diets rich in vitamin C, zinc, healing spices, and warming teas gently kindle agni and support long-term resilience.

Building strength (bala)

Certain foods are traditionally known to build strength and resilience (rasāyana), including milk, ghee, green gram, figs, dates, and almonds. These are best supported with digestive spices and ingredients such as ginger, cumin, lemon, takra, and fresh seasonal fruits.

Movement, rest, and rhythm

Balanced exercise (vyayāma) is key to maintaining and build strength (bala), yet ensuring ojas is not depleted. Too little movement can lead to stagnation; excess can deplete strength. Regular conscious movement such as walking, yoga, strength training, massage, or breath-led practices support immunity, lymphatic flow, and the movement of prāna (life force energy). Just like the ebb and flow of life, it is equally important knowing when to rest and recover. 

Mind, breath, and emotional balance

Ayurvedic wellness is complete only when the mind, senses and emotions are cared for alongside the body. Chronic stress, mental overload, and emotional strain can erode bala. Practices such as conscious breathing, meditation, mudras, mantras, prayer, time in nature, and grounding routines help regulate the nervous system and restore balance. Traditional therapies like shiro-abhyanga (head massage) and shirodhāra (oil pouring on the 3^rd eye), along with medhya rasāyana, further support mental clarity and resilience when needed.

1. Vāgbhaṭa. Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdaya. Sūtrasthāna 11.1–2. Translated by Murthy KRS. Varanasi, India: Chowkhamba Krishnadas Academy; 2008.
2. Agniveśa, Charaka. Charaka Saṃhitā. Sūtrasthāna, Chapter 28, verse 7. In: Sharma RK, Dash B, trans. Charaka Saṃhitā (Text with English Translation). Vol 1. Varanasi, India: Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office; 2014.
3. Agniveśa, Charaka. Charaka Saṃhitā. Sūtrasthāna, Chapter 28, verse 7. In: Sharma RK, Dash B, trans. Charaka Saṃhitā (Text with English Translation). Vol 1. Varanasi, India: Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office; 2014.