Usadha Bali as a healthy lifestyle: the application of lifestyle practices, dietary patterns, and the balance of nature, mind, and body

Abstract

The concept of health has evolved well beyond a purely biomedical perspective to encompass a holistic understanding that integrates physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Usadha Bali, a traditional Balinese ethnomedical system rooted in Hindu philosophy, reflects this paradigm by emphasizing harmony among the body, mind, and natural environment. This review explores Usadha Bali as a comprehensive healthy lifestyle framework, focusing on its philosophical foundations, lifestyle practices, dietary patterns, and the balance of nature–mind–body. The system is grounded in three core philosophical principles: Tri Hita Karana, which governs harmony between humans, the divine, fellow humans, and the natural environment; Buana Alit and Buana Agung, the microcosm–macrocosm correspondence between the human body and the universe; and Rwa Bhineda, the principle of complementary opposites that must remain in equilibrium for health to be sustained. In practice, Usadha Bali promotes preventive healthcare through regulated lifestyle behaviors, the use of traditional herbal formulations, including medicinal plants such as turmeric (Curcuma longa), ginger (Zingiber officinale), and garlic (Allium sativum), and dietary patterns based on natural, locally sourced ingredients rich in bioactive compounds. Health is achieved through the integration of physical (sekala) and spiritual (niskala) approaches, underscoring the indispensable role of spirituality and inner balance in sustaining well-being. Usadha Bali represents a culturally rooted, comprehensive model of holistic health with significant relevance to modern preventive medicine and sustainable health promotion.