Ayurveda Living – Understanding Doshas
Like Yoga, Ayurveda (EYE –yur –vay-dah) living is difficult
to explain in a blog or two. Again, my intention is to communicate enough to
stimulate further pursuit. This blog is one of hope. I believe autoimmune
diseases can be managed and beat through living an Ayurveda natural lifestyle. We have discussed eating natural foods and
practicing Yoga for peace of mind. Ayurveda
is an important part of this hope. It
leads to balanced life.
Ayurveda means science of life – knowledge of living – art
of longevity. It has roots in India going back to 1500 BC. It teaches that
nature has all that is necessary for a healthy life (sound familiar?). It is not
a religion. However, if it were, Nature would be its Goddess. It does not
follow a prescription rather is more of an art form adapted to the individual.
The basis of Ayurveda is rooted in five elements that make
up the universe. The elements are air, space, fire, earth and water. Each of us
is made up of these elements in varying amounts. The different levels of these
elements affect our physical and emotional make-up.
There are three constitutions or doshas. Your dosha is the
foundation of who you are. The three dosha types are Vata (VAH-tah), Pitta (PIT-tah)
and Kapha (KAF-ah). Vata is made up of air and space. Pitta is made up of fire
and Kapha is made up of earth and water.
Below is a table to help you understand your dosha. (Thank
you to Himalayan Institute for chart.) Place check marks next your
characteristics. Total by dosha category when
you are done.
Vata
Physical Emotional Off
Balance / Stress
Thin Frame ___ Talks Fast / a lot ___ Loses
Weight ___
Prominent Joints ___ Indecisive ___ Constipation ___
Very Tall or Short ___ Learns fasts, forgets ___ Excess
Gas ___
Weight at middle ___ Enthusiastic ___ Restless ___
Chilly ___ Restless/active ___ Chronic
pain ___
Dry skin ___ Sensitive to noise ___ Light
sleeper ___
Dry curly hair ___ Creative/artistic ___ Anxious/
fearful ___
Small dry eyes ___ Intuitive ___ Drug
use/ abuse ___
Variable appetite ___ Introspective ___ Panic
attacks ___
Joint Instability ___ Likes/seeks change ___
Variable energy ___
Love summer ___
Pitta
Physical Emotional Off Balance /
Stress
Medium Build ___ Words concise ___ Rashes/
hives ___
Athletic ___ Competitive ___ Excess
sweat/ odor ___
Warm-blooded ___ Intelligent ___ Gastritis/ulcers ___
Oily, soft skin ___ Keen memory ___ High
blood pressure ___
Freckles, pimples ___ Irritable/ impatient ___ Excess
bleeding ___
Premature gray ___ Controlling ___ Eats
hot spices ___
Love cool weather ___ Courageous ___ Angry
temper ___
Straight fine hair ___ Jealous ___ Excess alcohol ___
Pink, pliable nails ___ Organized/efficient ___ Headaches ___
Excessive hunger ___ Successful ___
Sleep sound/short ___
Kapha
Physical Emotional Off Balance /
Stress
Thick, wide frame ___ Slow speech ___ Over
sleeps ___
Good stamina ___ Calm ___ Overeats ___
Strong ___ Responsible ___ Excess
mucus ___
Lubricated joints ___ Steady faith ___ Water
retentions ___
Wt. in hips/thighs ___ Slow memory ___ Overweight ___
White even teeth ___ Stubborn ___ Lazy/ inert ___
Thick lustrous hair ___ Comprehends slow ___ Greedy ___
Large Eyes ___ Feelings hurt easy ___ Complacent ___
Slow/regular bowels ___ Nurturing/maternal ___ Depressed ___
Thick oil cool skin ___ Loyal ___
Chilly ___ Slow to change ___
Aversion to humidity___
Totals
Vata ____ Pitta ____ Kapha ____
VATA
Vata is made up of air and space. Vata people are variable – like the wind.
Their physical characteristics are asymmetrical (wiry hair, crooked teeth),
light (pale, skinny and bony), and airy (dry skin, prone to chilly.) Their
emotional make up is inconsistent – spacey, forgetful, energetic, restless and
sensitive.
These traits under stress cause some irregularities. Vatas
have irregular digestive tract - constipation and diarrhea, irregular emotions
– anxious, panic and irregular habits – sleep, eat and calendar management.
They are good at spontaneity, creativity, averse to repetition and consistency.
We all know vatas. We may refer to them as airheads, flighty, ADD, lanky,
skinny or not dependable.
PITTA
Pitta has a fire that burns within. Pitta has “ordinary”
physical traits. Its outstanding features are on the emotional side. Pittas are
very competitive, organized and intelligent. These traits lead to Pittas being driven
and successful.
When Pitta gets under stress the fire burns out of control.
This leads to eating more – especially spicy food, skin problems, excess
sweating, body odor and anger. We all know driven people who have to succeed.
This is because of the Pitta fire.
KAPHA
Lastly, Kapha is made up of water and earth. Kaphas
outstanding features are emotional. They are “grounded”, calm, under control
and stable. Kaphas physical features are
also earthy and moist. Oily skin, heavy hips, wide frame all make up the solid grounded
Kapha features.
When Kapha is off balanced it tends towards slow and lazy.
The “solid” structure and disposition needs energy to move. When off balance it
stalls.
People usually have one or two prominent doshas. It is rare
that someone has a balance of characteristics across all three doshas. (Pittas right now are changing their answers
to become one of these rare breeds – Vatas have forgotten or are anxious about what
they are and Kaphas are thrilled to be Kaphas.) A combination dosha has traits
from two doshas.
VATA-PITTA
A Vata-Pitta is light and intense when in balance. When
unbalanced a VP has difficult digestion, angry and fearful. A VP can be
confused between the Vata insecurity and the Pitta desire to lead.
PITTA-KAPHA
A PITTA-KAPHA is confident and driven. PK’s have great
success. They combine the stability of K with the adaptability of P. A PK out of
balance can be self absorbed, cocky and over moist – sweaty and oily.
VATA-KAPHA
Vata and Kapha share coldness. The VK needs heat. VK has
tendencies to do overdo things and does not use discretion. The emotional deep
nature of K mixed with the inconsistent nature of V makes the VK emotionally
traumatic.
Meniere’s and ALL autoimmune diseases are signs of an out of
balance person. When your immune system is showing signs of being weak or sick,
your life is out of balance. You can
manage and beat your disease by eating the right food and living an Ayurveda
lifestyle
Ayurveda focuses on five areas of your daily life to stay in
balance. Each dosha has different needs in each of the five areas. The five
areas are: Diet, Exercise, Sleep, Meditation and Relaxation. Each of us needs
to practice these five disciplines daily to be in balance. Remember, this is
the science of life, a way to interact with nature and stay in balance.
There are two books that helped me begin to understand
Ayurveda living. They are:
The Guru in You by Cameron Alborzian
Prakriti – Your Ayurvedic Constitution by Dr. Robert E
Svoboda
Read The Guru in You first . It is a short, easy, enjoyable read
that is a good introduction to Ayurveda balance. It’s fun because the author
made a life transformation from America’s top model to living a natural
Ayurvedic life. Once you understand the fundamentals, I recommend Prakriti as a
next step reading. Prakriti is more informative and dry. It covers the five
areas of daily life for each of the doshas.
I think this is a good time to break. In summary, Ayurveda
is an ancient Indian philosophy on the knowledge of living. The world (including each of us) is made up of five elements – air, space,
fire, water and earth. These elements make up our constitution. Knowing your constitution is the basis of your physical, emotional and mental make-up. This is an important
first step to mapping out your transformational journey. Once known, you build a daily routine of diet, sleep, exercise, relaxation and meditation to match your dosha. Through daily practice you conquer your autoimmune disease and your life becomes balanced.
Good luck on your transformational journey.
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