Ayurveda: The Breakdown

Ayurveda: The traditional Hindu system of medicine, which is based on the idea of balance in bodily systems.

• Going through my yoga teacher training, I was taught the very basics of ayurveda. I learned Ayurveda is a sister science to Yoga, with its roots dating back over 5,000 years ago in India. It’s a method of healing that uses diet, herbal treatment, and yogic breathing to achieve ultimate wellness.  
• It’s a holistic approach that seems to encourage and celebrate our capability to be our best (highest) selves.

From Sanskrit āyus meaning ‘life’ + veda meaning ‘(sacred) knowledge,’ ayurveda could arguably be called the “sacred knowledge of life.”

• It was this linguistic breakdown that instantly hooked me. If there was a way to learn and absorb the sacred knowledge of life, how could I not look further?
• So, naturally I continued my own research.

Ayurveda 101

First of all, you might be wondering what “ayurveda” can really even do for you? Well, there are several beneficial results that come with adopting an ayurvedic lifestyle. Just like the foundations of yoga, there is a strong emphasis on the mind + body connection and incorporating an ayurvedic lifestyle can help you gain the ability to tap into your highest self. Practicing ayurveda can help you:

• Become aware of your truth
• Acknowledge and develop your strengths
• Shift potentially harmful tendencies
• Maintain a more balanced life

Unlike modern medicine, ayurveda doesn’t just “prescribe” a solution. You become an active participant in your own healing journey by integrating the earth’s elements, medicinal herbs, traditional foods, and yogic breathwork with your own personal experiences.

Doshas

Taking this information a step further, ayurveda recognizes imbalances in the body by assessing our energetic makeup. Stay with me.

• Each body is made up of three doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha.
• The doshas embody a combination of the nature’s five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether) and the 20 qualities that ayurveda recognizes to describe every substance or experience.
• Vata: the energy of air + ether, movement + impulse, creativity + connection.
• Pitta: the energy of fire + water, digestion + transformation
• Kapha: the energy of water + earth, structure + cohesiveness, grounding + stability
• Everyone has their own unique ratio of all three doshas.
• For instance, I fall strongly into the “vata” category, but show properties of pitta and kapha, as well.
• When each energetic property is represented in their appropriate quantity, your body will feel supported and healthy. It’s when our doshas are out of balance that we begin to notice diseases and illnesses manifest in the body.  

“Well, Which One Am I?”

There are several quizzes and online resources that you could take, but below I’ve listed the common qualities of each. You may notice you’re immediately drawn to one, but keep in mind we have elements of all three in us at all times:

DOSHA	VATA	PITTA	KAPHA
Primary Elements	Air + Ether	Fire + Water	Water + Earth
Qualities	Dry Light Cold Rough Subtle Mobile Clear	Hot Sharp Light Liquid Spreading Oily	Heavy Slow Cool Oily Smooth Dense Soft Stable Gross Cloudy (Sticky)

 

Your unique ayurvedic body type is established within you at conception, and is referred to as your “constitution.” Ayurveda recognizes 7 different constitutions:

• Vata-Type: A greater amount of vata, lesser amounts of pitta and kapha.
• Pitta-Type: A greater amount of pitta, lesser amounts of vata and kapha.
• Kapha-Type: A greater amount of kapha, lesser amounts of vata and pitta.
• Vata-Pitta-Type (or Pitta-Vata): Greater amounts of both vata and pitta, a lesser amount of kapha.
• Pitta-Kapha (or Kapha-Pitta): Greater amounts of both pitta and kapha, a lesser amount of vata.
• Kapha-Vata (or Vata-Kapha): Greater amounts of both vata and kapha, a lesser amount of pitta.
• Tridoshic (or Vata-Pitta-Kapha-Type): Equal amounts of all three doshas within the body.

According to Ayurveda, your constitution not only influences your vulnerabilities to certain illness and diseases, but also affects your physiology, your likes/dislikes, your mental and emotional character, and your tendencies and habits. Therefore, knowing your constitution and finding ways to manage your unique state of balance can be very enlightening.  

So if we’re all born with our own constitution, how do we become imbalanced?

The simple answer: life.

• Changing climates, different stages of life, and new seasons all affect our current state of being.
• Job change? Hello, nervous energy.
• Flat tire? Hi, aggravation.
• New love? Bring on the excitement.
• Our environments are constantly changing and those changes obviously bring new qualities to our lives. With so many of these external factors popping up, it’s natural to experience a state of imbalance, the key is knowing how to regain your personal balanced state, your constitution.

Types of Imbalance

A vata imbalance occurs when vata is in excess. This can result in feelings of fear or anxiety. You may feeling both physically and emotionally constricted or ungrounded. Physical manifestations like poor circulation, constipation, dry skin, cracking joints, emaciation, insomnia, twitches, tremors, and other abnormal movements may also occur.

A pitta imbalance occurs when pitta is in excess. This can cause anger, jealousy, inflammation, excessive heat, heartburn, loose stools, migraines, rashes, bruising, bleeding disorders, sharp hunger, an overactive metabolism, and difficulty sleeping.

A kapha imbalance occurs when kapha is in excess. This can cause attachment, greed, resistance to change, lack of motivation, heaviness in the mind and body, excessive sleep, depression, a sluggish metabolism, congestion, and water retention.

• Also, it’s good to know that all three can be out of balance at one time. Yay.
• So the natural question is, how do we pacify an imbalance?

Well, you’d approach it the same way you’d ride a see-saw. What goes up, must come down.

If your vata element is in excess, that means you’re full of dry and cold qualities. Sounds like it’s time for something warm and oily, aka an increase in your Pitta energies. That could look like enjoying a spicy meal, going for an invigorating swim, or keeping warm with an extra blanket.

There are different foods, exercises, and lifestyle choices that either aggravate or pacify each dosha. When you’ve noticed an imbalance in one of your doshas, simply increase more of an opposing energy.

Vata Pacifying Foods/Behaviors

When a Vata is out of balance, they may feel depleted, unstable, anxious, and flighty. To soothe these feelings, they must seek out influences that are going to be grounding, warming (both physically and emotionally), and reliable:

• A Daily Routine

Establishing a morning ritual of relishing a cup of tea or practicing a new meditation at night will force you to sit down and be present. These few, slow moments will begin to add up each day and you’ll notice the powerful effects of a consistent practice. Vatas, especially, would benefit from a nightly foot massage (hello, self care!), a moisturizing face mask, and simply warm glasses of water.

• Eat Three Square Meals

For Vatas, they can oftentimes forget to eat (LOL, I know I said I’m a Vata, but that’s so not me). Even if you don’t feel hungry, go on and try to make the effort to sit down and be present with your meal. When building a vata-pacifying plate, make sure to include warm, moist, grounding, and cooked foods. Some flavors that help balance out our Vata element include sweet, sour, and salty. You’ll want to avoid foods that are pungent, bitter, or astringent. So load up on some roasted root veggies (maybe with a pinch of cinnamon), grains, nuts, kimchi (or sauerkraut), eggs, fruit, and yogurt.

• Gentle (if any) Exercise

When our Vata energy is too high, we probably feel hyperactive, very mobile, and unable to sit still. Instead of exploited this surge of energy, we need to find ways to honor our body and find restoration. As challenging as it may be, now is the time to simply practicing stillness. Light walks and gentle stretching is okay, but it’s a good idea to avoid any intense physical activity when trying to bring our energy levels back into balance.

Pitta Pacifying Foods/Behaviors

When our Pitta energy is out of balance, we can feel an overwhelming desire to be in control, fiercely ambitious, and overall intense. Topped with a naturally fiery personality, the experiences that will most soothe these feelings are tend to be tranquil, cooling (both physically and emotionally), and dry (or non-stimulating):

• Move With Intention

With so much energy, you’ll want to find exercises that are challenging, without pushing you too hard. Moderate exercises to include when balancing a pitta imbalance could be hiking, swimming, cycling, and tai chi. Keep in mind, with so much natural fire in the body, it’s important to work out when the sun is not at its hottest: between 6-10 am or 6-10 pm.

• Stay Cool With Food

An excess of Pitta energy has us feeling hot, hot, hot! You’ll notice we are more prone to sweating and oily skin when our Pitta dosha is too high. To counteract some of this heat, you’ll want to incorporate more cool, raw, and dry foods that are naturally cooling. These will decrease our internal heat, prevent inflammation, and balance out our digestive fire. Consider emphasizing sweet melons, cucumbers, bitter greens and beans when trying to keep our plates cool.

• Balance Work + Play

When our Pitta energy is too high, we can become hyper-focused, super intense, and very serious. Make sure you leave space for some play time when you’re looking for more balance. Engage in activities that truly allow you to step away from your to-do list and simply have fun. It could be anything from painting to dancing, to reading to cooking. Be honest with yourself, and ask what it is that you really want to do, regardless of your task list.

Kapha Pacifying Foods/Behaviors

If you’ve ever felt noticeably sluggish, lethargic, heavy, or easily possessive, you may have been experiencing an excess of Kapha energy. It’s during these times that we may find it increasingly difficult to wake up in the morning, become overly sentimental, and find ourselves emotionally overeating. Experiences that will balance us out will be stimulating, drying, and warm:

• Move Your Body

One of the best ways to immediately lower your Kapha energy (when it’s in excess), is to engage in a stimulating and regular exercise routine. Find invigorating ways to move your body – maybe it’s a zumba class with upbeat music or trying out a new sprint interval. Aside from your physical body, you’ll want to stimulate your sense, as well: call up your liveliest group of friends, take notice of inspiring aromas, and challenge your mind everyday.

• Stay Warm + Dry

An excess of Kapha means we have a lot of wet and oily properties in our bodies. To lessen that load, we want to make sure that we are keeping our physical body warm and dry, regardless of the weather. Balance can only be found when we are mindful of all the possibilities to counteract our current excessive state.

• Keep It Light

Notice each bite you take and recognize your hunger levels. Being mindful when you eat will help you assess whether you’re eating to properly fuel your body or if you’re eating for other reasons. Switch up your diet to include more warm, dry foods with pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes. Warming spices like pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and cumin are especially ideal for balancing our Kapha energy. So think warming, vegetable soups and lentil/bean dishes as ideal meals during this time.

 

• Soon, you’ll begin to recognize how our bodies are already naturally taking part in this ayurvedic practice.
  For instance, it’s no coincidence that our bodies crave soups and stews in the cold, winter months.
• Or that we find cold showers a saving grace after a particularly heated argument
• So go on,
• Learn your dosha,
• Discover your constitution,
• And find your balance.