Ayurveda

Ø      Balancing the Elements!

Ø     What's Your Dosha? 

Balancing the Elements

Though your innate constitution, or prakruti, remains constant throughout your entire life, your body is highly susceptible to the forces around it, including the weather, the seasons, your lifestyle, what you eat on a daily basis, and how your exercise.

These outside elements build up to form your day-to-day constitution, which is called your vikruti.  Ideally, your prakruti and your vikruti -- your general body type and your day-to-day constitution -- should match one another exactly.  But in reality, that rarely happens.  Just driving on the freeway can through you out of balance.  Add all the unhealthy aspects of modern culture like fast food, sleepless nights, tons of caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine, as well as stress and pollution, and it's practically impossible to live without imbalances.  And it's those imbalances that are to blame for all the chronic conditions that we see today.

Ayurveda teaches that health is a continuum between optimum wellness and disease.  Most people fall along the middle.  They're not really sick, but they're not really well either.  They're just living out of balance.  The problem is that the longer you live this way, the more likely you are to suffer the cumulative effects of your imbalances and finally show symptoms.  Some of these symptoms are minor, like headaches and constipation, but others can be major health threats, like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

The Ayurveda approach to health, includes eating a largely plant-based diet, eliminating alcohol and tobacco, and practicing stress-reducing meditation.

"Once you truly know and understand yourself, it becomes easier to take responsibility for your health and avoid diseases of all kinds," says Vasant Lad, BAMS, MASc, director of The Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and author of The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies.  "That is where ayurveda is strongest.  It empowers you to change your diet, lifestyle, and attitude in the ways that are best for you.  It is the art of living and the art of balance."

What's Your Dosha?

The following are some of the dominant characteristics of the three doshas -- vata, pitta, and kapha.  Put a check by those characteristics that best describe you.  The columns with the most checks are your primary doshas.

• Vata (space and air).  A combination of space and air, vata is the most changeable of the doshas.  The word vata itself comes from the Sanskrit (an ancient Indian language) word vaayu, meaning "that which moves things."  Vata people are vivacious, imaginative, and unpredictable.  Physically, vatas tend to be either very tall or very short with thin, bony features; cool, dry skin; and find hair.  They also tend to be sensitive to cold.  Though they have many new ideas, vata people often have a hard time following things through to completion.  Of the three doshas, vata types also have the hardest time adhering to their appropriate lifestyle recommendations.  Typical signs of imbalance include: intestinal gas, chapped lips, fatigue, rough skin, arthritic joints, constipation, insomnia, anxiety and worrisome.
• Pitta (fire and water).  It would be safe to say that most of the nation's CEOs are pitta people by ayurvedic standards.  Made of fire and water, pittas are the steam engines of the world.  They are intense, intelligent, fiery, and filled with drive.  They correspond with our Type-A personality -- always on the go, taking on new challenges, and commanding leadership roles in most situations.  They have strong metabolisms, which give them large appetites and thirst.  They generally have well-muscled, medium builds.  Because they're so warm, pittas tend to have ruddy complexions that flush easily.  They're generally not well suited for very warm climates or seasons.  Typical signs of imbalance include: fever, infection, inflammation, skin rashes, diarrhea, ulcers, heartburn, sore throats, easily aggravated, and tend to fly off the handle when angry.
• Kapha (water and earth).  The thick, heavy combined forces of water and earth make the kapha dosha the slowest and most relaxed of the three.  Slow moving, kapha people take a long time to process ideas, digest meals, and get moving in the morning.  The have soft, lustrous skin and hair, and large eyes.  They dislike cold, damp weather.  And their physical build is strong, with solid musculature and broad, well-developed bodies, though they do tend to carry more weight than they should.  Of the three doshas, kapha is the most stable.  Typical signs of imbalance include: obesity, general dullness, high cholesterol, sinus problems, fatigue, constipation, excessive sleep, can become stubborn and lazy, often seeks emotional solace through food.

For more in-depth information about Ayurveda and how it can bring you back into balance, visit The Ayurvedic Institute, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that teaches the principles and practices of Ayurveda, the ancient science of life. They provide authentic education in a supportive environment that encourages the integration of Ayurveda by individuals into their daily living and by health care professionals into their clinical practices.

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