Day 355 of 365 - Ayurveda for Health
Here is another approach to health and wellness to consider. It is a holistic approach called Ayurveda, which was developed over 5000 years ago in India. The guiding principle of ayurveda is the interconnection of all things - body, senses, mind and spirit.
Although the basic recommendations for health and vitality include the familiar ones of sleep, meditation, movement, healthy emotions, nutrition and grounding that we have heard about before, the balance of these is unique to our individual type. Our state of health is a dynamic balance between mind, body and environment.
There are three mind-body types, or Doshas, described in Ayurveda. They consist of a particular balance of the five elements of space, air, fire, water and earth. We each have aspects of all three doshas, but one or two tend to be dominant.
The Vata dosha is associated with space and air elements. This dosha likes movement and change, is high energy and has a very active mind. People predominant in this dosha are usually thin and light and may have sensitive digestion.
The Pitta dosha is associated with fire and water. This dosha has the energy of transformation and can be fiery or intense. The body type is usually medium build and muscular. The mind is focused. Digestion is good.
The Kapha dosha is associated with water and earth. It has a protective, nourishing and stabilizing energy. The body type is a more sturdy, rounded build. The mind tends to be grounded, calm and content. Digestion tends to be slow.
You can easily find an online quiz to determine your dominant dosha type. My most dominant one is Pitta, followed by Kapha and lastly Vata. I would be considered a Pitta/Kapha combination.
When we have symptoms of disease, ayurveda describes this as a signal of imbalance in the mind-body physiology. For example, too much Vata is expressed as too much energy, restlessness, anxiety and food sensitivity. Too much Pita can be expressed as too much fire with inflammation in various places in the body, skin rashes and feelings of anger. Too much Kapha expresses as heaviness and sluggishness in both body and mind.
The health prescription of Ayurveda is related to bringing the doshas back into balance. For example, for excess Vata, establish regular routines and eat warm foods. For excess Pitta, do things in moderation. For excess Kapha, create movement in the mind and body.
There are daily balancing routines for each type related to sleep, meditation, nutrition, movement and so on. There are also tips for considering the colors in your home or work environment to support your dosha balance. For example, dominant Vata types might choose calming and warm colors like pale yellow, gold, brown or white. Pitta types might choose soothing and cooling blues and greens. Kapha types might choose vibrant and stimulating colors such as yellows, oranges and reds.
My description is a simplistic one to introduce the approach of ayurveda to the reader. A practitioner of ayurveda would provide a more detailed analysis. However, if you are curious now, try out an online quiz to determine your type. I would say that my profile is quite accurate for me. I can have a tendency to become sluggish and withdraw (excess kapha) unless I am intentional in activating my energy (pitta). My current practices seem to be serving me well at moving towards balance.
Although the basic recommendations for health and vitality include the familiar ones of sleep, meditation, movement, healthy emotions, nutrition and grounding that we have heard about before, the balance of these is unique to our individual type. Our state of health is a dynamic balance between mind, body and environment.
There are three mind-body types, or Doshas, described in Ayurveda. They consist of a particular balance of the five elements of space, air, fire, water and earth. We each have aspects of all three doshas, but one or two tend to be dominant.
The Vata dosha is associated with space and air elements. This dosha likes movement and change, is high energy and has a very active mind. People predominant in this dosha are usually thin and light and may have sensitive digestion.
The Pitta dosha is associated with fire and water. This dosha has the energy of transformation and can be fiery or intense. The body type is usually medium build and muscular. The mind is focused. Digestion is good.
The Kapha dosha is associated with water and earth. It has a protective, nourishing and stabilizing energy. The body type is a more sturdy, rounded build. The mind tends to be grounded, calm and content. Digestion tends to be slow.
You can easily find an online quiz to determine your dominant dosha type. My most dominant one is Pitta, followed by Kapha and lastly Vata. I would be considered a Pitta/Kapha combination.
When we have symptoms of disease, ayurveda describes this as a signal of imbalance in the mind-body physiology. For example, too much Vata is expressed as too much energy, restlessness, anxiety and food sensitivity. Too much Pita can be expressed as too much fire with inflammation in various places in the body, skin rashes and feelings of anger. Too much Kapha expresses as heaviness and sluggishness in both body and mind.
The health prescription of Ayurveda is related to bringing the doshas back into balance. For example, for excess Vata, establish regular routines and eat warm foods. For excess Pitta, do things in moderation. For excess Kapha, create movement in the mind and body.
There are daily balancing routines for each type related to sleep, meditation, nutrition, movement and so on. There are also tips for considering the colors in your home or work environment to support your dosha balance. For example, dominant Vata types might choose calming and warm colors like pale yellow, gold, brown or white. Pitta types might choose soothing and cooling blues and greens. Kapha types might choose vibrant and stimulating colors such as yellows, oranges and reds.
My description is a simplistic one to introduce the approach of ayurveda to the reader. A practitioner of ayurveda would provide a more detailed analysis. However, if you are curious now, try out an online quiz to determine your type. I would say that my profile is quite accurate for me. I can have a tendency to become sluggish and withdraw (excess kapha) unless I am intentional in activating my energy (pitta). My current practices seem to be serving me well at moving towards balance.
Comments
Post a Comment