Your Dosha Diet

On Thursday I mentioned that your Ayurvedic Dosha effects everything - including what you should be eating. Everyone knows that each individual has certain foods that don't settle well in their stomachs... and plenty of foods that we crave or are particularly averse to. What if you found out that all this was dictated by your primary dosha? Would you stick to some basic guidelines on how you should eat if it meant no more heartburn or diarrhea?

When I was a child I had intestinal distress of every kind - regularly. It was just part of being me. When speaking to my best friend of the last 20 years - he said he didn't remember much about our childhood, but that I threw up red stuff a lot. Everyone remembers that. It's true - I really should've quit ingesting things that were red. *shrug* Point is, that I eventually grew up and moved out and started buying my own groceries. I became a health nut and then I became a big time whole natural foods advocate - and these days my intestines are happy. They work just as they should with only a hyper-rare complaint about anything. All those years of distress could've been avoided by some simple dietary changes. I'm lactose intolerant so I buy lactose free milk and keep the cheese to a minimum. I don't eat processed food 90% of the time and it keeps me happy. 

One of the websites I've been pointing you to through this little Ayurvedic journey - WhatsYourDosha.com - has little charts that tell you the ideal diet for each dosha. When I saw mine - The Vata Diet - I was really amused because that's just how I eat now. Back in the day I didn't and it caused me grief. Turns out I've been listening to my body, eating right for my dosha, and my body has never functioned better for it.

The Vata Diet

The Pitta Diet

The Kapha Diet

Go check out your body's diet and see if it matches up with how you eat. If you still don't know your Dosha - Take the Quiz!

Like is Drawn to Like

By now you should know your Ayurvedic Dosha. If not, you can still Take the Quiz and find out.

How do you keep yourself balanced - or bring yourself back to balance if your dosha has become "deranged"? If you were to visit an Ayurvedic expert/physician they could give you specific daily rituals, such as abhyanga and tips to get you back to equanimity. What he would prescribe would be dependant on your dosha.

Whatevery your primary dosha, you are naturally drawn toward things with those same qualities. Vata people are drawn to light cool things - dry cool air (snowy mountain weather), tons of activity (partying perhaps), sky diving... Pitta people are drawn to hot fiery things - spicy food, the desert... Kapha people are drawn to more moist soft laidback things - comfort food, Seattle, quiet slow activites (scrabble)...

This being the case - just know that Like increases Like - so to be a pitta individual indulging in pitta things - you're increasing the levels of pitta in your body. This will eventually lead to too much pitta and you being out of balance if you're not careful. Therefore, to bring balance you would need to focus on more vata and kapha items to cool off and quiet some of the fire you're building. Maybe eat more salad and practice meditation to ease your fiery moods.

If your vata is gaining too much momentum - you need to focus on calm grounding things - kapha things. Warm foods, slower activity (again meditation or restorative yoga), a warm soggy climate. If excess Kapha is bringing you down - focus on more Vata qualities to give you a lift. Take up power yoga and move to Boulder, CO.

Like increases like, but opposites can keep you in check, so if you start feeling "off" then maybe this is something you could try.

The Three Doshas

Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word that literally translated means "science of life". It is India’s traditional, natural system of medicine that has been practiced for more than 5,000 years. This practice emphasizes prevention of disease, rejuvenation of our body systems, and extension of life span through finding a balance of the 3 basic energies of life known as the doshas.

The 3 doshas that make up everyone and everything are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. We each have all three of the doshas in our physiology, just in different proportions, so each individual's dosha is unique. Usually one is more dominant in your system than the other two - and this one is your primary dosha. Sometimes a person has a pretty even split of two doshas, and kinda rarely someone is evenly balanced out among all three. These people would have, for example, a primary dosha of Vata-Pitta, or be Tri-Doshic. As I mentioned yesterday, I am a strong Vata dosha individual.

Your primary dosha effects every single aspect of your being. Your body type, your energy, your moods, how you should eat - everything.

What are the differences between Vata, Pitta, and Kapha?

Vata: Ruled by Air & Ether

Vata enables the other two doshas to be expressive. The actions of Vata are drying, cooling, light, agitating, and moving. The Vata dosha controls all movement in the body, including breathing, digestion, and nerve impulses from the brain. When Vata is out of balance, anxiety and other nervous disorders may be present. Digestive problems, constipation, cramps, and even premenstrual pain usually are attributed to a Vata imbalance.

Vata-type people are generally thin, energetic, creative, and find it hard to gain weight. Vatas need to get sufficient rest and not overdo things, stay warm, and keep a regular lifestyle routine. The Vata attention span is flighty. Fall and Winter is the season of Vata.

Balancing Vata is important for everyone - when Vata is in balance, Pitta and Kapha are generally in balance as well.

Pitta: Ruled by Fire & Water
Pitta types are known for their strong digestion. Their heat makes them particularly thirsty, and they should take caution not to consume too much liquid during meals. We rely on Pitta to regulate our intake of food, water, and air. Any toxins, such as alcohol or tobacco, show up as a Pitta imbalance. Toxic emotions such as jealousy, intolerance, and hatred also should be avoided to keep Pitta in balance for optimum health.
 
Pitta-type people are generally of medium size and well proportioned with a medium amount of physical energy and stamina. Pitta people tend to be intelligent, sharp witted, have good focus and ambition - but can be demanding and abrasive. Pitta types can go out of balance with overexposure to the sun. Perhaps that is why their eyes are sensitive to light. Summer is the season of Pitta.

Kapha: Ruled by Water & Earth
Kapha dosha controls the moist tissues of the body, so a Kapha imbalance may show up as a cold, allergies, or asthma. Cold and wet weather aggravates Kapha. They should not dwell in the past or resist change. They need lots of exercise and need to be careful not to overeat. Kaphas need stimulation to bring out their vitality. Kapha dosha teaches us steadiness and a sense of well-being. Spring is the season of Kapha.

Kapha-type people tend to have sturdy, heavy frames, providing a good reserve of physical strength and stamina. This strength gives Kaphas a natural resistance to disease and a generally positive outlook about life. Kapha types tend to be slow eaters with slow digestion. They also speak slowly. They are calm and affectionate but, when out of balance, can become stubborn and lazy. They learn slowly, with a methodical approach, but also retain information well with a good understanding of it.

You may have recognized yourself in one of these descriptions, but you can
Go Take This Quiz to find out your personal Dosha. Tell me your dosha in the comments.

More Ayurvedic Basics tomorrow - including the concept of Like increasing Like and How to Seek Balance for your Dosha.

Sources for 90% of the info/words on this post:
www.whatsyourdosha.com
http://www.holisticonline.com/ayurveda/ayv_home.htm

Ayurvedic Education

Way back in September I wrote about Changing with the Seasons and it turns out that all my winter lifestyle changes are pretty sound Ayurvedic advice.

"Ayurveda is an ancient art of healing has been practiced continuously for over 5,000 years. The principles of many natural healing systems now familiar in the West, such as Homeopathy and Polarity Therapy, have their roots in Ayurveda. Ayurvedic practices restore the balance and harmony of the individual, resulting in self-healing, good health and longevity." - Ayurveda.com

I've been aware of Ayurveda for a long time, and I had a whole section of Ayurvedic education during my teacher training, but it's not something I really maintain a good working knowledge of. I'm going to try, today, to do some research and fill you in on what I find (the rest of the week). I'm really into Ayurveda lately as Fall/Winter is the season of Vata (one of the 3 basic energies of life).

Vata is my primary dosha - I also have a slight bit of Pitta going on, and it seems that Kapha almost doesn't exist in me. Vata is also one of the easiest things to throw off balance which brings dry skin, nervousness, anxiety, and even mental illness. When everything is in balance Vata brings creativity and a laissez faire attitude.

Starting today I'm going to try a routine of abhyanga every morning. I read about it in Yoga Journal and it sounds perfect for me. It's basically a little self massage with warm oil that you do each morning before you shower. Check out the How To - Here. I've got my organic sesame oil and I'm ready to give it a shot.

During winter everyone needs to focus more on grounding, warming, soothing, and resting - hence the brilliance of my winter hibernation mode and the moist warmth of the warm oil massage. I'm going to try a restorative or Yin yoga practice today also. I've been feeling really "off" lately even before I got sick, so I'm hoping I can start to harness some kapha vibes to balance out against all the vata swirling about in the form of cold, wind, and dryness.

I promise I'll  go into some real information about the Three Doshas and Ayurveda tomorrow - like what are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha??

PS:  There's a Huge Giveaway going on over at Biscuit with thirty prizes from thirty different sponsors. Go Enter!