Today, I set out to complete some homework from my last YTT module. There were some case studies that incorporated peoples doshas into their treatment plan so I did some investigating to find out more about them. It isn’t the first time I have been curious about this aspect of Ayurvedic Medicine- one of my most favourite teachers often mentions their affect on us during yoga class.
Ayurveda: life science (a well established health care system)
- 5 elements (earth, water, fire, air, space)
Doshas: subtle energy that combines and balances the elements
- Vata (air & space- movement)
- Pitta (fire & water- metabolism)
- Kapha (water & earth- lubrication and glue)
I took a quiz and read a few blogs to find out the qualities of each dosha; Vata, Pitta and Kapha. I ended up settling on being a combination of Pitta/Vata. I am more Pitta than Vata but there are Vata characteristics that I strongly associate with. Kapha and I only had a few connections. I was very intrigued at this point! I couldn’t wait to read more about my combination and discover how to balance myself.
Here is a list things I’ve decided to focus on this Autumn for my Pitta/Vata combination:
- Eat cool foods for the first part of Autumn then introduce warmer as the weather (pacifiy the hot/cold characteristic of Pitta/Vata)
- Indulge in some sweet tastes (good for calming)
- Slow down, self-nurture (to foster balance)
- Take an ‘earth’ centred approach to my yoga practice (forward folds, standing postures, twists, restorative practice)
- Alternate nostril breathing (to calm)
(information sourced from Banyan Botanicals, MindBodyGreen, Yoga Travel Tree, Danielle Bertoia)
Until next time!
Ciao,
Vanessa
vwyoga 