Ayurveda Basics: Discover Your Specific Needs

Posted byLisa at Micro of the MacroPosted inHealth & Well-Being, Psychological HealthTags:, , , , , , ,

Ayurveda (from the Sanskrit Ayur, meaning life, and Veda, meaning science or knowledge) is a healing system that dates back 3000 years. This ancient system is rooted in the idea that a healthy balance between mind, body, spirit, and environment creates an optimal state, giving us the opportunity for our best possible lives.  (And it was the inspiration for naming this blog Micro of the Macro. See my About page for a little more on that.)  The three doshas, or energy types at the heart of Ayurveda, govern the seasons, the days, and our lives, right down to the specifics of what’s beneficial for us to eat or avoid, our best possible work environment, and the climate that most suits us.  Knowing your primary dosha(s), or constitutional type, can guide your decision-making in creating a healthier, happier life.

The three doshas of Kapha, Pitta, and Vata are present in all of us from birth, but typically, one or two are dominant.  From Dr. Gabriel Cousens’ book Conscious Eating, A person’s constitutional type predetermines which doshas tend to become imbalanced more easily than others.  When in balance, there is a healthy psychophysiological state.  If the doshas are unbalanced, one may feel a disharmony in the body-mind.  If chronically imbalanced, disease may result. 

Kapha governs our earthy and watery attributes, and is associated with stored energy, heaviness, strength, stability, growth, and bodily fluids.  Some qualities of Kapha include a heavy bone structure, a slow, graceful gait, large eyes, thick hair, a preference for staying home, and a calm demeanor.  Their stress tolerance is high, and sleep comes easily. Those who are predominantly Kapha tend to gain weight easily and may struggle to lose it. They have a tendency toward colds and flus. Imbalances may occur if they become sedentary; eat a lot of sweets, fried foods, or dairy products; avoid emotional expression or creativity; or live in a humid, cold climate.

Pitta controls the element of fire in our bodies, along with a smidgen of our watery aspect.  This dosha is associated with balance, passion, intensity, and digestion.  A few Pitta qualities include an athletic build, a brisk gait, light-sensitive eyes, & fine hair; being organized, pragmatic, & competitive; and having a desire to travel and explore. If Pitta is your dominant dosha, your may have a medium tolerance for stress and fall into short but sound sleep.  Maintaining a normal weight may come easier to you.  You might find that inflammation is a common occurrence.  Imbalances can occur as a result of a stressful, competitive job; bullying others; associating with argumentative people; or consuming too many spicy or sour foods, red meats, or too much caffeine.  A hot, dry climate can also adversely affect Pittas.

Vata governs our ether and air elements, and is associated with change, movement, lightness, and creativity.  Qualities of a Vata-dominant person include a thin build, a fast, irregular gait, small eyes, dry & curly hair, and being impulsive, quick-witted, and talkative.  Vatas have a tendency to wander, both externally and internally, which contributes to their creativity.  They have a low stress tolerance and expend energy quickly.  Their sleep may be elusive. They may have a hard time gaining weight. They tend toward diseases involving the nervous system as well as joint problems.  Imbalances present themselves most when Vatas are in chaotic environments, are excessively physical, suppress feelings, engage in worry, eat lots of cold, dry foods, or don’t get enough rest.  A windy, cold environment does not work well for one who is Vata-dominant.

By these very brief descriptions, you can see that increasing an already-dominant quality in any form can result in imbalance.  For example, I am primarily Pitta, and adding an additional fiery component to my life isn’t often beneficial.  In past years, I held high-stress jobs in toxic environments that affected me in ways resulting in poor food choices, excessive drinking, and overspending. I don’t often get angry, but when I do, my blood seems to boil, so quickly talking myself down is a skill I’ve had to acquire. Long, hot baths are no longer an indulgence due to a tendency to overheat.  And the intense sun and low humidity of the Desert Southwest create a need for me to be hypervigilant with hydration & shade seeking, otherwise I can suffer from a splitting headache for hours. 

To learn your dominant doshas, you can take a quiz on this site.   I would love to hear any feedback you have.  There is so much more to the science of Ayurveda, and I will no doubt be sharing more in future posts.  In fact, I’m currently reading Cate Stillman’s book Body Thrive: Uplevel Your Body & Your Life with 10 Habits from Ayurveda and Yoga.  The author offers suggestions on simple, sensible lifestyle changes that prompt a deeper connection with life.

Finding balance between your mind, body, spirit, and environment can help you select the foods, work, and climate that best suit your specific needs. Determining your dosha type can assist you in making better decisions of all kinds, resulting in a healthier, happier you.

Ayurvedic Blessings,

Lisa

The content of this article is for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with a qualified health care professional before acting on any information presented herein. Any statements about the possible health benefits of any subject discussed have not been evaluated by medical professionals or the Food & Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or illness.

63 thoughts on “Ayurveda Basics: Discover Your Specific Needs”

  1. Hi Lisa, Thanks for sharing this. Ayurveda practices have made such a difference in my life. I went to a practitioner awhile back and we made some lifestyle changes that really helped me. Thanks again for the helpful information!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  2. Will have to take the assessment quiz, but per the descriptions I would have to put myself primarily in the Pitta class as well based on my hyper competitive and OCD traits – luckily my spice tolerance tops out at level ketchup so good on that front! Interesting read.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Hi, Brian, thanks for reading. Owing to your physical build & Halloween creativity, I’d say that you have some Vata, too! The quiz is interesting, because it has questions that address aspects of learning, personality, bodily functions, etc. Getting to know ourselves through new eyes is always interesting. Have a great weekend! 🌞

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. I can see that, although when I finally hung up the gi after years and years of honing my fighting skills, I decided to drop 30 pounds of solid muscle because I didn’t want to carry it on the hilly trails in my replacement sport – definitely pegged me on the bad sleep and my joints remind me daily of what they’ve endure to this point.

        Liked by 2 people

  4. Pingback: ReBlogging ‘Ayurveda Basics: Discover Your Specific Needs’ – Link Below | Relationship Insights by Yernasia Quorelios

  5. As I imagine most are, I’m not one specific type but I do know that your photos lowered my stress level greatly. 🙂 Running low on balsamic so contemplating a drive up your way but with taking care of Mom and Dad, I’m not sure when/if that will happen, at least for a time. Have a wonderful weekend.

    janet

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Ahhhh, I’m happy you enjoyed the photos, Janet! As for the vinegar, you can shop online at olivethebest.com, and they offer free shipping when you spend $39.00. When we were staying back East more than here, we’d have several bottles shipped at a time. Hope your weather is nice this weekend. 🌞

      Like

      Reply

      1. Unfortunately I think having it shipped is the best option even though I’d like to pick it up in person…and have a nice day trip as well. 😉. We’re going to have a warm weekend, upper 89’s for the high, quite different from Flag!

        Liked by 1 person

  9. I discovered Ayurveda during yoga teacher training a few years ago. I am Pitta/Pitta! Incorporating some of those practices into my life, particularly the morning practice has been very helpful. When I am in balance, I eat for the season and have gotten to where I enjoy visiting old favorite seasonal recipes. Somethings I have to do the best I can with a modern, working full time life. The one thing I can’t give up is my morning smoothies, so I make warm ones with seasonally appropriate fruit/veg/spices for Vata and Kapha seasons.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Hi, Sarah, thanks for sharing your story. I’ll bet we have a lot in common, Pitta/Pitta! I’m gonna have to try warm smoothies, as I’m a bit of an addict, too. I just function better when I have all those nutrients at the beginning of the day. Have a great week! 🌞

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    2. Unfortunately I am Kapha but I have not always been like that. For half of my life I was very active, I did a lot of things, I had a lot of creativity and energy. After that I don’t know what happened but I had a decrease in everything and health problems too. So I don’t know the reason for this change. However I had read something about Ayurveda and now what you have written is very useful. I am opening all your links and I will delve into all the topics, print them and read carefully. You write a lot of very important things. Congratulations. 🌸🌼🌺🌳🌲🌿🌞

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. What an awesome post, Lisa. When I first started seeing my teacher 4 years ago, we first worked on my diet, then physicality, then, emotions; and, in fact, each feed off the other, so they were also worked simulataneously. It is so important to understand our body mind make up; and, to understand it as it iterates over time. This post is full of wise and helpful information. Thank you for sharing it with us today. 🦋🙏

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  12. This all seems very interesting. From reading your post I feel like I most align with Pitta. The book you mentioned isn’t available at my library but I found two different ones on Ayurveda. I’m excited to learn more. It’s good to hear that you’ll be posting more on the topic! I look forward to those posts. Thanks!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  13. Interesting post. I took the quiz and the results were Vata Pitta Kapha, I never would have known about this if you had not posted this article. I am going to do more research out to find out more. As always, you post articles that will help all of us find out what we need to know. Thank you for sharing. Have a blessed week.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  16. You did a great job sharing all of this Lisa as it can be daunting for people to get.
    True story and actually in my YTT. The the teacher said to one of our students “you are a Kapha and she had always been self conscious of being larger and burst into tears. I totally got is and stayed with her to comfort her. The teacher (male) could not understand and had no malintent bu as a woman it is a very sensitive subject. Thanks and great post 💖

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  17. Thank you for sharing this interesting post, Lisa. Here a lot of people depend on our ancient ayurvedic treatment and that brings a great amount of health benefits. We definitely can detect vata, Pita, kapha imbalances and cure it by Ayurvedic treatment. 💜

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

      1. I believe in Ayurvedic treatment.
        We have full faith in this system. It takes time but result is very good. With Ayurveda, i do pranayama regularly.
        It keeps health in optimum condition.
        Thanks for sharing your post on Ayurveda.
        Regards 🙏🙏

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Thank you so much for the reply. Pranayama is very useful along with Yoga[ Meditation]
        I am lucky to have you here in blogging world. Gaining knowledge in this world of bloggers.
        Best regards.🙏😊

        Like

  20. Glad to come upon this as I’ve recently taken an interest in Ayurveda. I like how you broke this down for beginners. It’s easy to understand. That’s true brilliance, when you’re able to make something complicated simple. Thanks for this post! Really really really enjoyed this one!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  21. Pingback: 5 Tips for Eating Based on the Science of Life – Micro of the Macro

  22. Another important post on health in the perspective of Ayurveda, the ancient method. This method is in practice in many countries. In India, there are Institutes, where degree courses and above are there.
    Very important post ☺️
    Regards 😊🙏🙏

    Like

    Reply
  23. Pingback: Can the 6 Tastes Improve Your Health? – Micro of the Macro
  24. Pingback: Adieu, Covid Weight – Micro of the Macro
  25. Pingback: Aspects of Autumn – Micro of the Macro

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this: