Last Saturday, I took an amazing Ayurvedic Yoga Practice with one of my best friends, at one of my fave CLT Studios, Enlighten Yoga, and with the yoga love of my life, Amani Murray. The intention of the practice was to do some “Spring Cleaning” – mind, body & spirit – as we transistion into this beautiful Season of New Beginnings. The class was just over 2 hours, consisting of a discussion on What Is Ayurveda? + distinguishing between the 3 doshas, Vata, Pitta & Kapha, followed by a detoxing yoga flow.
I left the practice in a yoga stupor that happily lingered about the rest of the day and led to an incredible nights sleep. Ahhh… #yogalove
Just in case you are completely foreign to the study of Ayurveda, here are a few tidbits about this beautiful system…
Ayurveda = The Science of Life
(Ayur = Life / Veda = Science and/or Knowledge)
Essentially, Ayurveda is about really tuning into your natural born constitution, prakriti, aiming to live in a balanced state – body, mind & spirit – with your environment & the seasons based upon your doshas.
3 Dosha’s & Their Elements:
– Vata: Wind (Space & Air) / Movement
– Pitta: Fire & Water / Transformation
– Kapha: Water & Earth / Lubricatio
Over the last 3 years, thru yoga + simply coming into my own, I have become incredibly in tune with my body, how I feel with each season, my emotions, thoughts (controlling those thoughts), how certain foods effect me, physically & emotionally, and what types of movement feel best, etc…
Ayurvedically speaking, (I may have just made that word up..lol ) listening to your body & figuring out your dosha(s) is super helpful in learning what really makes you tick. It is the difference between living in a happy, balanced state vs. feeling frazzled, unhealthy & imbalanced.
– You are thriving rather than merely surviving –
We all have qualities of all 3 dosha’s but you’ll find that 1 or 2 will be more dominant than the 3rd. There are several little quiz’s that you can take online to figure out which one’s ring most true to you & your constitution by simply answering a number of questions. (Just Google “Dosha Quiz”)
A few characteristics associated with each dosha:
Vata.
Physical: either very tall or very short, naturally thin, non-muscular, dry skin & hair, curly/course hair
Mental: spacey, worry/fearful, anxiety. Artistic & creative, restless mind, tends to over analyze.
Pitta.
Physical: Strong, medium build, strong digestion & appetite. sweats a lot. When out of balance, prone to skin redness & rashes, insomnia.
Mental: Type A, strong willed, assertive, confident & competitive. When out of balance, can become angry & irritated.
Kapha.
Physical: Large frame, tend to be overweight, don’t really enjoy working out + sluggish digestion. Tend to have congestion, sinus headaches, asthma & allergies. Soft hair & skin.
Mental: very calm & easy going, sensitive/emotional, loving & affectionate, prone to depression.
Once you know your doshas, you should aim towards following a diet & lifestyle routine that promotes your well being & natural constitution.
There is SO much information out there on Ayurveda & the Dosha’s, what I’ve shared here is just a teeny tiny bit of this fascinating system. If your anything like me, and have an interest in Ayurveda, your going to Google your face off, read, take a dosha quiz or two, learn as much as you can and apply it to your life. I hope you’ve found this little post to be enlightening. xx
Much Love,
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