Vata Power!

So as I said last time, I am big into Ayurveda-- something that usually makes people scratch their head and ask "what the hell is that?"

Ayurveda is a traditional, natural healing system from ancient India. Everyone is made up of three different doshas (energy)-- vata, pitta, and kapha-- but in most people, one or two of these predominate. For example: vata is the energy of mobility, and is associated with things cold, dry, and light. As a predominantly vata person, I am very easily bothered by cold, windy weather, I often have problems with a dry throat/skin, and my natural reaction to stress is to get anxious and shaky.

Once you've determined which dosha you fall under, there are several guidelines that it's recommended you follow to keep yourself healthy and content. The overarching idea of all Ayurvedic treatments is that like increases like, so, naturally, the best way to take care of something is to do or create the opposite condition. Travis, who is mostly a pitta constitution, has a hard time in the summer because internal heat is one of the main aspects of pitta. Meanwhile, I think it's cold if the temperature is below 80 degrees. :p So, when the weather is the way it has been, cold and snowy and windy and gross, I have to do my best to stay warm, comfortable, and hydrated. Bundling up in warm clothes is obviously one easy way. I've also been doing an oil massage before showering, which is recommended for everyone but especially vatas, for improving circulation, inducing a sense of calm, and hydrating the skin. Diet is also important, with vatas needing an emphasis on warm, cooked foods, like whole grains and thick soups.

You may be sitting there thinking I've gone off the deep end (too late for that, I jumped off a long time ago :p), but if you think about it, Ayurveda's approach to maintaining health is all common sense. And I've noticed that when I fall off the wagon, I definitely notice a difference in how I'm feeling.

Yesterday was a good example. I had my usual breakfast of coffee and a whole wheat bagel with Nutella and peanut butter. This isn't the most vata-settling meal (caffeine is a big no-no), but routine is very important to my dosha and guess what-- this is my usual morning-when-I'm-not-working routine. So I had that and then I wasn't very hungry again before I went to work, so I didn't have a real lunch. At work, I snacked on almonds (good for vata) and dried veggies (dried anything is very bad) and then later Chex Mix (also dry/rough, also bad) and a Cadbury Creme Egg (chocolate is fine in small amounts). I was fine until about 7:30, and then I started to get shaky, weak and slightly nauseous-- like I was having a hypoglycemic moment. I ate a bunch more Chex Mix just in case, and I felt better enough to get through the rest of the night but still not great. When I got home, I quickly had a very good snack for my constitution, an apple chopped up and heated with ghee, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a few cardamom seeds. To say that I felt better almost instantly is not an understatement. I definitely think I overtaxed my system by eating so much light, dry, rough food and what body was like "wtf?" Today I made an effort to eat a little bit more dosha-friendly, and I've felt fine all day.

I'm hoping to deepen my practice of Ayurveda this year, because I really believe it's worthwhile and helpful on my path to "getting better." There's so much more I could get into, but I don't want to bore you all to tears and that's enough for tonight.

If you'd like to see an example of a dosha quiz, click here. I recommend taking several different tests as well as reading descriptions of the 3 types before deciding what you fall under.

(<>,,<>)