Ayurveda Day 97: Highest Forms of Healing for Vata, Pitta, and Kapha

Today I would like to talk about ways to heal the doshic imbalances within us. In this blog I focus on certain fundamental tools we can use to help us balance the doshas:

– proper diet

– herbal remedies

– following eating guidelines

– pranayama

– meditation

– daily practices

Doing these things are great ways to reduce symptoms, maintain health, and prevent further doshic imbalance.

However, these aren’t really speaking to the fundamental cause of disease.

There are three main causes of disease:

– misusing our senses

– making poor choices

– decay due to time and motion

Underlying all of this is one fundamental cause to disease that causes us to go out of balance in these three areas in the first place: forgetting our true nature: as one, as spirit, as god, connected to all of existence…whatever you want to call it. It basically means surrendering the ego (that which makes us feel separate from everything else).

Each of us can develop certain imbalances regardless of our constitution – this is known as vikruti. It basically means that if I eat a lot of hot, spicy foods and am constantly bitter and angry about everything, I will have high pitta. This is unavoidable, even if I have a lot kapha in my inherent constitution. We are not immune to the effects of the doshas.

But our constitution, known as our prakruti, lays the way for our tendencies to show up. If I have a lot of vata in my prakruti, I will be more likely to lean towards talking quickly, being enthusiastic, have poor circulation, etc. I will tend towards vata in my life.

It is important to remember however that we are all three doshas. And having balanced health does not mean having equal parts of vata, pitta, and kapha, all at 33.3%. Within each dosha, there are healthy aspects and unhealthy aspects.

For example:

Pitta types are prone to anger, but make great leaders.

Vata types are prone to anxiety, but are great visionaries.

Kapha types are prone to stagnation, but are extremely supportive.

Balance within each dosha is about understanding which traits are moving us towards health and focusing on those. It’s about using the dosha as a tool rather than it using us. But if we do actions in life mindlessly, we will always lean towards the unhealthy aspects.

For vata, pitta, and kapha, there is one fundamental practice that each can do. When I list these, you will immediately resonate with one more than the others. This is a sign of your largest internal struggle, and what you need to focus on. Ultimately, we need to do all three of these practices. But focusing on that one will tend to balance the others as well.

Vata

Vata types experience a lot of fear, worry, and anxiety in life. They fantasize about the future and dwell on the past. They have a hard time believing that things will be okay.

The highest healing practice for a vata is to cultivate faith. Faith that everything is alright, that nothing is wrong. Faith that everything they require is in the present moment. Just unwavering faith. Faith is the cure for fear. Have faith my vata friends!

Pitta

Pitta types experience much anger. A pitta sees everything as a problem that they can fix. You will often be able to pinpoint a pitta based on their speech: “If everyone just did ______, then we wouldn’t have this problem!”. They see clearly all the problems and all the solutions – it makes no sense to a pitta how others can’t see what they see.

The highest healing practice for a pitta is to practice non-judgment. The truth is, that there is no problem. Practice non-judgment. Accept that things are perfect the way they are!

Kapha

Kapha types get attached to things so easily. They have a hard time letting go. A kapha is the kind of person that will be in a burning room and when they see it catch fire will say “it’s not so bad”. Then the fire will engulf the walls and the ceiling and they will say “it’s getting hotter in here”. Finally, when the chair they are sitting on is on fire, they will finally say “Maybe it’s time to leave!” Kapha types stagnate due to their attachment to things. It takes them a long time to change.

The highest healing practice for a kapha is to strive for non-attachment. This doesn’t mean detachment. Detachment implies they are already attached! By then, it will take a lot for them to detach! A kapha must not become attached in the first place, accepting that change is natural and holding onto things won’t make them any better. A womb is a great example – it provides everything for the baby to grow and thrive. But at some point, the baby must leave the womb, or it will become a tomb. So practice non-attachment!

The truth behind these practices: to have faith for vata, to practice non-judgment for pitta, and to practice non-attachment for kapha, is that having that inner dialogue connects us more with our higher self. It sheds the skin of the ego that seeks to be more separate in it’s own vata, pitta, and kapha ways. This train of thought of faith, non-judgment, and non-attachment heals us at our fundamental and spiritual layer.

Whenever a vata feels afraid, rather than continue down that spiral, they learn to say “have faith.” Now they won’t in fear grab the foods that will imbalance them, forget to do their daily practices, etc.

Whenever a pitta feels critical, judgmental, they instead say to themselves “practice non-judgment. There is no problem.” Now they will have a much clearer picture and can make better choices for their health.

Whenever a kapha feels too attached and stagnates, they instead must remind themselves “practice non-attachment”. As they have fewer things they are attached to, they will feel the freedom to move and end the stagnation. They will be able to change and become healthy.

Studies have shown that stressed people tend to make poor choices for their health – they grab the donut instead of the veggies from the veggie tray. Changing our inner dialogue trains us so that when we become stressed, we are overriding the ego’s programming and reprogramming a pathway to our higher self.

Have faith. Practice non-judgment and non-attachment.
With gratitude,

S

Ayurveda Day 96: The Cycle of Stress

So this blog is super late. Normally I write after every class. You’ve probably noticed this schedule has been slowly getting away from me.

I’ve had midterms to study for and I have admittedly not felt motivated to do much of anything. I just wrote the midterm today, and though I can’t talk about it much (people still need to write theirs), I can say there was an awful amount of information to memorize. I’ve spent weeks studying and countless hours memorizing the same flash cards over and over again.

Sometimes in life we have things that throw us curve balls. In Ayurveda, we talk about regular routines and their importance – doing abyhanga, neti, nasya…having a daily meditation practice…doing pranayama…eating at regular times and following the food guidelines. It can be a lot to manage sometimes and it does take discipline to do all of these everyday. I am FAR FAR FAR FAR FAR from perfect. The only difference between an Ayurvedic Practitioner and others is that we just are aware of the path – we know what it takes to be healthy. Doesn’t mean it’s any easier for us!

So I was living a somewhat decent life, taking care of my health. But this midterm had me stressed out. Things started to fall to the wayside. My daily practices stopped. I ran out of groceries and still haven’t bought any two weeks later. I’ve been eating out more as a result, and that always leads to unhealthy choices. I’ve been staying up late studying, and sleeping in. I’ve let a whole bunch of things just domino out of control and it all has just caused one thing:

Stress.

It’s cyclical. It causes itself! I was stressed about the midterm, so I started to lose sight of that which reduces my stress, making me more stressed, and so on. What an unfortunate cycle.

But the reality is, life does throw you anomalies like this. Even though I knew the midterm was coming and could’ve prepared myself better in my life to stay healthy, I didn’t. It was just all too much and I couldn’t stand to add one more thing to my load. Something had to give. Unfortunately, that thing was all my daily routines.

After I finished my midterm I vented a bit about my stress to my girlfriend. I then came home and took my dog, Indy, for a walk. I suddenly completely changed my mood. I was happy and excited to go out with her and she was excited to. I was talking to her playfully and we went to the park to play with other dogs, to the river for a swim, and came back (she’s popped now and lazing in the sun on the patio). Why the sudden change in demeanor?

As soon as the midterm was over, I felt a huge burden lifted from me. I felt like now I had the capacity again to get back to normal. But this is a dangerous loop to be in. What can I learn from this?

I have finals and a research paper in a few months to “stress” about. But if I take a lesson from this and get my affairs in order with plenty of time to spare – go shopping, prepare meals, continue my daily practices, etc. – then I can set myself up for success.

It may seem like it’s okay to just “suck it up” and deal with the stress and chaos for a time. After all, it’s temporary and fleeting. But while you “suck it up”, you’re actually being sucked dry of ojas, and lowering your immunity. It’s not worth it.

The lesson here is that during stressful times, the correct response isn’t to reduce your energy – it’s to actually increase it. Raise your willpower and put it into that which will refuel you. Otherwise, the stress just controls you and you’ll be a slave to it again the next time something comes along that just makes you throw up your hands and quit.

But man am I glad those midterms are over!

With gratitude,
S

Ayurveda Day 95: No-thingness

I want you to think for a moment about when you were a kid. As a child, I’m sure you had something you were very possessive of. Maybe it was a stuffed animal, a blanket. Perhaps it was a toy, or a book. Now think back to a time when someone asked you to share that item.

Just imagine, as a child, having something mean the world to you, and you’re just happily enjoying it. Then another kid comes along, maybe even someone you don’t know all that well or whom you aren’t good friends with, and they want what you have.

How does your little child self react? Of course you would say “no!”

But then an adult comes along and explains to you about sharing, and how you need to let the other kid use what you have. You hate this idea. But eventually, the adult will force you to go along with it, no matter how much you kick and scream.

How stressful is this for a child? See to an adult, we just see something simple:

– Child has thing, and is fortunate to have that thing

– Other child does not have thing

– Children should share, because sharing is caring (or some other such idiom that dictates our values that we don’t really think about)

Now imagine this scenario:

You are you, as an adult. You have something you are very possessive of. Perhaps it is your home, or your car. Maybe it’s your dog, or your child. Could even be your big screen television or collection of stamps. Then another adult comes along asking to borrow that item. You may not even really know this person all that well.

Tell me, how would you react?

Most of us would not even for a moment lend out something we were that attached to so easily. We may even laugh or scoff at the person for thinking they were entitled to what’s ours!

But this is what we expect of kids.

When I was a childcare worker, we had a rule at our centre: No toys from home.

Seems a little harsh, but the reasons for this were many:

– If the toy was damaged or broken, we were liable to replace it. As a non-profit, we couldn’t afford that

– When someone brings something from home, it creates a power imbalance. One kid has something, another does not. Perhaps one child can’t afford the item, or the parents will never let the kid use that item. It makes for some really tough situations where kids self-esteems are at play.

– Anytime there were items kids really wanted to bring in, I would go out of my way to make sure we could have them at the centre, for all kids to use. This way it was something that belonged to the centre and was equal.

When I worked with kids, I didn’t realize however, that for the kids that are forced to share items, it is like asking them to give up their car, or their television, or their home, to someone else they may not even like.  It’s hypocritical of us as adults to teach kids to “share” when we have almost zero intention of doing so.

Attachments are a powerful thing. Imagine the sorrow a child will feel when a balloon they are holding gets caught in the wind. The child loses their grip and it flies away, forever. This same level of attachment doesn’t leave us when we reach adulthood – we just get bigger things to be attached to. Things that we feel are fundamental to our identity, our whole existence.

For the child with the balloon, they will get over it. Rather quickly even. But for the adult – losing the home, or the car, or whatever – their whole life is in upheaval.

Stress is caused primarily by our attachment to things in life. And although it is a perfectly human thing to be attached, we also have this innate desire to teach our children not to be so attached, and to share. To share even that which they are most attached to!

I wonder what the world would look like if humans did share their homes, their cars, and all that which they possess that is dearest to them?

What would the world look like if we weren’t so attached to things?

This is the nature of No-thingness.

With gratitude,

S