There are many misconceptions about Ayurveda on google. I have heard people describe people’s personal constitution, your “Prakruti” as one’s “Dosha.” However, Dosha refers to a combination of two elements in the five element theory that is found in all of material life.
Your doshic make-up, your prakruti, is determined by your metabolic reactions to various stimuli. For instance, some dosha types are more prone to digestive issues, challenging personality traits and sleep deprivation. There’s a long list of possibilities and there are seven prakruti types.
Quite a few of my dear friends’ Prakruti are predominantly “Vata” dosha. I hesitate to list too many traits here, as it’s important to do a proper test to fully understand one’s dosha. Plus we are each unique.
Having said that, Vata dosha is characterized by a very changeable, movement-oriented type of constitution. Generally, Vata types are very creative, fun, and joyful with excellent problem solving skills. However, they are also prone to anxiety, over-thinking, rapid fluctuations in their energy, insomnia, and digestive difficulty.
Knowing your personal constitution allows you to make easy changes in your daily life that promote the opposing elements for health and balance. In this way, Knowledge is power.
One of the best things for a Vata dosha person to do when they are feeling out of balance is a slower yoga practice. Either a Hatha class with long holds, or a restorative or yin practice. This really helps to ground their air and space elements.
This doesn’t mean that they cannot do what we might characterize as a “faster” or vinyasa practice. It means, though, that a Vata predominant constitution may feel better with a power class over a fast moving flow class.
But we don’t always want what we need
More than any other dosha, Vata dosha will benefit by having a regular routine of yoga.
Even a simple 5-minute at home practice 3 times/week of lying on a bolster with their eyes closed will bring calm and balance to their fluctuating mind.
This is only one of the many tips that we will talk about in my upcoming Ayurveda Course.
Let’s bust the myths about this ancient, holistic form of natural medicine.
