What is Your Dosha? Part 1: Vata
Multiple Ayurveda-related sources offer free questionnaires to find out your Dosha: just a few of these sources are Yoga International and Deepak Chopra’s The Chopra Center.
To know how to balance your dosha, one must be familiar with their characteristic and guiding principles. In this series of posts, we’ll address one by one how to best balance your dosha – the first being Vata.
In their finest state, Vatas are artistic, communicative, and flexible, and they like taking initiative. However, when out of balance, dominated by the Wind element, Vata tends to be “dry” (e.g., including dry skin and dry hands) and cold, as well as suffer from a restless mind, bouts of sudden fatigue, and digestion issues. How does a Vata type cope with these issues?
GET GOOD QUALITY SLEEP
Sleep has been recognized as part of our routine that simply cannot be brushed off. It is our time to restore our body tissues, process memories and new knowledge, and even deal with emotional trauma. For the Vata types among us, it is especially important to replenish the energy that keeps them going.Try your best to keep your sleep hours early and consistent, as well as “unplug” from electronics and bright lights at least one hour before bed time.
Prominent entrepreneurs and social influencers such as Arianna Huffington, who authored the book “The Sleep Revolution”, and Shawn Stevenson in “Sleep Smarter”, address the obstacles that stand in between us and good sleep, the importance of sleep
MEDITATE THE STRESS AWAY
An ancient Indian yogic practice that goes hand in hand with Ayurveda is mediation. Its benefits have been proven in multiple clinical studies, with the benefits including a calmer mind, better sleep, and improved ability to focus and make decisions. This will help the Vata in you ease your mind and deal with the daily stresses more calmly.If you’re not sure where to begin – there are many tools, including YouTube videos and smart phone apps, such as Headspace, that offer free introductory courses of guided meditations that will help you get started on this practice.
STAY WARM
Because Vatas have a tendency to be cold, it is important to stimulate their body heat from inside and out. For ingestion, this applies for both eating foods that are cooked and warm in temperature, which will also ease the digestion, as well as foods that are warming by Ayurvedic quality, such as ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon. Try making these spices a part of your daily intake, whether in food or mixing them in your drink.Remember that the same rule applies to your body as well. Turmeric, which is the main ingredient in the all natural Ubtan Turmeric Face Mask, can be applied all over your body to stimulate blood flow, while also bringing anti-inflammatory benefits. To finish your routine and unwind, take a warm bath or shower with the Reshma Beauty® Turmeric Soap to help soothe your mind and prepare you for sleep.
TREAT YOUR BODY TO A MASSAGE
Ayurveda commonly practices several forms of massage to achieve different effects. For Vata, the end goal is to ease the mind and calm the energy.
One such massage is Shirodhara: a practice in which the therapist pours a warm natural oil over the patient’s head for 30-60 minutes. This helps induce a deep relaxation and helps improve stability.
Another massage technique you can try either with a professional, or at home is Abhyanga. The important element of this massage is using a lot of oil to warm the body, lubricate the joints and increase blood circulation. Vatas will benefit from warming oils such as Cinnamon, contained in the Reshma Beauty® Oil for Normal Hair and Skin, or Cedar wood and Tea Tree Oils, which can are the key ingredients in the Oil for Dry Hair & Skin.
These are the tips that will help Vatas lead their healthiest, most creative and productive lives.
Next week we’ll address the other two dosha: Pitta and Kapha.