Yes, it’s hot outside, but there are things you can do to beat the heat, and you can use food as medicine to do it!
Ever heard of Ayurveda? Ayurveda (eye-yoor-VAY-dah), a Sanskrit word that means “the science–or knowledge–of life,” is a 5,000-year-old system of medicine developed in India which is still in practice today, and recently brought into mainstream awareness in the United States. Ayurveda’s premise is that health is the natural state, when we are in balance. Conversely, when we are out of balance in our lives, we are prone to dis-ease. In other words, good health (balance of mind, body, and spirit) is the natural state of being.
Based on knowing the characteristics of your primary mind-body type, or dosha (DOE-shuh), you can be at a place of powerful choice. To relate that to coaching, having an awareness of what choices you make contribute to a life of balance, joy, and fulfillment.
We use Ayurveda at the Center for Health and Harmony in our assessments when we do nutrition coaching and when we do massage/bodywork. Knowing your dosha helps us determine how to maximize the benefits you receive:
what types of bodywork might be more beneficial to you
informs us of how your body/mind processes information, pain, and influences your stress,
typical stressors and your stress management capabilities
what kinds of activities you might enjoy in an exercise and fitness program
and even how your digestive system is likely to work given your age, time of year, and what’s going on in your life.
Are you a Vata, a Pitta, a Kapha, or a combination? Once we determine how much Vata, Pitta, and Kapha you have, we can design how to naturally achieve balance for you using your own habits and lifestyle, powerfully and effortlessly.
Ayurveda is based on taking actions that maintain balance in your life, according to the characteristics of your dosha, your mind-body type. There are three primary doshas, which combine in different proportions to create a total of 10 possible “types.”
Here is what the each of the doshas look like when in they are “in balance”:
VATA: cold, dry, active, quick, creative, thin, light, changeable, disproportionate, rough, lively, anxious, worried, light sleep, forgetful (Great examples: Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz)
PITTA: hot, wet/oily, competitive, athletic, articulate, bright, medium build, moderately sound sleep, convincing, intense, angry, aggressive (Great examples: Robert Redford, Britney Spears)
KAPHA: cold, wet, stable, loyal, heavy, slow, calm, sturdy, smooth, thick, deep sleep, withdrawn, reclusive, emotional (Great examples: Santa Claus, Oprah Winfrey)
You will probably notice a little of yourself in each of these. Since vata, pitta, and kapha all appear in nature, they all appear within each human being. Everyone has a different ratio of vata, pitta, and kapha. This ratio is called your “prakruti” and refers to your unique combination of vata, pitta, and kapha.
