May 156 min read

Understanding Vata Dosha: A Guide to Balancing Your Ayurvedic Body Type

Air & Space

Predominant in the natural elements of Air & Space, you may have an affinity for the more ethereal realms. Some may call it spacey or dreamy - to you this natural state is hard to ground down. You like for things to be changeable and movable. You may be a natural creative, intuitive or artistic. Having a set structure and routine sounds a bit boring to you. When balanced, this can lead to an exciting life full of varied experiences and ideas. When it becomes too much, life becomes erratic and it’s hard to keep track of the day-to-day. When this happens, you might become anxious or worried. It’s important to keep Vata balanced, as this dosha has the tendency to make the other two (Kapha and Pitta) go awry. Vata increases in the later stages of life, so keeping a healthy balance for Vata leads to healthy aging.

Qualities

Vata is composed of Air & Space elements. Air & Space, when combined, form wind. Think of the qualities of wind when imagining Vata’s qualities. Vata is light, dry, cold, rough, subtle and mobile. Vata can be irregular or quickly changing. Excess Vata can lead to arthritic pain or nervous system disorders. In the body, Vata is necessary for action, transportation and movement.

Finding Balance

Your main constitutional dosha will usually be the predominant dosha to go out of balance. Different causative factors can cause other doshas to increase or decrease to an excess, but your constitutional dosha will likely be one to be affected more quickly.

In Ayurveda, the concept of similar/dissimilar is used to achieve balance, remedy illness and promote health. Put simply, like attracts like, and opposites balance.

Vata is going to find balance through consistency. Developing regular habits, reducing stimulation from noise and outside influences, and keeping stress down will be helpful. You may want to slow it down a bit, if you’re the type to be on the move constantly. Stay warm and hydrated with warm food and drink. Avoid all cold food and drink. Emphasize rest and nourishment in food and life.

Mindful inquiry: “Is this (food, person, conversation, commitment, habit, place, stuff, etc) nourishing me or depleting me?”

Vata’s light, cold, dry qualities can be balanced with a diet that is grounding, warm and nourishing.

6 Tastes

A balanced diet is one that contains all 6 tastes: bitter, pungent, astringent, sweet, sour and salty. When the 6 tastes are incorporated into a balanced meal, one feels satiated. Vata predominant people can utilize different foods and spices to kindle a healthy digestive fire (agni) and help remedy some signs of excess Vata such as constipation and gas or bloating.

Vata is increased by bitter, pungent and astringent tastes and pacified with sweet, sour and salty tastes. Digestive spices such as ajwain, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, thyme and hing can be used. Cooking with a sautee of ghee and/or steaming vegetables will help add moisture. Favor warm, heavy and moist foods over light, dry, cold or raw foods. Sticking to consistent meal times daily will help combat Vata’s irregular nature.

2. Digestion (Agni)

Ayurveda understands digestive health to be the primary influencer of health. If digestion is not working optimally, we are likely to experience imbalance. If digestion is working properly, we are likely to experience health!

How do you know if your digestion is working optimally? There are a few key signs. A coating on the tongue in the mornings can indicate undigested food, also known as ama in Ayurveda. This undigested, unmetabolized matter can lead to an accumulation of toxic waste inside the body, blocking the channels of the body and preventing the proper flow of nutrients and energy. Low energy, brain fog, fatigue are indicators of indigestion, as well as anxiousness, hyperactivity and an inability to focus. And of course, there’s poop. Noticing your waste habits is a very clear indicator of what’s going on in the gut. Hard, pebbly stools or constipation (no bowel movement or scanty bowel movement); diarrhea or loose, unformed stools; or smelly, mucousy, sticky stools are all signs of imbalance.

3. Daily Routines (Dinacharya)

A simple daily routine can have a huge impact on health. Your daily routine is like a ritual: a touchstone that you can always come back to for connection. When you do your daily routines, you are investing in your future health. Over time, these small actions can result in major shifts. Our routines don’t stay the same forever. As the seasons change, as should our routines. Some daily practices, no matter the season:

Wake up, tend to your natural urges first thing (bathroom).
Scrape your tongue with a copper or metal tongue scraper before you eat or drink anything. This removes the buildup of toxins and bacteria that has collected overnight and stimulates the digestive fire. Brush your teeth.
Drink a cup of warm water. This will gently kindle the digestive fire.
Abhyanga: self oil massage. Warm some sesame oil or other massage oil. The oil should be warm, not hot. You may want to use a double-boiler method or put your container of oil to sit in some warm water. Massage your whole body, head to ears to fingers to toes, with the warm oil. Pay extra attention to parts that seem dry, cold, stiff or sore. Do some light exercise or movement with the oil on your body. Then, take a warm steam shower or bath.
Exercise: Vata benefits from steady exercise, nothing in excess or too strenuous. Slow sun salutations, steady yoga asana, or tai chi are all good choices. Vata can benefit from building some stamina through weight training, though it should not be strenuous.
Breathing: Pranayama is helpful to direct the flow of energy through the body. Alternate nostril breathing can be balancing for Vata. You can find an instructional video here.
Meditation: Here is a grounding meditation for you to try. Consistency is key, so even if it is only for 5 minutes, try to establish a consistent meditation practice.
Gratitude: Give thanks for the day!

You may want to take on one or two of these at a time. Do not try to take on too much all at once when developing new routines. That can lead to burnout and have the opposite effect, actually increasing Vata qualities. Be patient and kind with yourself.

Continued Support

Anahatea offers guided support on your journey of life! Ayurveda is, after all, the study (ayur) of life (veda). Guidance during any phase of this journey can be helpful. We are here to coach you through health, illness, transitions, addictions and difficult phases. An Ayurvedic lifestyle can be extremely helpful for all parts of the human experience. You will get to know yourself better than ever before, and become your own best healer.

Entry to Ayurveda

This is an 8-week program for those ready to start incorporating an Ayurvedic routine into their lives. We will start slowly, and you will begin to identify changes that are happening for you on physical, mental and emotional levels. The main focus for these 8 weeks will be on improving digestion, crafting a positive routine and weeding out those habits that are causing imbalances and illness.

Commitment: 2 months, $300/month

You will receive:

Initial Ayurvedic Consultation ($288 value)
Follow-Up Consultation ($144 value)
Deeper introduction into your Dosha
Ayurvedic diet and lifestyle recommendations tailored to your life and goals
Weekly recipes
Weekly progress calls to support your change
10% off of all Ayurvedic Body Therapies at Anahatea

Integrating Ayurveda

Once you have completed the Entry to Ayurveda 8 weeks, you will be eligible to join our Integrating Ayurveda program. Having already established a foundation of healthy routine and digestion, we will start incorporating more tools to support you on your journey. Together, we can work on improving a specific health concern, or if you have no specific concern we can go deeper into establishing immunity and vitality to support you through each season.

Commitment: 3 months, $250/month