Do you know what your Dosha is? If not, take Yogi Cameron’s Dosha Quiz! You might just be a Vata! BONUS: Download this post as a PDF and read anytime, anywhere. Click here.
Ayurveda is a form of traditional east Indian medicine dating back 5,000 years. Ayurveda has many positive practices that are helpful even now in our era of pill-popping.
When we choose to live an Ayurvedic lifestyle, we have the potential to strengthen our immune system, maintain homeostasis, and significantly reduce the possibilities of any unwanted side effects we might experience as a result of drugs or other unnatural regimens.
Ayurvedic practioners believe your body has three energy types called doshas, and a myriad of disturbances with our bodies can occur of these are out of balance. Lucikly, these doshas can be brought into balance, and one of those ways is through yoga.
Vata Pacifying Yoga
What happens when we blow on a ripened dandelion? All of the seeds blow away. This basic action captures the essence of excessive movement. If the wind were to blow naturally, then some seeds may detach from the plant’s stem and float a small distance thereby propagating the species. But when we blow on the seeds ourselves, they scatter in every direction. The plant no longer has a reason to sustain itself, as its many seeds have already found a new home.
Such is the way of those who have a lot of Vata energy in their body. Vata is analogous to the air element, in that it governs our body’s ability to regulate movement throughout itself as well as in the physical world around it. This mobile, transient energy helps us to instigate change, have new ideas, and connect with others. But when we add too much air–when we blow too hard–in the form of air-producing substances like dry foods, too much travel, and physical activity that’s too frenetic, our essence scatters in every direction and becomes dried out. This leads to issues like constipation, insomnia, and osteoarthritis. Those with too much air become scattered and anxious.
What people with a lot of Vata energy typically do is pursue physical activity with the same transient mania as they pursue the rest of their life: running, aerobics, and fast-paced yoga sequences. This causes the wind to blow even harder and causes even greater airiness. To reverse this, the following five postures induce a sense of grounding so as to give the airy Vata personality a chance to settle down.
These five postures promote stillness over movement, thereby allowing the seeds to move on at the most naturally optimal time.
Bonus Giveaway!
One winner will win (1) e-book about the Pitta Dosha. Each participant must “like” both Yogi Cameron and 42Yogis on FB, follow on Twitter, and tweet, “I just entered the #doshagiveaway from @YogiCameron and @42Yogis!” You can tweak your tweet, but you must include the hashtag and proper handles.
Additionally, we encourage the winners to take the dosha quiz on Yogi Cameron’s website to determine their dosha. http://www.yogicameron.com/dosha-quiz
Contest ends June 27th at 11:59pm!