How to balance your doshas

As I have explained in a previous blog Ayurveda is a holistic healing system that originated in India and is based on the principle that everything in the universe is composed of five elements: space, air, fire, water, and earth.

• These elements combine to form three doshas, or biological energies, that govern the physical and mental characteristics of every individual: Vata (space and air), Pitta (fire and water), and Kapha (water and earth)
• Each person has a unique constitution, or prakriti, that is determined by the proportion of the three doshas at the time of conception. Knowing your prakriti can help you understand your strengths, weaknesses, preferences, and tendencies
• The goal of Ayurveda is to balance the doshas and maintain harmony between the body, mind, and spirit. When the doshas are balanced, you experience health, happiness, and vitality. When they are imbalanced, you experience disease, discomfort, and distress
• The doshas can be balanced by following some simple guidelines based on the Ayurvedic principle that like increases like, while opposites balance. This means that to balance a particular dosha, you need to cultivate the qualities opposite to that dosha
• For example, if you have excess Vata, which is cold, dry, light, mobile, and erratic, you need to increase warmth, moisture, heaviness, stability, and regularity in your diet, lifestyle, and environment. If you have excess Pitta, which is hot, sharp, oily, intense, and competitive, you need to increase coolness, softness, dryness, calmness, and cooperation. If you have excess Kapha, which is cold, wet, heavy, slow, and dull, you need to increase warmth, dryness, lightness, speed, and stimulation
• You can also balance the doshas by using various Ayurvedic methods such as diet, lifestyle, herbs, yoga, meditation, massage, cleansing, and rejuvenation therapies. These methods help to nourish and detoxify your body, mind, and spirit according to your individual needs
• You can also balance the doshas by being aware of the influence of the environment, seasons, time of day, and stages of life on your health and well-being. These factors can increase or decrease the doshas depending on their qualities. For example, winter increases Vata and Kapha; summer increases Pitta; morning increases Kapha; noon increases Pitta; evening increases Vata; childhood increases Kapha; adulthood increases Pitta; old age increases Vata
• Balancing the doshas in Ayurveda can help you prevent and treat various diseases, promote longevity, and enhance the quality of life. It can also help you achieve a state of harmony with yourself and the world around you.

Once you understand the basics, you can really create a sense of balance in your life. Does this resonate with you? Comment below and contact me for a consultation.

Karla