Vata Dosha

The Queen of Doshas

We spoke in the last post about the 5 elements and how they constitute the universal make up, including us, we understood that the 5 elements manifest in us yet there's an element or two that are more salient in our constitutional make up, and due to this dominance some imbalances manifests leaving us prone to certain diseases.

today we will talk about the most important dosha, though all elements are equally important and vital, certain elements act as the mover or the carrier of all elements, earth is stable, fire and water spread, Air and ether moves and control the functions of the other elements, think of a bonfire or even forest fires! what keeps it going and ongoing? the movement of air.

Vata translates as air, it's the dosha that governs and gives motion to all of your biological activities. Vata is quick, active, light, cold, dry, mobile, rough, irregular, Vata controls these functions in the body which are all related to movement:

• Digestion
• Assimilation
• Elimination
• Breathing
• Muscle movement
• Joint mobility
• Circulation
• Urination, defecation, and menstruation

On the mental side vata is responsible for

• Creativity
• Flexibility
• Communication
• Energetic flow

If Vata is out of balance you will start to experience physical and mental symptoms such as:

Physical:

• Constipation
• Gas formation or distension in the abdomen
• Dehydration
• Dry and rough skin
• Pains and general body-ache
• Astringent taste in mouth
• Loss of strength, fatigue, low vitality
• Disturbed or lack of sleep
• Tremors and twitches
• Feeling dizzy or spaced out
• Sensitiveness to cold and desire for warmth
• Irrational, Anxious, Nervous, Agitated, Impatient
• Wanting to run away
• Feeling confused, fearful & shaky
• Feeling ungrounded
• Excessive movement or talking

Behavioral:

• Irrational, Anxious, Nervous, Agitated, Impatient
• Wanting to escape from things
• Feeling confused, fearful & insecure
• Feeling ungrounded
• Excessive movement or talking

Sounds familiar? well if you are vata dominant, then some of these characteristics is mainly represented in your overall self, again you have to look at your age, season and environment, because

hectic lifestyle

Being of an old age

living in a climate that is struck hard by vata weather conditions, in cold, dry climates, or as generally felt in late summer and fall.

All causes the Vata dosha to be aggravated, however to determine whether Vata is your main constitution "Prakruti", you need to look at the following table:

Circle what resonates with you from childhood to puberty, think the mind and body traits you were born with inherited from parents and does not change

Height	Very tall or very petite
Weight	Light difficulty putting weight
Bones	Petite frame
Joints	Pointy can see joints and tendons
Muscles	small
Fat	Not much or concentrated in a certain area (hips, buttocks, bosom)
Face	Narrow long
eyes	Small and nervous, dark or grey colors, prone to dryness
Mouth	Thin or dry lips
Nose	Small or irregular (hooked)
Chin/jaw line	Strong jawline, angular
Size at birth	small
Hair	Dry and course, dark
Teeth	Receding gum, irregular teeth
Skin: in comparison to your race or culture	Cold, dark, tans easily, could be dry flaky or dull old to touch
Neck, wrest and ankles	Thin long small and pointy

This is a table I created to assess the levels of each dosha, and above I only shared vata in order to avoid any confusions, look at it and circle the characteristics which represents you, I will share the complete questionnaire as soon as the pitta and kapha parts are covered, my goal is to insure that you completely understand yourself to be able to heal yourself.

Body Constitution & Dosha

Understanding your body constitution

Most of us heard numerous terms out there to describe body types, and even personality types. and many of them are based on your current state, so the test you took a year ago might have a different result if you take it now, and that is normal, we change as season changes as day and night changes.

just as this world is made of elements so are we, and if you contemplate from the every atom of universe to every particle of soil on earth, you will notice that, our world is made of five elements:

Water

Fire

Air

Earth ( as in soil, mud, wood..etc)

Ether ( as in space)

Please take a minute to look around you, not only in nature but also in anything you are now using, let's say the pen the pen is made of something solid to be held properly (earth), there's ink inside of it to make writing visible (water), if this ink gets dry it will not write properly so it sometime needs to be shook or kept warm to function (fire), there are spaces in the design of each material on the pen to allow movement and harmony ( air), and there's a big space between the writing end of the pen and the cover, to maintain the most important part of the pen (ether).

Apply that to everything around you, and you will see the 5 elements manifesting everywhere, and so they do maifest in you, maybe not in a literal manner, but in a vital manner, you so the energies similar of these 5 elements flowing in your body, and you mainly see a dominance and this dominance is your body constitution.

However, it is not that simple, because this constitution changes, in Ayurveda we call the constitution you are born with or inherited from your parents as "Prakruti" and these the things that doesn't change like  your bone mass, frame, eye color, skin color..etc, and there are things that changes with age, season, environment lifestyle, and this is called " Vikruti" both represent dosha and dosha itself means flaw or fault, meaning what are you tendencies towards illnesses or imbalances.

Vata dosha are prone to nervous system, bones, and colon problems

Pitta, to blood issues, liver, small intestine, and digestion problems

Kapha dosha are prone to obesity, diabetes, lymphatic and growth issues

Is the picture more clear now? so taking an online test could only lead you to the first point of the rope, if you see constant changes in the result know that this represent you Vikruti ( your current state of imbalance) which changes again with age, season, lifestyle.

Below are some websites that could help you find your first clue of your doshic state:

https://www.theayurvedaexperience.com/dosha-quiz/

https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/dosha-quiz/

In a later post I will be talking further about each Dosha to help you determine your Prakruti & Vikruti

Body cleanse, a simpler approach.

Body Cleanse

Often we feel the need to cleanse our body, weather by an external influence such as reading an article or watching a video, or by the persistent feeling of "something isn't working in my body", there is no rule in here, yet you should know that your body is an excellent communicator and also knows how to detox itself, and nature with it's various change and offerings each season gives the hints & opportunities that yes, it's time to cleanse.

So let's agree that with each season we should listen carefully to the body as well as nature, looking at what's happening inside of us and what is available in the market as a local produce, but first let me make things easier for you, and list 9 main symptoms that tells you "You need to take an action"

1. Bloat

2. Sugar cravings

3. Constipation or bowel change

4. Gas

5. Skin problems

6. Lower energy

7. Bad breath

8. Food cravings especially ugar, carbs or processed food

9. Mood swings

There are of course more symptoms but these are the main ones, where your body is basically telling you, that the metabolism has changed or got affected wither by season, diet, lifestyle, stress...etc. Ayurveda teaches us that there are 4 types of agni ( digestive fire) or we can call it Digestive strength in the modern world.

Sama = Normal

Vishama = Irregular (related to vata)

Tikshna = Very strong ( related to pitta)

Manda = Slow/weak (related to kapha)

I will cover the 3 mentined doshas in other articles, however let me point out that whether you are vata pitta or kapha our aim here is to balance the digestive strength to achieve the sama agni, as all the other 3 are signs of imbalances.

As much as it seems complicated, the solution is very simple and should be simple and gradual. First things first "Water".

Water is a natural cleanser, your body knows how to heal itself and wants to, just give it the right tools and start with warm water, especially if your digestion is slow or irregular, the warm water especially in the morning will help you drop accumulated wastes out of your system through stool and urine, you might even notice some slimy substance in the stool.

In case you have the type of body that overheats easily, then stick to slightly warm or room temp water, and avid cold water as it weakens and dilutes digestive enzymes and encourages the overgrowth of candida.

Drink water first thing in the morning, 30 minutes before meals, sip warm water during meals not more than a 1/3, and 1 or 2 hours after a meal.

Avoid water fasts especially if you are a vata type, and eat a simple light diet that consists of the seasonal produce, and remember that cooked food means easier digestion and that fats are important for you to feel full and fulfilled.

Here is an infographic lists of seasonal produce:

I'd like to conclude this by saying, that you know what works for you, you know what food, lifestyle..etc that caused the feeling of blockage, so stop it, and gradually look at what nature offers you locally, a cleanse is simple, no need for buying so much stuff and imported superfoods, if your digestion is already weak, benefiting from these superfoods will go to waste! because you are what you digest, not what you eat! So increase digestion by warm water, and help absorption by giving your gut bacteria soft foods, and trust that the real superfoods that your body needs are available in the right amounts and quality, take charge of your life, health and budget.