Know Your Ayurvedic Dosha — Vata, Pitta or Kapha?
Ayurveda believes that there are primary functional energies in our bodies that are aligned with the elements of nature. These three forces of energies are known as Doshas; Vata, Pitta, Kapha.
The health and well-being of the person is dependent on the balanced function of these energies.
Vata represents air or space and is associated with physical, mental and emotional state.
Pitta represents fire or water and is associated with mental and physiological state.
Kapha represents earth or water and is associated with the material aspect.
It’s important to understand their Doshas and know How to balance Vata, pitta kapha within our body. This blog will help you understand the Tridoshas and also know which Ayurvedic dosha your body belongs to and How to balance Vata, pitta kapha.
Vata Dosha indicates the mental and emotional state, such as patience, calm, clear, space, air, clarity, creativity, and is associated with movement, circulation, communication, intelligence and speech.
Vata is also responsible for the functions of the heart, throat, and nerves. Vata is related to our emotions, anger, moods, feelings, sexuality, self-confidence and the sense of taste. As air moves in the Vata Dosha, we breathe in more oxygen, which makes us feel fuller and more alert. The excess air can slow our metabolism, leading to a sense of fatigue.
When Vata is disturbed, it produces symptoms like dry mouth and throat, dry eyes, loss of energy, poor sleep, anxiety, constipation and stomach cramps. If Vata is deficient, it produces chronic diseases like ulcers, asthma, depression, chronic fatigue and insomnia.
How to balance your Vata dosha?
As Vata Dosha represents the space or air element, it can be easily affected by extreme weather conditions or heat, excessive air pollution, cold and humid environment, stress, emotional traumas and emotional eating.
Leading a healthy lifestyle and diet which can balance Vata are essential to stay healthy.
Tips to balance Vata Dosha:
Vata is present everywhere and it is in all three elements of nature. Thus, there are many ways of balancing Vata Dosha, some of which are mentioned below:
Consuming Vata foods such as nuts, lentils, whole grains, fruits, dry ginger, peppermint, fennel and water can help you with the imbalance of Vata Dosha. These foods cool and dry the Vata Dosha. Foods those are hot and humid like spicy food, oil, oily food and food which is very sweet, can aggravate the Vata Dosha and should be avoided.
Apart from this some natural drinks which balance Vata dosha are:
Lemon: Lemon is a natural disinfectant, and helps to cleanse the Vata Dosha. It relieves stress, promotes digestion, reduces inflammation, improves skin condition, and helps to strengthen the immunity. It is highly recommended to take a glass of lemon water before going to bed at night.
Water: Drinking water helps in balancing the Vata Dosha. The water which we drink every day should be cool and pure, preferably filtered water. Warm water dilutes Vata Dosha.
Fruits: Fruits such as apples, pears, citrus fruits, bananas, kiwi fruits, papaya, pineapple, mango, raspberries and blueberries help to balance Vata in the body.
Saunth and Fenugreek: Both dry ginger and fennel seeds help to balance Vata in the body. Dry ginger contains volatile oils and helps to clear out the Vata Dosha.
Oil: Unrefined and high quality oil are Vata balancing and Vata clearing. Oil with high levels of saturated fat and salt are not good for Vata, as these elements are drying to the body. Oil used in Indian cooking is always cold-pressed and filtered.
Meditation: Meditation helps to calm and stabilize our mind. When we are relaxed our Vata is balanced, and our mind becomes clear. When we are stressed, our Vata Dosha is disturbed and we get tired easily.
Reduce smoking and alcohol consumption: Smoking and alcohol affect our body and stress our mind. All these activities cause Vata Dosha to be disturbed.
Avoid food with a lot of salt: Salt is Vata aggravating substance. If we have a lot of salt in our food, it can aggravate the Vata Dosha in our body. We can get rid of salt and avoid it.
According to Ayurveda, Vata dosha has its maximum influence in our body in the age group of 20 to 40 years. If Vata Dosha gets disturbed it can lead to a whole range of Vata Imbalance Symptoms like arthritis, fatigue, back pain, headaches, stress, high blood pressure, diabetes, constipation, depression, insomnia, heart disease, skin problems and some chronic diseases. Our body is 70% water, so Ayurveda recommends keeping a clean, well-hydrated and a healthy diet to keep our Vata Dosha balanced.
According to Ayurveda, The primary function of Pitta is transformation. The Pitta dosha controls digestion, metabolism, and energy production.
How to balance Pitta Dosha?
While balancing your Pitta Dosha it is a very important to be very aware of how you balance your Pitta Dosha; so that you don’t create a negative impact on your health and lifestyle. Your Pitta Dosha can get out of balance when you consume heavy quantities of refined foods such as white sugar, white flour, dairy products and so on.
Consuming refined foods causes your body to burn a lot of energy which can contribute to a lot of problems with your digestion, brain and nerves, brain and nervous system, muscles, muscles and joints, heart, the body in general, etc.
Here are 5 tips to balance your Pitta Dosha according to Ayurveda:
1. Avoiding Too Much Dairy and Meat
All dairy and meat items have a high fat content. Dairy products (milk and cheese) are the biggest source of saturated fat in our diet.
Dairy and meat consumption must be cut down to maintain your balance in Pitta Dosha. If you do want to eat some dairy products and meat products, make sure that you take them in moderation.
2. Do Not Over Consume Grains
The main energy of rice, bread and other grain products is very high and causes us to produce a lot of gas. Some scientists even say that the amount of rice we eat could contribute to the obesity epidemic.
You need to limit eating rice, bread and other grain products. If you are trying to lose weight, then you should avoid eating these food items. It is good to have some healthy grains in your diet, but make sure that you stay away from the refined products of these foods.
3. Keep Away From Heavy Meals
The effects of Pitta Dosha can be very strong when you over eat. So you should make sure that you don’t have heavy and oily meals. The best way to prevent your Pitta Dosha from getting imbalanced is to have lighter meals and avoid the heavy and oily foods.
4. Do Not Consume Too Much Salt
We have very high amount of salt in our diet, as people in India generally add a lot of salt in their meals.
It is recommended that you keep the consumption of salt to moderate levels and make sure that you add very little salt to the foods.
5. Keep Away From Acidic Foods
The effects of Pitta Dosha can be very strong when you eat acidic foods. So you need to avoid the foods that can create acidity in your body.
Some foods that are easily known to create acidity in our bodies are Tomatoes, Pickles, Limes and limes juices, Liquor, Coffee
So, avoiding these foods can help you with acidity and can make you feel unwell if you eat them regularly.
Kapha dosha is the Ayurvedic element associated with earth and water. It’s embodies lubrication, structure and stability in the mind and body. It provides energy to the joints, skin, hair, nails, stomach, and digestive tract.
The Kapha dosha functions to maintain the structural integrity of the tissue and bone. It is also involved in the production of bile and stomach acids.
Kapha is a vital element in the body, and like all doshas, imbalance can cause problems. The most common imbalance of Kapha includes the symptom of excess of mucous production. When Kapha is excessive in the body, the stomach secretes a great amount of mucus and fluids that need to be cleaned out.
Symptoms of Kapha Dosha:
1. Excessive Moisture
When excess kapha is present in the body, your body becomes too heavy and oily, which can make you appear greasy. Dry skin and scaly skin are common effects of kapha imbalance. You may also notice excessive sweating, including from your scalp and armpits.
2. Sinus, Throat, Nose Problems
Kapha excess can also lead to problems in the throat, sinuses, and nasal passages. You may have blocked sinuses with a runny nose, congestion, a sticky discharge, and thick mucus.
3. Gum and Bone Problems
You’re probably well aware that gum problems are quite common. When the mouth is stuffed up with excessive mucus, a gum disease can develop. The bone structure can also be affected when your body is imbalanced with kapha. Also your teeth may become weak and your jaws feel heavy.
4. Slow Body Movement
Kapha excess will slow down your body movement. Your limbs may feel heavy and sluggish and you may feel tired and sleepy, especially when first getting up in the morning.
5. Constipation
Constipation is another kapha imbalance symptom that occurs in the colon. With kapha imbalance, you’re likely to be constipated.
6. Skin Problems
Kapha excess can cause oil and mucus to build up in your pores, causing oil and sebum to clog the pores. Thus, dryness and scaly skin are associated with excess kapha imbalance.
Excesses of Kapha includes oily skin, sluggish digestion, poor skin and hair, swollen glands, mucus in the nose, throat, and sinuses, constipation, congestion, and slow body movement. On the flip side of Kapha imbalance, you can have dryness in the nose, skin, and throat; excessive mucus or oil production; a runny nose; oily hair; dry skin; and slow or weak body movement.
How to balance Kapha Dosha:
According to Ayurveda, a healthy diet is importance in order to both maintain kapha in the body as well as remove excess kapha. Because kapha is easily heightened by heavy, pungent and oily substances, a kapha pacifying diet of light, dry and warm foods is helpful in maintaining the symptoms of Kapha dosha.
Conclusion:
The doshas are a wonderful tool for recognizing and correcting any imbalances in our systems. Maintaining a healthy balance with each of the three doshas can have a transformative impact on your overall health and well-being. Along with incorporating exercise and healthy lifestyle, you can take our Vata Pitta Kapha balance medicine to take care of your dosha imbalance for Vata, Pitta Kapha remedies.