Balancing Vata

Ayurveda is a field of holistic medicine that focuses not on the calorie content of foods but how each of our bodies digests/breaks down the food we eat. Hence, for anyone wanting to adapt an Ayurvedic lifestyle, the first thing we recommend is taking the “Dosha Quiz”. Dosha defines your body type and from there you can start learning about foods to eat and avoid for your specific dosha to stay in balance.

This article is for anyone who’s a Vata Dosha type (don’t worry we’ll be getting to Pita and Kapha dosha’s in our upcoming articles) to know if you’re Vata Dosha is out of balance. We break down some of the symptoms you might be experiencing:

dry skin, chapped lips
constipation, dry, hard stools, gas, bloating,
twitches, tremors, spasms
difficulty tolerating loud noises
dislike of cold air and wind
excess thinking or worrying
anxiousness, panic
low body weight
interrupted sleep
spacey

If you are experiencing these symptoms, here are some simple lifestyle changes to incorporate in your day to day:

Have a set routine
Eat warm, cooked meals and maintain a warm temperature with enough air circulation at home
Create a peaceful environment
Nourish your body with Vata pacifying foods (read more below)

Vata-Pacifying Diet

Eat:

Foods that are naturally sweet, sour, and salty in taste.
Warm foods, temperature wise. Whole, freshly cooked foods.
A limited selection of legumes, including mung dahl, tofu, or tempeh that is well-cooked
Warming spices like ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, and cumin, but nothing too spicy
Plenty of room temperature or warm drinks.
Dairy, as long as it is not very cold. You can enjoy a glass of warm milk spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, an hour before or after other food.
A generous amount of high-quality oils or ghee in your daily diet.
Set time each day for your meals.
Eating your meal in a peaceful, calm environment.

Avoid:

Foods that are bitter, astringent, and pungent.
Foods that are cold in temperature and cooling
Dry and light foods (e.g. popcorn and crackers).
Too much raw food, especially avoid it in the mornings and evenings (salads, fresh fruit and vegetable juices etc.)
Most beans, including cold soy products.
Highly processed foods
Carbonated drinks
Caffeine, nicotine, and other stimulants
Eating very heavy meals.
Eating fresh fruit or drinking fruit juice within 1/2 hour of any other food.
Foods or drinks that contain refined sugar or corn syrup.
Deep-fried food
Hard liquor

Vata-Pacifying Lifestyle

Live with calm awareness and a gentle pace
A regular, daily routine with regular times for each activity like eating, sleeping, working etc.
A 10–20-minute self-massage (Ayurvedic Abhyanga) with 1/2 cup warm sesame oil, daily
A calming exercise routine that includes a calm, stretch-focused form of yoga, walking, swimming about five times per week.
Keeping your body warm, no matter what the weather.
Sweet, soothing music, smells and surroundings
Vata-reducing herbs and remedies.

Our lives, environments, and health change regularly. We recommend taking a dosha quiz often. Then you can see how things have changed and decide what remedies would be the most beneficial to regain balance in the body.

If you would like to know more about your specific dosha type and see how you can turn around your health 360 degrees, give us a call today at +91 8884886567 to book an appointment with our Ayurvedic practitioners at Syncremedies .