Creating Balance with Ayurveda

"Balance" is a big word today. We talk about creating balance in our lives. Balance means the perfect proportion; whether it's work and play, energy, or our checkbook. 

In Ayurveda, good balance means a good life. It means optimal health. It means perking along efficiently, being productive, and enjoying quality leisure time. It means good health, managing stress, and feeling harmony with your environment. Creating this utopian life means constantly monitoring "balance." What constitutes balance is different for each of us. In Ayurveda, just what are we trying to balance?

Everything we know is made up a varying amounts of five basic ingredients: air, ether, water, fire and earth. This includes you and me. We have each of those elements in us, but the proportions differ from person to person. Instead of looking at proportions of each of the five elements individually, Ayurveda has simplified this by organizing the elements into three main groups, the doshas. In optimal balance, we each have a predominant dosha, or a unique blend of the doshas. Once we know what our dosha or blend is, we can use that information to maintain balance. 

Here is a simplified snapshot of the doshas; do you see yourself below?

If you have a lot of fire and water, this means you have a lot of a quality we call pitta. In balance, you are motivated, a leader. You are strong and focused. You are organized and have high standards. Out of balance, you are prone to irritability and anger, ulcers, rashes and becoming overheated.

If you have a lot of earth and water, we'd call that kapha. In balance, you are patient, loving and kind. You are a nurturer. You have thick hair, oily, luminous skin and a full figure. Out of balance, you can be lethargic, unmotivated, prone to gain weight. You may suffer from congestive issues. 

If you have a high proportion of air and ether, we say you have a lot of vatta in your constitution. In balance, you are creative, expressive, and highly active. You have a thin figure, hair and features. Out of balance, you are anxious, have trouble focusing, and are prone to dry skin and constipation.

Of course, I've only listed only a few of the characteristics of each dosha. But, they may be enough for you to say "Ah-hah! That's me!!" Or, you may have varying amounts of each. For example, I am a blend of vatta and pitta; I often feel cold, I have dry skin, and I'm creative, but I can also be very ambitious and motivated. And guess what? In the spring, I'm lethargic, a sign that yes, I even have a little kapha.

While we each have an optimal balance, outside forces constantly work to disrupt that balance. These forces include the time of day, of year (such as my spring example above), and of life. Do you notice that you feel energetically out of balance at certain times of the day? How about the time of year? How does a hot summer day affect you? A cool, dry fall day? 

In Ayurveda we recognize the rhythms of nature and forces of life, and how they affect our unique balance. Armed with a little information, we can anticipate these forces. Once we learn the formula, we can look at things such as activities and diet that will help us maintain our balance when life is giving us a little shove. 

If this looks interesting, please join me for a workshop "What's My Dosha? Your unique balance applied to yoga, diet and life" Wednesday, March 20, 5:30 - 7:00pm. You will get a better understanding of your unique doshic blend, what yoga practice will best serve you, what foods will best nourish you, and what routines will help keep you in balance as you walk the tightrope of life.