Ayurveda states that all symptoms of imbalance and dis-ease are rooted in the three primary energetic systems of the body - Vata Dosha, Pitta Dosha and Kapha Dosha (meaning a faulty 'vehicle'; a faulty 'burner' or a faulty 'holding on'.
Vata Dosha causes problems primarily with the nervous system and mind. It shows up first with symptoms such as bloating, anxiety/worry and insomnia in the early morning hours, dryness in the mucous membranes, constipation and pain.
Pitta Dosha causes inflammatory problems within the body and shows up first as excess heat (especially in the intestines) causing irritated bowels, irritated eyes, irritated mind, irritated liver and irritated skin.
Kapha Dosha causes a holding on of waste products (and anything else the body and mind should be letting go of for optimum health) showing up first as lethargy, heaviness, nausea, slow digestion and sleepiness, fatigue plus loss of enthusiasm and drive.
Problems with Vata Dosha can be greatly improved by breathwork coaching. In the morning, it is an ideal time to de-congest our system with stimulating breathwork that wakes us up and energises our nervous system. In the afternoon, balancing breathwork can be the difference between getting through our day or going downhill with energy and hitting a wall. In the late evening, a down-regulating breathwork session can be the ultimate self-treat medicine to instigate one of the most healing actions on the nerves.....sleep!
Problems with Pitta Dosha can be greatly improved by getting your chemical intake and balance right for you via dietary changes and seasonal cleanses. Ayurveda looks at Season and Symptoms when giving dietary advice. Ayurveda also states that Agni (digestive strength) follows the Sun. In the daylight hours Agni is stronger and at night it is weaker so your heaviest and most challenging meals should be taken between 10am and 2pm (challenging can mean many ingredients in a meal, foods with opposing qualities (warming and cooling, etc), hard to digest, not exactly right for your symptoms/body-type/season, wheat, dairy, meat, etc and anything else that is less than optimum for you). During Summer when there are many daylight hours food should be lighter, more refreshing, easy to digest, cooling and soothing as Agni is 'spread' over those longer hours. In Winter, when daylight hours are short and intense Agni is also intense and foods which are harder, heavier, nutrient dense should be taken to feed the Fire.
Problems with Kapha Dosha can be greatly improved by movement. Movement is medicine for Kapha Dosha and finding out how to get moving again (or better) can be a remedy for fatigue, accumulation of weight and waste and stimulating enthusiasm for life again.
Most illnesses have a combination of two or even all three Dosha. A simple diagnosis such as arthritis could be Vata, Pitta or Kapha Dosha or a combination of two or three Dosha depending on primary presentation of the symptoms for you.
Developing a personal plan of breathwork, movement and dietary choices and cleanses will be different for every person depending on body-type, season, age, health history and symptoms.
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