like facilitates like
Change can be hard, and transformation isn't always comfortable. Change can often generate tapas, which is sometimes translated as heat, but is really the friction that occurs when an old habit rubs up against a new habit. If you have ever tried to make changes in your life, you might have experienced this friction, and possibly some resistance! Some of that resistance comes from inertia, or tamas. We may feel comfortable maintaining the status quo, but often what we need is the opposite of what we feel. When we are in a balanced state, our instincts are accurate, and we should listen to them. But when we are in an imbalanced state, our instincts will continue to pull us out of balance. Like facilitates like. So if we sit on the couch and binge movies and sweets, we will be more likely to eat a pizza for dinner than a salad. We will be more likely to take a nap than go for a run. But taking nap isn't going to give us more energy because it is going to fuel the inertia we are experiencing that is keeping us stuck. In that example, we need to do the opposite of our instincts. Instead of napping, we should move our bodies and generate some heat to give us the energy to snap out of the fog.
Our yoga practice isn't just meant to make us feel good, and it isn't always comfortable, but it can be transformative. When we begin to see ourselves clearly, we may realize that many of our habits are ineffective, and then our patterns and behaviors can be changed. There can be growing pains associated with that change, but ultimately there is great freedom in learning that we have the power to create balance for ourselves.
Yoga is a practice of transcending the mind for the purpose of liberation. Ayurveda is the practice of healing the body, mind, senses, and soul. Ayurvedic principles undergird the entire 8-limbed system of yoga, and an Ayurvedic lens to yoga practice explains what, why, and how yoga practice can support healing.
Ayurvedic theory is based on the five elements: air, ether (space), fire, water, and earth. These elements combine to create three types of beings: vata, pitta, and kapha. Vata is a combination of air and space. It is governed by wind, and too much air and space can manifest as feeling ungrounded. Vata must be balanced by grounding, warming, and stabilizing yoga, food, and self-care practices. Pitta is a combination of fire and water. In its balanced state, pitta leads to productivity, leadership, and discipline. Unchecked, the fire can spread and lead to anger, frustration, irritability, acid indigestion, heartburn, and acne. The fire of pitta must be stabilized (not extinguished, just contained) by moderate practices that provide some challenge, but are cooling, grounding, and ventilating so there is room for pitta energy to relax and settle. Kapha is a combination of earth and water. Too much earth energy can lead to stagnation, and it should be balanced by injecting fire, air, and space to circulate energy and help us get unstuck. Once we understand the concepts of energy and elements, our yoga practice can become truly healing as we learn to balance both.
We can use our practice to facilitate balance by practicing self-inquiry. Through mindfulness, we can start to listen to our bodies and know when we need to treat our imbalances with the opposite energies and elements for balance. Our needs change with the time of our life, the time of day, and the season, as the balance of elements and qualities change. For example, fall and winter are the vata seasons. They are the times of year when the vata qualities (gunas) predominate: dry, light, cold, rough, subtle, mobile, clear. During the vata seasons, our yoga practice should promote the following gunas for balance: heaviness, slowness, solidity, stability, and smoothness. Practices can include calming, rhythmic movement, grounding forward folds, and strengthening postures that warm the body so we can relax, root down, and reground. As we move through these changes of seasons, take more time for self-care.
Here are some of the things I've found helpful to balance excess vata:
Rhythmic asana and pranayama with lots of grounding forward folds and warming standing postures, followed by restorative postures and a long savasana.
Calming and balancing pranayama, such as nadi shodhana.
Mantra meditation to keep the mind focused and grounded.
Turning off screens by 8 pm and taking a walk at night to calm the senses and connect to the earth element.
Eating warm, smooth, grounding foods. Fortunately, the fall harvest of hearty veggies like squashes are perfect for balancing vata. Check out my teacher, Kate O'Donnell's cookbooks in the Everyday Ayurveda series for simple, seasonal Ayurvedic recipes.
Going to bed early and waking up early.
Creating a bedtime routine and a morning ritual for self-care.
Community and connection.
If you’d like support in developing a personal practice that balances your dosa, and considers the season, time of day, and time of life you are in so that your practice promotes sattva (harmony), let’s work together 1:1!
