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cmorel02
29 July 2011, 11:06 AM
So I just found out my dosha, and planning on making a lifestyle out of it to extend my longtivity. :) I know a lot some about my dosha (which is vata, if you didn't know), but for you other vatas out there, what advice can you give me?

Arjuni
29 July 2011, 11:55 AM
Namasté,

My best recommendation - based on many, many years of personal experience - is to calm down from the usual "hyperactive squirrel" state that seems to accompany Vata dosha. :p

Okay, seriously! Think of Vata as the energy of movement, and any motion can be good (directed and disciplined, to move towards goals) or bad (restless jittery activity, or the absence of movement produced when intense motion creates intense exhaustion). So a way to manage Vata is to make your moves with thought and focus.

Vata is impatient, so be gentle with yourself. Remember that we get many lifetimes, and while the search for enlightenment and the Divine is so important, you can't reach anything when burnt-out. Use some of your energy to care for yourself: regular oil massage, warm nourishing drinks, easy-to-digest food, and gentle daily exercise.

Being gentle also includes understanding that the human body has limitations, and working with those limits instead of being frustrated. The Vata mind is always on-the-go, but the Vata body tends to exert energy in short bursts followed by exhaustion. Work slowly to build real strength, instead of working as hard as your mind wishes, since sometimes the Vata body can't keep up.

Speaking of the body, take care with digestion and bowel movements; Vata's seat in the body is the colon, and Vata types are prone to problems in this area. Eat plenty of fibre and drink lots of water (Vata is dry, and also fibre is a dry, rough, abrasive substance that must have water to move it properly through the bowels). If you partake in caffeine, alcohol, or cigarettes, all three are best reduced or eliminated completely. (She says imperiously, while writing this post and simultaneously drinking a cup of coffee. :D ) Eat regularly; even nibbling at tiny "meals" several times a day is better than the usual Vata pattern of eating in bursts, or forgetting to eat at all.

Mentally, because Vata is restless and curious, it tends to create a pseudo-"Renaissance man" who is interested in everything, but learns at a surface level for a while and then moves on to the next topic. Choose one thing - like Ayurveda, perhaps! - to learn, and delve into it deeply. Encourage the Vata mind to grow in wisdom instead of just collecting knowledge.

A daily routine is a must for Vatas - who tend to hate daily routines! Daily meditation and/or japa will help calm, soothe, and direct the mind, and even five minutes a day is better than nothing at all. The Vata brain is like a horse that would run forever in all directions if released, so the Vata's task is to gradually direct that horse's power.

But hey, it's not all bad. Vata, being dry, needs oil and unctuous foods, so you can use ghee, salad dressing, and other food-lubricants with a heavy hand. (And ghee makes everything delicious.) In fact, you have an excuse to avoid raw vegetable salads altogether (which always seemed to me like required torture before you could get to the good food), since cooked veggies are far better for Vata folks. You can also handle sweets a little better than the other doshas, though be careful not to overindulge (as it isn't weight gain that does the Vata type in - it's the "squirrely" quality from the sugar-high-and-crash!).

Hope this helps, and I'm sure other members will have more to contribute!

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

yajvan
29 July 2011, 03:33 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté




So I just found out my dosha..vatta

Some ideas for your consideration...

Your nature or as its called constitution¹ (prakṛti) some call dhātu¹ is vāta. This vāta is air + space (ākāśa).

Now when you say vāta doṣa¹ that means a blemish, an imbalance in the vāta dhātu of one's make up , and not one's overall constitution.

More can be found at this HDF post : http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=6917 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=6917)

praṇām
words

constitution = prakṛti - the original or natural form or condition of anything:
nature , character , constitution , temper , disposition the original producer of or rather passive power of creating
the material world(consisting of 3 constituent essences or guṇa-s called sattva , rajas and tamas) ;
nature distinguished from puruṣa.

dhātu constituent part , ingredient
doṣa - detrimental effect ; blemish; rooted ( √ ) in duṣ meaning fault , vice , deficiency , want , inconvenience , disadvantage

devotee
29 July 2011, 07:28 PM
Namasté,

My best recommendation - based on many, many years of personal experience - is to calm down from the usual "hyperactive squirrel" state that seems to accompany Vata dosha. :p

Okay, seriously! Think of Vata as the energy of movement, and any motion can be good (directed and disciplined, to move towards goals) or bad (restless jittery activity, or the absence of movement produced when intense motion creates intense exhaustion). So a way to manage Vata is to make your moves with thought and focus.

Vata is impatient, so be gentle with yourself. Remember that we get many lifetimes, and while the search for enlightenment and the Divine is so important, you can't reach anything when burnt-out. Use some of your energy to care for yourself: regular oil massage, warm nourishing drinks, easy-to-digest food, and gentle daily exercise.

Being gentle also includes understanding that the human body has limitations, and working with those limits instead of being frustrated. The Vata mind is always on-the-go, but the Vata body tends to exert energy in short bursts followed by exhaustion. Work slowly to build real strength, instead of working as hard as your mind wishes, since sometimes the Vata body can't keep up.

Speaking of the body, take care with digestion and bowel movements; Vata's seat in the body is the colon, and Vata types are prone to problems in this area. Eat plenty of fibre and drink lots of water (Vata is dry, and also fibre is a dry, rough, abrasive substance that must have water to move it properly through the bowels). If you partake in caffeine, alcohol, or cigarettes, all three are best reduced or eliminated completely. (She says imperiously, while writing this post and simultaneously drinking a cup of coffee. :D ) Eat regularly; even nibbling at tiny "meals" several times a day is better than the usual Vata pattern of eating in bursts, or forgetting to eat at all.

Mentally, because Vata is restless and curious, it tends to create a pseudo-"Renaissance man" who is interested in everything, but learns at a surface level for a while and then moves on to the next topic. Choose one thing - like Ayurveda, perhaps! - to learn, and delve into it deeply. Encourage the Vata mind to grow in wisdom instead of just collecting knowledge.

A daily routine is a must for Vatas - who tend to hate daily routines! Daily meditation and/or japa will help calm, soothe, and direct the mind, and even five minutes a day is better than nothing at all. The Vata brain is like a horse that would run forever in all directions if released, so the Vata's task is to gradually direct that horse's power.

But hey, it's not all bad. Vata, being dry, needs oil and unctuous foods, so you can use ghee, salad dressing, and other food-lubricants with a heavy hand. (And ghee makes everything delicious.) In fact, you have an excuse to avoid raw vegetable salads altogether (which always seemed to me like required torture before you could get to the good food), since cooked veggies are far better for Vata folks. You can also handle sweets a little better than the other doshas, though be careful not to overindulge (as it isn't weight gain that does the Vata type in - it's the "squirrely" quality from the sugar-high-and-crash!).

Hope this helps, and I'm sure other members will have more to contribute!

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

Good one, Indraneela ! You are as good as a professional Vaidya ! :)

OM

Arjuni
30 July 2011, 12:56 AM
Namasté,

Devotee, if only! Then I could escape the (Vata-deranging) night shift, and stop posting to HDF at 1 in the morning. But my thanks for the compliment nonetheless. :)

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.