Find ways to incorporate ayurveda into your daily

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Ayurveda yoga
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Find ways to incorporate ayurveda into
your daily yoga practice. by Faye Hart & Dr Brennan
he Vedas are known to be the
oldest scriptures in India; they
hold a wealth of knowledge
concerning religion, philosophy
and provide practical, ethical and
moral guidance. These ancient scriptures
are said to be the the root of ayurveda, and
similarly yoga. Immediately, we see that the
two are inherently connected.
Ayurveda translates as ‘the science of
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“Learning about
Ayurvedic dosha types
and how this links to yoga
has completely changed
my whole approach to my
own daily asana practice.”
- Vanessa
life’, and is thought to be the oldest system
of health in the world. The basis of ayurveda
teaches how to keep the body and mind
in balance and optimal health, preventing
illness. This is achieved with the right diet and
lifestyle choices to suit people as individuals.
This is a key part of ayurveda – ensuring
that we each know what suits us best,
regarding diet and lifestyle, based on our
specific mind-body type.
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“Integrating Ayurveda
into your practice can
bring about a greater
sense of balance,
harmony, self-awareness
and health”
- The Ayurveda Institute
Ayurveda teaches that we are governed
by three fundamental qualities which are
present in us all. These qualities determine
the characteristics of our minds, bodies and
emotions. These are known as doshas: Vata,
Pitta and Kapha.
The Vata dosha represents space and
air, and is responsible for movement. Pitta
represents fire and water, and is responsible
for transformation. Kapha represents earth
and water, and is responsible for structure.
We have a specific amount of each dosha
in us which makes up our mind-body type,
but one dosha is usually more prominent.
When each dosha is in balance we are
healthy and happy. Below are some qualities
of the doshas when in and out of balance.
Finding balance
Our doshas can become out of balance from
time to time, and ayurveda states that this is
where illness and stress originates from. There
are various ways to balance your doshas –
enter yoga, the sister of ayurveda.
Essentially, opposites balance doshas.
During yoga this principle can be applied to
the pace, focus and the breath, making it
an easy way to adapt your practice without
needing to select particular doshabalancing poses.
As Vata is concerned with movement,
and can be erratic when out of balance,
aim to practice in a steady and systematic
way, in order to ground Vata. Remaining
still for longer, focus on both strength and
flexibility with slow and steady breaths.
For Pitta it is useful to practice in
a non-goal orientated and effortless
manner. This helps to balance the eager,
impulsive and sometimes fiery energy
of Pitta. Exhaling through the mouth is
useful to release excess heat.
Kapha dosha types benefit from an
energetic, dynamic yoga practice. This
helps reduce excess Kapha energy which
can lead to lethargy – the aim is to lighten
the Kapha dosha. Steady breaths are
appropriate with less time in each posture,
to allow more movement.
These basic adjustments allow us to
create a yoga practice to suit particular
dosha types.
Like yoga, ayurveda is a vast subject
and these adjustments are a basic
introduction, simply a way to begin making
changes. Through using both yoga and
ayurveda we can discover a yoga practice
which brings more than physical benefits.
Your own dosha qualities will become
more apparent and, over time, ayurveda
becomes almost intuitive.
Faye Hart is a yoga teacher at Ahimsa
Yoga Company. Dr Brennan is an Ayurveda
Practitioner and Founder of the Ayurveda
Practitioners Association.
DOSHA CHARACTERISTICS
VATA
IN BALANCE: light, quick, creative, sensitive, refined
OUT OF BALANCE: forgetful, anxious, withdrawn, erratic
PITTA
IN BALANCE: focused, ambitious, organised, passionate, competitive
OUT OF BALANCE: impatient, demanding, irritable, loud
KAPHA
IN BALANCE: steady, reliable, grounded, relaxed, calm
OUT OF BALANCE: lethargic, sluggish, unproductive, depressed
To learn your own mind-body type visit livingayurveda.co.uk/questionnaire