Discover your Dosha: An Intro to Ayurvedic Body Awareness

How to cultivate health and well-being in a busy, complicated world
These days health and well-being can be hard to come by. There is so much information out there about diet, exercise and lifestyle. You may wonder what diet you should be eating. Vegetarian, paleo, raw, vegan? Should you go gluten free?  Should you cut out dairy? Caffeine? What is the best exercise for you? Yoga, pilates? Cross fit? Running?  And what can you do to get better sleep, more energy and manage stress?

Ayurvedic wellness is a time tested tradition that excels at guiding individuals toward greater well-being through lifestyle habits, individualized diet recommendations, and mind-body practices.

What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda means the “knowledge or wisdom of life.” Ayurveda is a holistic system of health and well-being that originated in the ancient Indian Vedic system of knowledge and is considered the sister sciences of yoga as it shares with yoga the goals of optimal physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Ayurveda offers a holistic lifestyle approach to health including lifestyle habits and guidelines, specific body practices, individual diet recommendations, and herbal remedies. 

A central concept in Ayurveda is the tridoshic system. Health is considered to be the balance of three basic energetic forces or principles called doshas. When these doshas are in a normal state in terms of quality and quantity, there is a balance. When the quality or quantity of a particular dosha shifts, there is an imbalance.

In this post and accompanying audio talk, I give an overview of Ayurveda’s 3 dosha model.  This knowledge can help you understand how to choose an appropriate diet, movement and lifestyle.  Stepping into an understanding of Ayurveda allows you to align to your bio-rhythms and to the larger rhythm of nature.

Here are 3 reasons to discover your Ayurvedic body type:

1) To optimize your diet.  What should I be eating? (Why can my friend eat all the bananas, nuts, and pizza she wants, and when I eat these, I feel gassy and bloated?)  According to Ayurveda, what is food for one person may be poison for another.  It all comes down to digestion.  Learning your Ayurvedic dosha or body type helps you choose your foods wisely for maximum nourishment.

2)   To choose the best yoga or movement practice for you. What is the best exercise for me?  (My friend loves hot yoga and I can't stand it - why is that?)  According to Ayurveda, there are different kinds of exercises that are suitable for different body types.  Knowing your dosha can help you choose an exercise program that is suited for you so you can feel grounded, energized and fit.

3) To create a balanced lifestyle for yourself. How can I bring routine into my day? What can I do to manage my emotions? What can I do when I feel grouchy? anxious? depressed? Ayurveda recognizes that people are prone to different mental/emotional tendencies.  Discovering your dosha can help you recognize areas of strength and weakness. Ayurveda recommends daily habits to bring balance to your bodymind and life.

Click below to listen to the audio talk:

Interested in learning more?
If you are interested in the topic of how to align your body with the rhythms of nature for better sleep as well as for optimal energy, and if you are interested in better understanding how you can create a daily routine to support your health, please contact me.  As a Yoga Health Coach, I am a holistic wellness provider trained and practiced in the daily habits and health principles of yoga and Ayurveda. I help people up-level their habits for vibrant living.

Namaste,

Annie