Yoga and Ayurveda go hand-in-hand; they each equally encompass the healing discipline embraced through the body. Ayurveda is the practice of rejuvenation, and yoga is the practice of purification.
Ayurveda for yoga teachers is a wonderful way to express and honour the body. By understanding the Five Great Elements and how they create each of the three doshas, Ayurveda for yoga teachers is another layer to explore for deeper alignment.
Keep reading to see how the application of Ayurveda for yoga teachers may help you evolve your spiritual practice.
The ultimate aim of Ayurveda is to seek, create, and maintain balance; when we’re in a state of equilibrium, inner harmony is achieved. Observing and attuning our sleep patterns, diet, exercise, relationships— all the ways we consume and come into contact with the world—in such a way that strives for balance maximizes our potential to feel good and take care of ourselves.
When we feel good about ourselves, we’re better able to take care of others and the world around us.
Many factors contribute to the individual’s overall health, including environment, seasons, relationships, diet, exercise, habits, trauma, work, and stress. These factors affect our constitution and how we feel; they can create balance or disorder.
Each constitution is unique based on the lifestyle and life choices of the individual. Balance and disorders depend based on the constitution of the person. A person’s constitution is made up of three unique energies called doshas in Ayurveda: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.
A person’s constitution is dynamic and changes depending on many variables, including age, environment, mood, diet, activities, and relationships.
Ayurveda honours the simple rule that life is constantly changing, and the way to celebrate the flux is to continually adapt the lifestyle and diet to the shifts we perceive.
In Ayurveda, there are two fundamental terms to come into a more profound awareness of your constitution.
Prakriti is your inherent nature; it is what you were born with and the internal constant.
Vikruti is your current state; it is the changing quality that responds to the external.
The doshas make up the Prakriti and Vikruti of each individual and determine the constitution, moment to moment.
The final word: don’t get attached to your dosha since it will change as you age.
The doshas are governed by specific elements and activities.
If the person has an over-abundance of one of the doshas, activities, and diet opposite from the primary constitution create balance.
Kapha is comprised of the elements earth and water; when you mix these two elements together you get mud. Kapha needs fire and air to break-up the stagnant energy and add a little heat to the mixture.
Ayurvedic Counselor, Ali Cramer, compared Kapha dosha to spring. In spring, the earth is heavy and wet and needs more sunlight and heat to bring things back to life after the dark and cold winter.
Pitta is comprised of the elements fire and air. Fire’s need to be tended to and gently stoked to keep the subtle burning flame. Too much heat and intensity throw Pitta dosha out of balance; water and earth elements balance Pitta dosha.
Much of the sequencing featured in the classes to balance Pitta dosha is inspired by Shiva Rea’s Prana Flow to keep Pitta dancing and grooving through classes that tone and lengthen the body.
Vata is comprised of the elements ether and air and as a result, it’s very easy for Vata to become distracted and off-focus. Effervescent, free, and creative, Vatic energy thrives in new environments and meeting new people, and needs the element earth to ground and come back to a steady state.
Vata is present whenever we find ourselves moving or speaking too fast. Hatha yoga, restorative or yin yoga, slow flows, and visualization practices to connect to the body create a sense of connection to the present and to the earth.
Food has a profound effect on the body and the brain, more so than the activities we choose. Switching up what we eat to suit our constitution is one of the fundamental attributes of leading an Ayurvedic lifestyle.
We created three unique Nutrition Booklets to explore the diet for each of the doshas. Make yummy meals for yourself or your loved ones to satiate the flavor profiles associated with your constitution, and learn about the foods that stimulate or aggravate each of the doshas.
Gut health is essential to maintaining proper health. By choosing the right foods and flavor profiles, you have the opportunity to boost your body’s immunity and give yourself all the essential nutrients you need.
The Ayurveda Playlist is comprised of yoga classes and meditations that help to balance the three doshas (Vata, Pitta, & Kapha).
Take a look at the collections to see the yoga, meditation, mantras, and slower practices to soothe imbalances in each of the doshas.
In this interview with yoga teacher, author, and Ayurveda Therapist Ali Cramer, you’ll discover more on:
In this interview with yoga teacher and Ayurveda Therapist Insiya Finn, you’ll discover more on:
In this interview with yoga teacher and Ayurveda Therapist Maria Garre, you’ll discover more on:
In this interview with TCM Practitioner and Japanese Acupuncturist Alix Jean, you’ll discover more on:
The infographic captures the quiz results and the solutions to living a more harmonious lifestyle by understanding each dosha. Your constitution varies from moment to moment; what you’re working with today may differ from how you felt yesterday. Ayurveda teaches us to examine the internal and external factors contributing to our lifestyle—from what we eat to the weather outside and how we interact with those we love.
The quiz and all results were gathered to shed insight on how to live an Ayurvedic lifestyle. Please consult an Ayurvedic Doctor to learn more about your constitution and how to work with your results.
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