Ayurveda Chart

Ayurveda

Ayurveda is Sanskrit for the "knowledge of life," or "life science," is an approach to well-being that dates back to the Vedic civilization, the period spanning roughly the 2nd - 1st millennia BCE. The earliest written evidence of Ayurveda can be found in a group of four sacred texts known as the Vedas. But even when they were compiled, the Vedas were hardly understood. As with other revered texts of the ancient world, the messages in the Vedas are subtle, requiring a special vision to be correctly unveiled. Some scholars believe that Ayurveda may even have influenced ancient medical practices of China and Greece. Specifically, it's in a subtext of the fourth (and most recent) Veda, the Atharva-Veda, that the earliest mention of Ayurvedic medical practices are made. In the Arthava-Veda, health issues like disease, injury, fertility, sanity and longevity are addressed.

Originating in the rarefied traditions of India, and distilled through ancient civilizations of the Indus River Valley, Ayurveda is one of the oldest recorded systems of natural health care known. For millennia, people seeking good health have been turning to its holistic principles for guidance on lifestyle and nutrition. According to, your unique physical and mental character is the result of three mind-body principles combined. These principles are known as the doshas Vata, Pitta & Kapha.The unique combination of these doshas that you inherit at conception is your prakriti, or original constitution. In rare cases, someone may have equal proportions of the three, but for most of us, one or two doshas will prevail, with the remaining one(s) being less pronounced. Renowned Ayurvedic physician Robert Svoboda explains that "Ayurveda shows how body, mind and spirit interactions can be predicted, balanced and improved to enable us to live gracefully, harmoniously." Dr. Svoboda describes the three doshas as providing clues to the human body's metabolism or energy-using, waste-producing mechanism. Fine-tuning the doshas can promote harmony of mind and spirit that coexist within the body.

Ayurveda is grounded in the belief that the mind profoundly influences your health. In contrast, the paradigm of conventional (western / allopathic) medicine often separates mind from body. According to Ayurvedic principles, your well-being is thought to be effected by many aspects of your life and lifestyle. In good health, your doshas are in a dynamic state of balance. As practitioners of a complete science of healthy, balanced living, Ayurvedic physicians are trained to treat people as individuals. Each of us is seen to possess a mind-body constitution and to have life circumstances which make us unique. Ayurvedic diagnoses involve observing your body type, reading your pulse at particular places, and asking questions to define your prevalent dosha. From this information, it's determined what approaches should be taken to facilitate your healing and to promote longevity. Treatments (often in the form of teas, tinctures and various applications of oils and unguents) are proposed to balance you as a whole person by equalizing or re-calibrating your doshas. Regulating the doshas is lifelong work, done through nourishing, exercising, cleansing, resting, and (when necessary) medicating the body in relation to its dominant dosha, the season and the ailment.

Each dosha is defined by certain characteristics: Vata is dry, cold, mobile and light; Pitta is slightly oily, hot, intense and light; Kapha is oily, cold, stable and heavy. All three doshas work together and are required in every human process: biological, cognitive and emotional. For instance, Vata is responsible for moving food through the digestive tract, Pitta for breaking the food down, and Kapha for easing its path through the body. In the brain, while Vata regulates memory and recall, Pitta controls cognition by processing raw data into thought, while Kapha creates mental stability in the form of coherence.

Consult the dosha chart below. Once you've determined your dominant type, the appropriate yoga practice may help keep you stable. This chart can be used as a guide, highlighting the conditions typical for your type. It might inspire you to do more research to help keep your doshas in balance. If you're having trouble coping with Miami's never-ending summer, perhaps a cooling, restorative practice can bring you into balance. If your Kapha's got you feeling slow and sluggish, a fast-paced vinyasa class might be your best recourse. Or if you can't seem to stay rooted in your airy Vata nature, perhaps a grounding, meditative practice is what you need.

The Sanskrit word "dosha" comes from the same root that produces the English prefix "dys-", indicating "an error, a mistake." An Ayurvedic analysis and consultation may help you better understand what your body or psyche might need to help you achieve balance in your life overall. By defining your constitution in terms of your doshic type, your path to healthy living can be mapped by consulting a qualified Ayurvedic consultant. With Ayurveda, as with any medical regime, it's best to consult with a professional in the field before embarking on any nutritional program. Scroll down for a list of relevant links.

Asteya:

In past months we have contemplated the role of the first two “yamas” that comprise the first limb of Ashtanga yoga, as described by Patanjali. This month, we turn our attention to the third restraint enumerated in the eight-limbed path to freedom and bliss: asteya or non-stealing. Just like the Biblical commandments, the Yoga Sutras enumerate the various disciplines that we ought to impose upon ourselves; both texts agree that “thou shalt not steal.” The most literal and tangible interpretation of this moral code—that we each must guard not to seize another’s rightful property—is echoed in the “laws of man” that govern most nations around the world, those which recognize the concept of property in the first place. These laws often make distinctions between robbery and larceny; they place a different punitive weight onto different incidences of stealing, depending on the context. And yet, the manner in which asteya is described in the Sutras, we understand that restraint from stealing another’s property only the scratches the surface of Patanjali’s meaning. He writes: “To one established in non-stealing, all wealth comes (Yoga Sutras, II.37).” Off the mat, the clearest way to abide by this code is to refrain from all forms of, literally, stealing: taking property from a person or place without paying; “forgetting” to repay a loan; fudging our taxes; or “borrowing” something without asking permission first. But is the mere fact of exercising fiscal integrity enough to invite “all wealth [to] come?” Aren’t many of us honest and not necessarily wealthy? One interpretation relies on a karmic view of action and reaction. For instance, if we guard against taking something that isn’t ours now, we are more greatly protected against someone doing it to us in the future. Another interpretation forces us to probe the definition of “wealth” as well as that of “stealing.” Property and money are not the only things that can be seized from another. If we are constantly late for appointments, we are stealing someone else’s time. If we insist on speaking loudly or acting aggressively, we are stealing another’s peace and quiet. Asteya, like all yamas, not only asks us to abstain from improper behavior, it invites us to heighten our awareness of our own behavior and its repercussions around us. Arriving on time for a yoga class, setting down our mat and props in a quiet and courteous manner, and keeping disruption and noise inside the studio to a minimum AT ALL TIMES, are crucial practices of asteya on the mat. The wealth that comes to us from these practices is great and obvious: it is the blessing of helping to create a sacred space where we each come to do our practice.