Anxiety, ADHD, insomnia, constipation, fatigue, gas, bloating, weak digestion, poor memory, moodiness, dryness, are all symptoms of an unbalanced vata dosha. For the sake of brevity, I'll skip a explanation on what are the doshas, I have a brief, but detailed post about it here if you'd like to read.
Vata is the life force responsible for all movement in the body, circulation, peristalsis, nerve conduction, respiration... so whenever it's out of balance, those systems are the first ones to be affected. The movement of vata may be underactive, overactive or simply uncoordinated, moving in the wrong direction.
This dosha is light, mobile, feeble, dry and cold so the opposite qualities, heavy, grounded, unctuous and warm must be applied. I'll explain it better with the examples below:
Causes of vata unbalance:
🖥️ Excessive exposure to screens
It is very rare that I see a person with a balanced vata for this very reason. We're connected to screens for most of our waking period, and the screen light and the overload of information are the biggest culprits for this unbalance.
❓What to do: limit exposure to screens as much as possible, avoid doomscrolling, use blue light filtering glasses and favor warm lights.
💤 Sleep
Unrestful sleep disturbs vata, and a disturbed vata will lead to unrestful sleep... it's a vicious cycle.
❓What to do: I have an entire post dedicated to sleep, so if this is you, please give it a read.
🥦 Vata-increasing foods
Foods that are dry, drying (e.i.: chips, coffee), light (e.i.: leafy greens), gas-forming (e.i.: cruciferous vegetables, kidney beans, beans) all increase vata dosha negatively, as well as cooking methods that are drying and uncooked, cold meals. See more examples below of foods to favor and to avoid.
❓What to do: make sure the foods with the above qualities are not the bulk of your diet. Prepare them to diminish their qualities, for instance, add olive oil to dry/drying foods, soak and blend beans, and steam and oil cruciferous vegetables. Another important tip is to add a digestive spice to every meal, most spices are favorable for vata, so vary as much as possible and spice away!
Favor foods that are grounding (e.i.: roots and root vegetables), moistening, and warming in energy and temperature.
🏃🏽 Erratic lifestyle
Vata loves to move, and it's always on the go, but if you keep such lifestyle and forget to practice grounding activities it will cause you trouble.
❓What to do: Slow down, keep a steady schedule, tend to you self care, practice mindfulness, meditation and grounding. Read: Grounding is much more than walking barefoot.
🏋🏽 Variable, intense and over exercising
High intensity interval training, crossfit are not suitable for a vata constitution, so best if avoided. They are also feeble and weak, so over exercise will not help them in the long run. (see what I did there? :D) Sexual activity is also included in this category.
❓What to do: prefere moderate, steady exercise, and add weight training to your workout routine. According to ayurveda, we should exercise to 50% of our capacity and this is an important rule to heed to especially for vata people.
🍂 Dry, cold weather
As I mentioned, vata is dry and cold so if you're environment has such qualities, vata will not be happy. Fall and winter season are particularly disturbing for vata.
❓What to do: obviously, keep yourself warm and moist inside and out, by ingesting healthy oils and by applying oil to your skin topically. Sesame or sesame infused with brahmi oils are amazing to keep vata in check, it can be applied to the whole body, and it's especially helpful when massaged on the head, ears, soles, palms and heart center.
😟 Unhealthy emotions
Stress, anxiety, fear, and worry are all part of being a human, but if it becomes a constant in their lives, will deplete a vata person very quickly.
❓What to do: easier said than done, but we must find our way to healing, either through therapy, spiritual practices, meditation, community.
✈️ Traveling
The sudden changes in location, temperature, pressure, altitude, etc., will inevitably increase vata, in all types of modes of transportation but especially air travel. We've all suffered from jet lag at one time or another, and it's a body's way of telling us that it has felt an impact and it needs to recover.
❓What to do: rest up, and apply all the vata-pacifying recommendations you learned on this post, cozy, structural foods and an oil massage will bring you a great benefit.
To a balanced life!
Namaste,
Grazie Prokopetz, Doctor of Ayurveda
FAVOR | AVOID |
Top things to favor Healthy oils, warm and unctuous foods and cooking methods Vegetables All except “avoid list”. Always cooked with added oil, i.e.: steamed, sautéed Fruits All except “avoid list” Grains Rice, basmati rice, cooked oats, wheat Meats White meat, seafood, bone broth Nuts and seeds All and varied Beans Pink lentils, chickpeas (without skin), tofu, mung beans Spices and sugars All, except “avoid list” Honey (never heated) or natural sweeteners
Oils Most, except “avoid list” Favor sesame, avocado, and olive oils Teas Lemon balm, camomile, peppermint, lavender | Top things to avoid Dry, raw, cold foods and cooking methods. Foods that cause gas such as kidney beans and cabbage Vegetables Avoid cabbage, sprouts. Avoid raw vegetables. Avoid uncooked and without oil: broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, eggplant, mushrooms, peas, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini. Cruciferous and nightshades. Fruits Avoid everyday: apples, cranberries, pears, pomegranate Grains Avoid everyday: barley, buckwheat, corn, dry oats, millet, rye Meats Red meat only 2-3 X /month Avoid processed meats (i.e.: deli meats, hams, etc) Dairy Avoid everyday Beans Avoid all except “favor list” Spices and sugars Avoid everyday: coriander seed, fenugreek, parsley, saffron, turmeric and hot spices Oils Corn, canola Coffee in moderation |
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