Diet and lifestyle for Vata

I learnt the Dosha and Ayurvedic diet in the theory class with Satya the other day. It was a brand new field to me and I found the whole concept very intriguing. To fully understand and master the knowledge of Ayurveda may take years of dedicated studying. However, a basic understanding on my own dosha type and live a balanced life accordingly will for sure have a positive effect on my physical and mental health.
Universal life force manifests as three energies, known as doshas, which are vata, pitta, and kapha. Everyone has an unique combination of the three doshas, whereas the proportions of each may be affected by genetics, lifestyle and mental activities. The goal is to balance our doshas so that optimal level of energy, physical and mental health could be achieved.
I took the dosha quiz and found out that I am dominated by vata. Vata means to blow or move like a wind. The elements of vata are air and space. Therefore, vata people tends to be thin with narrow bones and dry skins. Their minds and actions run fast, resulting in the difficulty to meditate. They also enjoy changes and dislike routine life. With that being said, it is important to balance the vata dosha to avoid excess of vata qualities.
The principle of balancing dosha is to increase the qualities opposite to vata. The tools we can use include dietary, herbal, aromas, mantras, massages and lifestyles. What I can do daily is to eat vata-friendly meals. In general, vata should avoid foods that are raw, cold, pungent, bitter and astringent. Emphasizing my diet on sweet, sour and salty, as well as good fat. Besides, daily practice of hatha yoga to hold the asanas and meditation may also do good on achieving the balance. Changing our eating habit and lifestyle might not happen in a switch, but putting efforts to keep our dosha balanced will definitely show the positive effects in the future.
Carina Wang
YTT 200, Sep 2017