It’s the #1 question I get...

Let me guess, you’re trying to be a good Ayurvedic student and make the right choices for your health, but your progress is stuck because now that you have begun learning, you realize you have no idea what dosha to balance! “How do I balance my natural dosha if the imbalanced one is opposite qualities? And what if I’m two doshas? And what about the seasons?” Sound familiar? I’ve totally been in your shoes! And I can help.

So, first. You don’t have to know your dosha, exactly.

When I first started learning Ayurveda in 2007, it took me 1 1/2 years to figure out my prakruti (natural balance of doshas), because my vata was so high, I acted and felt like a true vata. However, after some time, introspection, observation and practice I’m 90% sure I’m vata-pitta even split. See!? I’m still not exactly sure what my prakruti is! But I’m okay with that.

I share with with you because, even by...

Bringing Ayurveda to Life podcast episode #17

We all have certain things that drive us bonkers! You know, like the tumbling pile of shoes at the door entry, the residual toothpaste spit trail in the sink, or when someone places the wire veggie strainer in the soaking gooey mac n' cheese pot and you're like, "Dude, that was clean. Now there is melty, gooey cheese stuck in these mesh wires." Yep, certain things just drive us nuts.

Ayurvedically speaking, the doshas have certain preferences and tendencies. Some are more vocal about their dislike while others bite their tongue. 

We can use the doshas to strengthen our relationships when we find out what the other person needs, how they work best, how they like to be approached, etc,. Once you find that out, your relationships will be GOLDEN.

Before we jump into crazy-making there are 2 things to think about:

Our tendencies are not excuses. They are things to be...

 What does Ayurvedic say about Restless Sleep?

Ayurveda says that restless sleep is usually a vata-pitta disturbance.

Vata is the energy of movement and if vata is increased, that zippy energy can keep us awake and amped when we should be sleeping.

Pitta energy is the energy of transformation and that also has a mobile quality in it because when something transforms, it changes from one to the other.

Between these two energies the root cause of the sleep problem could be weighing more on a vata side, or a pitta side or a combination of both. Because of this interplay between vata and pitta, we can get insomnia, and there's actually two different kinds of insomnia.

#1 Vata-Type insomnia. This type of insomnia is when we can easily fall asleep but around 2:00 AM or 3:00 AM, we *wake up!* and we're not able to fall back to sleep (until the sun is about to come up...and then we get drowsy). If hat happens to you, that points...

Raise your hands if it's HOT outside! Maybe the weather is sticky humidity or maybe it's hot n' dry — feeling like you're walking in a blow dryer (Vegas, anyone?).

Or maybe you've got a perfectly sunny 75 degree day with a light breeze. *exhale, wiggle toes* The sun is out much longer this time of year, creating more heat and longer days, but that can feel kinda like we're "on" all day long. While we are excited to play in our day a bit longer, which can make us a bit more tired. 

When the seasons change, we need to transition properly so that we practice the right diet and lifestyle regimens in the correct season. 

How (and why) to transition properly from spring into summer.

Spring is kapha season, which is ruled by the elements water and earth. In spring we love to have light, spicy, dry foods to balance the dampness and chilliness in the environment.

Summer is pitta season, which is ruled by the elements fire and water....

Soooo...raise your hand, if you have kind lost your appetite lately. Or, notice any strange cravings, like you just want a bowl of cereal for dinner or a piece of fruit for lunch?

You're not crazy! It's because we are moving right into pitta season! In pitta season the fire + water elements govern the weather, the greater nature surrounding us.

We tend to think of summer as hot/fire, so you might be thinking, "But wait, it's hot...like increases like, so I should be starving." Good thinking! But notice that water element.

Because of the water, our digestive fire actually goes down a little bit. Water puts out fire.

Spicy, saucy, savory foods don't really sound good to us right now, it's counterintuitive to what's happening in nature. Instead we start craving pitta-balancing foods that are cooling and sweet like sweet fruits, sweet cereals, maybe ice creams! We no longer order a hot chai, we ask for an iced matcha.

 In fact, I just...

Lassi is a yogurt drink made especially to enhance digestion. Please note that while made from yogurt, lassi is not yogurt.

In fact, they have completely opposite qualities. Yogurt is a channel clogger and not good for any dosha — it can really screw up peoples' digestion. It starts out too cold and damp, but then digests very hot. It dampens digestive fire and when combined with fruit, it becomes a double whammy Ayurvedic no-no because fruit + diary are considered a wrong food combination.

If you have any problems with allergies, slow metabolism, cloudy mind, lethargy, tendency toward being cold, heartburn, acid reflux, burping up food, sinus problems and/or chest congestion, try stopping the yogurt. Just try it for two weeks and see how you feel. You can always go back to yogurt if you want, but my guess is that you will feel better.

BUT! We're not talking about yogurt, we are talking about lassi! Beautiful channel opening, digestion enhancing lassi!!

Lassi is made from...

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This question is stemming from several of you!

"What balances vatas and pittas in kapha season?"

Overall, vatas and pittas are going to be balanced by kapha season. Happy day!

I quickly made this crude little chart (it shows up reversed in the video), but in very simple terms, these are how the qualities shake out in kapha season.

In general vatas and pittas will be balanced by kapha season. In Ayurveda we talk a lot about the qualities — we use the opposite qualities to bring balance.

Kapha qualities are: cold, wet, heavy, static (non-moving) and dull.
Vata qualities are: cold, dry, light, mobile, and rough.

Vata qualities: all except COLD are opposite of kapha which means, kapha will balance vata for the most part. However, vatas need to stay warm in their environment, body and diet in spring.

Pitta qualities are: hot, slightly-oily...

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Food is the basic building blocks for our physical bodies. Depending on who we are as a unique person, or, our balance of doshas, we might need different types of foods.

Vatas are very light and airy. They will need foods that are grounding, stabilizing and warm. Since vatas don't have a lot of structure, their food needs to have more structure or they will get weak and their tissues will break down. They need to eat what I call "building" foods.

Pittas are slightly oily, hot and sharp. They will also need foods that are cooling, fresh, and mild. They will also need grounding foods but for a different reason — pittas will burn through food quickly, so if it's not substantial enough, they will be hungry (and cranky!) often. Pittas have medium structure and also need "building" foods so their naturally strong digestive fire stays strong, without burning up the tissues.

Kaphas are already quite built! They need light,...

 My friends, for those of you who feel consistently sluggish, moving your body is the key to get energized. We are not meant to sit for hours on end in front of a computer or tv - it's just not natural! Since we are little beings of nature so we need to move, sweat, and tone our bodies. 

Moving is essential to keep disease and sickness away (immunity booster) and it tones all the tissues of the body. Food and exercise are the building blocks for the physical body. So if we're only doing one of those things right, we are only half way. That said, I know it can be frustrating when you know you need to do some sort of exercise, but you're not sure exactly what is best for you. But that's what I'm here for!

Since Ayurveda is individualized, each dosha does better with certain exercises.
Not sure of your dosha yet?  Take the quiz.

Exercises for vata

Vatas, you need to slow down. Slooooooooooow dooooooowwwwwn. Okay, even slower. ;) Because vata is so wiggly, windy,...

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PITTA: THE ENERGY OF TRANSFORMATION

Temperment LEADERSHIP & INTELLECT
Elements fire (tejas) + water (aap)
Qualities sharp, hot, oily, smooth, mobile
Season late spring thru summer
Nature sun
Main Location small intestines

Pitta dosha is responsible for digestion and transformation. Pitta is the heat that transforms food, thoughts and physical exertion into energy. Pitta is the medium and agni (digestive fire) is the content so the state of your pitta dosha determines whether you are digesting food properly. Ama is caused by undigested food and it is toxic. Therefore you have healthy pitta, you have healthy agni, and you won't get ama.

Since pitta people are made of fire and water, they are more sturdy than vata types and it takes them a moderate amount of time to get out of balance and come back into balance. Pittas tend to be on the warm side and...