Have you ever noticed how different people have difficulties losing weight, others difficulties gaining weight, how some people have more oily skin than others? How our bodies react differently to certain kinds of food and weather?
A few years ago I started to notice that I started getting really irritated on windy days… even disturbed to the point of stress. I couldn’t understand why because when I was younger I loved to be out in windy and stormy weather. When I came across Ayurveda and started learning about the philosophy, this started to make sense. Ayurvedic Medicine is one of the world’s oldest holistic healing systems, developed more than 3,000 years ago in India and based on ancient texts called the Vedas. It is based on the belief that health and wellness depend on a delicate balance between the mind, body, and spirit.
What I found most interesting is how there are three types of bodily constitutions (doshas) called vata, pitta and kapha, which are based on the 5 elements and their qualities; fire, earth, air, water and ether. We naturally fall into a combination of these constitutions and when our body, mind or spirit is out of balance we tend to become possibly irritated, sad or even anxious. I realised my constitution was Vata/Pitta (air/fire). This allowed me to understand that when for example I found myself extremely irritated by wind, this meant my Vata was out of balance, which meant I had an accumulation of air in my system.
Through the recommendations of Ayurveda, I was able to counteract the imbalance through certain foods and lifestyle recommendations. I realised I was eating too many airy foods like broccoli and cauliflower and so in my case eating warming and spicy food helped a lot. Though for somebody with a pitta constitution, they would need the opposite treatment if they were imbalanced. So Ayurveda gave me a roadmap of what was good for me and my particular constitution.
Ayurveda is built on the principle that we are all different and unique and that by getting to know ourselves deeply we will be able to make better and healthier choices that are uniquely supportive to us. This basically means we all have different elements and food that are ideal for our bodies, which can be harmful to others. Learning more about my particular constitution and how I react to certain elements allowed me to detect faster any imbalances within myself and act accordingly when I felt out of whack!
Check out the images below to check how this can apply to you. For an introduction to Ayurveda and the doshas, check out Amber’s Workshop this coming Sunday 24th October 2021 09:30-12:30 at Sanya Eco Spa. The price is eur45, it includes use of the pool and spa facilities, and you will also receive a special discount on Sanya’s ayurvedic abhyanga healing massage. You can book a place here.
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