Vibrant Health and Deep Consciousness
- Lisa Moore
- Mar 18
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 28
Yoga and Ayurveda Part II
Did you miss Part I? Here’s the link: Yoga and Ayurveda Part I
Yoga was envisioned by ancient seers as a methodical spiritual system that:
● Teaches us to live ethically and morally in the world
● Relaxes and detoxifies the physical body
● Strengthens the subtle, energy body
● Perpetuates mind control
● Guides us to Self-realization so that we can merge with God and release the attachments
that keep us suffering
The reductive and colonized concept of yoga being a performative workout is the downfall of yoga here in the West, in my opinion. And it most certainly hooked me and my restless ego in at the price of my physical and mental health.
Where I Went Wrong with Yoga and How It Affected Me
Thirty-one years ago I was not following the medical system that yoga and ayurveda together create. Again, ayurveda is based on “like increases like” and I was definitely exacerbating my physical/mental symptoms by unknowingly ramping up my air element via food and lifestyle habits.
I was the perfect example of someone who carried too much vata (air and space) and was doing everything wrong according to the tenants of ayurveda.
I was exhibiting early-stage vata disease patterns: anxiety, panic attacks, worry, nervousness, debilitation, exhaustion, insomnia, chronic constipation, lack of focus, aches and pains in my body. I felt terrible, but I thought doing yoga would relieve this. Afterall, that is what the media reported - that yoga is amazing for stress reduction and anxiety.
Of course, I know now that it has to be the right kind of yoga.
So I kept at it. I went three days a week to my local gym doing fast-paced, challenging yoga with loud, blaring music and the constant voice of the teacher throwing out instructions and corrections. Looking back I can see that was a lot of input for my fragile nervous system.
Even though I had an excess of air and space elements in my mind and body, I craved them and was attracted to air and space in all forms. My diet consisted of foods that were dry and airy: raw foods, beans, rice cakes, toast, protein powder, crackers, etc. I now see how I was dehydrating my tissues and increasing vata.
I also wanted airy types of exercise that involved excess movement: running, step aerobics and fast-paced yoga. And I did a LOT of it, so there was no moderation. After all, I was achieving more because I was doing more…or so I thought.
And my ego (that pesky thing that we are supposed to gain better control of according to yoga) was very attached to what I thought were my ideal diet and exercise plans. I could see no other way because I was frozen in attachment and refused to entertain alternatives. My ego poo-poohed slower and gentler styles of yoga because that seemed very underachieving to me. More is more was the only way for me.
Learning to combine yoga and Ayurveda has truly been one of the biggest gamechangers and gifts in my lifetime. I healed my gut and enhanced digestion, improved my sleep, learned to regulate my nervous system and strengthened my prana. I wasn’t dominated by my thoughts and life got better on every level.
If I had not adopted the marriage of these powerful sciences my initial disease pattern could have progressed into more advanced vata disorders: Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, heart palpitations, tinnitus, neurosis, arthritis, autoimmune disease, IBS, Crohn’s, hormone imbalances, osteoporosis, tremors, infertility.
Do Yoga Asana Designed for Your Mind-Body Type
Shifting the type of yoga I was doing was key to my health recovery and relinquishing my egoic attachment to my performance. I am very petite and sensitive, with tendencies to anxiety, depletion, running out of energy and exhaustion. People with small bodies and sensitive nervous systems do not have a lot of endurance, so I needed a sustainable and nourishing type of yoga.
Dr. David Frawley, Director of the American Institute for Vedic Studies, views asanas as vehicles for energy that can be used to help balance the doshas, if used correctly. He believes that through ayurveda we gain a proper understanding of our unique nature so that our yoga practice is relative to who we are and to our particular condition at the time of practice. (Learn more about Dr. David Frawley in Yoga and Ayurveda Part I).
This is key because our condition is always changing due to stress, digestion, life challenges, the environment, etc. So our practice should address what we are presenting at any given time instead of being a rote routine based around fast sun salutations. We should look at yoga asana as a toolbox and choose the tools that will balance our prevailing condition.
So let’s look at ideal asana plans for each dosha.
Yoga to Balance Vata Dosha
Most people have a vata imbalance because of the busyness of their lives and the constant use of technology that perpetuates too much movement via the air element. So yoga for vata is going to apply to a vast majority of the population.
Vata types need calm, grounding, soothing, contemplative practices. The flow needs to be slower, using poses that bring energy down: moving mountain pose, warriors, balancing postures, slow sun salutations.
The bodily seat of the vata is the colon, so poses like cobra, twists and forward bends that work the lumbar spine, intestines, pelvis and sacrum will help with digestion. Vatas tend toward hyperactivity, so a long savasana of 15 min or so is advisable. Calming breathwork like alternate nostril breathing, humming bee breath and ujayii “ocean breath" settle and calm the mind.
Words that relate to a vata practice are: trust, relaxation, stillness, grounded, surrender, and restore.
Yoga to Balance Pitta Dosha
Pitta types, ruled by fire and water, tend to be overly heated in the body and mind so they need to be cooled off. Due to their inflammatory nature, the last thing they need is hot yoga, yet their fiery constitution is often attracted to it if they are imbalanced. They are drawn to intense, demanding postures so they need non-competitive, calming yoga.
Pitta sequences need a fluid, cooling quality and they should practice in a cool environment.
The seat of pitta is in the small intestine and liver and these types are prone to excess heat in the GI tract. Twists and backbends wring out excess bile and pacify pitta. Lateral bends move excess heat from the internal organs.
Per pranayama, cool, relaxed breathing is the medicine. Sitali (cooling) breath or left nostril breathing are appropriate for excess heat and hyperacidity. Periodically exhaling through the mouth can release excessive heat and frustration.
Words that relate to a pitta practice are: surrender, let go, soften, rejuvenate, patience, and calm.
Yoga to Balance Kapha Dosha
Kaphas, the combination of earth and water, tend to move very little and are understimulated - almost the opposite of vata. So they need yoga that is warm, vigorous and challenging. They are the ones that need hot power yoga.
Kapha resides in the stomach and lungs so they need backbends like camel, cobra and locust. Poses that are challenging, warming and vigorous are the most beneficial. Kapha-reducing poses like headstand, shoulderstand and bow pose reduce stagnant energy. Fast sun salutations should be regularly practiced.
Because of their lethargic nature, savasana should be shorter for kaphas and may include a silent mantra or visualization to avoid them drifting off into sleep. Pranayama exercises that stimulate the body and clear the mind should be practiced. Vigorous pranayama is used to open the lungs and clear the mind. Breath of fire, bellows breath and right nostril breathing help to energize and detox kaphas.
Words that relate to a kapha practice are: energize, lighten up, uplift, fiery, clarity, illuminate and open.
Use Your Asana Practice as Medicine
Integrating yoga and ayurveda completely changed how I personally do yoga and how I teach it.
Instead of approaching yoga as a way to work out and conquer challenging poses, my personal practice is now an intuitive sequence that reduces any excess elements in my mind and body, breathwork that pacifies my nervous system and improves the flow of prana, and meditation that brings me closer to my source. It’s a beautiful, spiritual body prayer to the Divine.
As a group yoga teacher, I meet students where they are at and guide them on a journey to reduce the stress and overthinking we all suffer from. I offer nuggets of contemplation and deep, nourishing practices that bring them closer to the state of yoga which is to be neutral, calm and present.
As a yoga therapist, I create customized protocols that address a client’s symptoms and health conditions. I empower them to take control of their bodies and minds using the vast toolkits of yoga and ayurveda.
Dr. Frawley says, “Yoga and ayurveda go together for promoting health and wellbeing for body, mind and consciousness, showing us how to live in harmony with nature and according to our own individual nature. As long as we are not living in harmony with nature and our constitution, we cannot expect ourselves to be really healed. Ayurveda gives us the means.”
I am grateful to have the wisdom to properly use these deeply effective sister sciences. I can honestly say that I feel better than ever at age 61. I encourage you to consider your approach to your yoga practice and discern if the inclusion of ayurveda could benefit you as well.
Namaste,
Lisa
