OftheSoul: Ayurveda

“The food that is eaten is divided threefold.

The gross part becomes excrement.

The middle part becomes flesh.

The subtle part becomes the mind.”

--Upanishads


Kichari is a staple dish in India. Ayurvedic practice recommends it be eaten as often as possible, especially after a fast. It ranges from fluffy (as pictured above), to a more soupy, porridge-like consistency.

Recently I attended a wonderful function centered on “ayurvedic cooking.” A sign was posted on a beverage cannister pointing out that the beverage inside was “tridoshic,” and several people asked me what it meant. Here’s a brief explanation of this term, and how it relates to ayurveda (and to the drink inside the cannister!). This explanation is my simple take on this subject, in no way coming close to a scholarly treatise of any measure. Bookstores and the internet have abundant literature about this topic, written by experts. So search those places to dig deeper if you would like to learn more, or talk to an ayurveda doctor proper.

Doshas

This much I do know: Ayurveda is an ancient East Indian system of health primarily incorporating what we eat and drink, as well as many other wellness and beauty practices (with the belief that inner and outer beauty both spring from wellness). Dosha is Sanskrit for “deviation.” It indicates one of three main expressions of prana (life-force energy) found in both the physical and spiritual environments: vata dosha, pitta dosha or kapha (kap-hah) dosha. These expressions are based on the ever-changing interplay of the five great elements (panchamahabhuta) within and around us: ether (akasha), air (vayu), earth (bhumi), water (jala), and fire (agni).


Panchakarma is an ayurvedic prac- tice that incorporates massage and other modalities geared toward clean- sing and detoxifying the body/mind.

Dosha could apply to a variety of things, such as the portion of the day it is at the moment, or the stage of one’s lifetime in which one finds oneself, or the primary constitution of one’s physical body and mind. In terms of our body/minds then, the goal of ayurveda is to maintain a stasis between spirit (atma), mind (mana), emotions (indriya), and physical body (sharira). Ayurveda uses what we eat and drink, and other health-maintenance practices, as "tools" for establishing and maintaining that stasis.

Tridosha Here’s a little more about all three dosha, collectively called tridosha (three doshas):
Vata, pitta, and kapha dosha, respectively. Ayurveda contends that our dosha (constitutions ) are related to our overall bodily characteristics. This is not a hard and fast rule, however, just a general guideline. A lot of other factors can impact and influence the doshas, such as environment, lifestyle habits, etc.

Vata
Vata dosha is when the air element holds court within the subject at hand, along with the ether element. In terms of our body/minds, this translates to that which concerns the movement of prana. Vata dosha therefore governs muscles/tissue (movement of the body), breathing (movement of air/prana), blood (movement of nourishment and toxins), and such. A vata mind is said to be full of creativity, enthusiasm, and flexibility when balanced; and full of fearfulness and worry when imbalanced (too much movement of thought, insomnia a common vata dosha ailment). If out of balance, vata dosha persons would undertake diets and complementary practices which “slow” them down, to achieve balance. You don’t want too much movement, but you don’t want to be too much slowed down either, leading to stagnancy. You want to be somewhere in between.

Pitta
Pitta dosha is when fire is the dominant element. This concerns the transmutation of prana. It addresses how we mentally, physically and emotionally “digest” thoughts, food and emotions. In terms of our bodies, it concerns absorption, metabolism, the endocrine system (the “seat” of pitta dosha), enzymatic activities throughout the body, stomach, small intestines, and so on. Pitta dosha creates heat, and the transformative power of fire is highly symbolic here. Heat could either pleasantly warm us, or painfully burn us. When balanced, a pitta mind is said to be intelligent, brilliant and discriminating; when imbalanced, it’s angry and hateful. If out of balance, pitta dosha persons would undertake diets and complementary practices which “cool” them down (avoiding hot spices, upsetting places and people, etc). You don’t want to be an overbearing, “Type A” dictator, but you don’t want to be indifferent and removed toward life either. You want to enjoy life somewhere in the middle, “fired-up” yet balanced in your approach.

Meditation is one of THE BEST ways to deal

with unprocessed emotions, which could

become ama (toxins) in your spirit, according

to an ayurvedic perspective.

We should teach kids to meditate regularly!
Instead, we banish them to the corner of the room

for "Time Out," sending the message that being

alone with your thoughts is always punishment.

Meditation and journal writing are a great combin-
ation. Keep a journal nearby to further process the

insight you've gained after a meditation session.

On a related note, as an intuitive reader, I found it interesting that a high percentage of people who consult with me have “undigested” emotions and unprocessed thoughts, which have already, or are about to turn into unmitigated anger, fear, or some other spiritual toxin. The people themselves usually feel it. I surmise that they seek an intuitive like me because their own intuition is saying, “Hey, pay attention to me!" They’ve stopped listening because they found that an emotion or thought they’ve encountered is just too difficult to process.

So they sometimes start having strange dreams at night, or odd synchronicities during the day, or spirit guides from the Other Side trying to get their attention, to no avail. I am thoroughly convinced that the concept of “metabolism” really does apply to the thoughts we think, and the emotions we feel, not just to the food we eat. Indeed, I agree with the traditional Indian view that the body and mind are one. We have to process it all.

Kapha
Finally, kapha dosha is when the earth element dominates, with water element vivifying it. It concerns that which “cements” prana. It governs our bones, tendons, spinal fluid, body fat, joint lubrication, skin moisturizing, wound healing, etc. Kapha dosha cools the firey energy of pitta dosha, and grounds the airy energy of vata dosha. When balanced, those with a baseline kapha mind are said to be loving, compassionate, and possessing a sense of calmness about them. When imbalanced, they are said to be lethargic, to ruminate and obsess over attachments, or to be covetousness and jealous of others. An imbalanced kapha dosha tends to be mentally and physically “phlegmy.” An ayurvedic practitioner might advise an out-of-balance kapha dosha person to undertake an astringent, clarifying diet, while avoiding sweets, fats and mucus-producing things. They might be encouraged to move around and exercise vigorously. Mentally, they would want to balance a sense of love and respect for others, without letting it turn into envy or obsessiveness.

Tridosha

Common herbs in Indian cooking. Ayurvedic
dishes are either tridoshic, or geared toward
balancing a particular dosha, depending on
the need of the individual.

When people are described as “tridoshic,” they are said to have all three dosha in sustained balance most of the time.
Foods and beverages can be tridoshic also, thus the “tridoshic” beverage in the cannister I mentioned above. It consisted of honey, lemon juice, ginger juice, fresh mint leaves, and optional tukmaria (holy basil) seeds to sprinkle into it. These ingredients complement all three doshas at the same time. And that's the goal of an ayurvedic diet, to aim for foods and beverages that cover a lot of bases like that, regularly including the traditional six tastes (sat rasa): sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent.

Feel Free to Tinker

From an ayurvedic perspective, it’s as though our lives are a long trip in a car. When the car is going too far over the speed limit, we use the brake to slow the car down, lest we get a ticket or hurt somebody. When we’re driving too slow and people start honking at us, we use the excelerator to speed the car up. Ayurveda likewise gives us tools to make our Earth-walks long, safe, and enjoyable. Another example might be that our bodies are like houses. When the house is too warm, we turn on the air conditioner. When the house is too cold, we crank up the heater, tinkering with the temperature until we are at a comfortable stasis. Through ayurveda we could likewise tinker with our constitutions and metabolism, making daily as-needed adjustments, so that we operate at our physical and mental optimums.


Learn ayurvedic massage yourself, and treat a loved one to a gift from your own hands and heart.

An ayurvedic doctor, a really astute mom or grandma, or a well-rounded yogi would look at both your long term, overall doshic constitution (prakruti), as well as your short term condition, which could be of a different dosha altogether. Then, he or she would put together a holistic program to bring balance to any “deviation” from optimum health you’re experiencing. For example, a woman could be of a kapha dosha constitution most of the time, but because she’s, say, currently in the throes of menopause, she might find herself in a pitta dosha state. She might be prescribed a diet, and probably some herbal remedies, which address her “overheated” symptoms, with cooling foods and complementary practices (like “restorative yoga”) that bring peace to her racing mind and body. So all throughout your life, you have to keep tinkering with different foods, practices and mindsets, as the energies within and around your body and mind change.

Well, I tried to avoid having a Part II to this article, but it looks I will have to write it after all, as there are a few terms related to this topic that I still want to address. Check back soon, or subscribe in a reader and you'll get Part 2 automatically (click here: Subscribe to this blog). Until then, good health to you!

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