Is your Prakruti Vata? Prakruti, remember, is your elemental distribution at birth that remains with you your entire life in this body. (Your personal mix of ether, air, fire, water, and earth) As long as these elements stay to that distribution, you will stay balanced.
“That which moves” is called vata. Vata or as it is sometimes referred to as “vayu”, is air. If you took the doṣa test from the previous blog and you had more answers coming from the first column, you may be classified as having a “Vata Constitution”. What this means is that even though you possess all the elements or bhūtas in your physical body (ether, air, fire, water, and earth) it is the elements of air and ether that are more prominent. Ether also referred to as the idea of “space”, and air as the idea of “movement” helps explain the qualities of this doṣa. As Vata manifests in the physical body, you will see attributes such as a smaller/thinner physique, thin bones , thin hair, thin nails, dry and rough skin, some crookedness in bones or teeth, quick muscle twitch movements , and tendency toward coldness and dryness in general. Digestion may be irregular; sometimes strong, sometimes absent. Those with a vata constitution may have a tendency towards constipation due to its dry nature.
Take a look at the different profiles below. This is how Vata would present itself in different ways:
Mental Profile:
- Quick mind and restless
- Good short term memory
- Thoughts that are constantly changing
- Short term concentration
- Quick to grasp concepts
- Dreams that consist of fearful, flying, running jumping
- Interrupted and light sleep
- Talks fast, sometimes missing words
- Has a high pitched voice
Behavioral Profile:
- Eats quickly
- Has irregular hunger
- Prefers warm food and drink
- When trying to achieve goals gets distracted
- Gives small amounts to donations
- Has many causal relationships
- Has a variable or low sex drive
- Works best when supervised
- Doesn’t like cold weather
- Excites quickly as a reaction to stress
- Financially does not save and spends quickly
- Tends toward short-term friendships
Emotional Profile:
- Has moods that change quickly
- Reacts to stress with fear
- More sensitive to own feelings
- When threatened tends to run
- Relation with spouse is clingy
- Emotional trauma cause anxiety
- Confidence level is timid
Physical Profile:
- Average amount of hair
- Hair is dry
- Hair color light brown
- Skin temperature is cold, both hands and feet
- Has a darkish complexion
- Small eyes
- White of eyes are blue or brownish tint
- Has very large or very small teeth
- Is thin and has a hard time gaining weight
- Eliminates dry, hard, thin, stools
- Experiences constipation
- Veins are very prominent
Fitness Profile:
- Has little tolerance for exercise
- Fair endurance.
- Fair strength
- Very good speed
- Doesn’t like competitive pressure
- Walks fast
- Has a lean body with low body fat
- Runs like a deer
- Is small framed, lean or long
- Reacts quickly.
People having vata constitutions enjoy foods that are rich in cream, oils, butter and ghee because these substances counter balance the drying effect of vata. They like food and drinks to be hot, oily and nourishing and don’t like dry, toasted or porous foods which aggravate the already dry state of their bodies. Fasting does not suit vata people because it decreases their stamina. Vata’s move constantly and require frequent replenishment of food and water in order to maintain their energy level. Vata’s don’t’ like cold, dry, rough, hard, or light foods.
If this sounds like you, then you may be Vata. If you would like an Ayurvedic consultation to confirm your prakruti, and to learn how you can stay balanced, please contact me. I would love to be a part of your incredible journey.
