In today's world it can be difficult to find balance. Between work, home and after school activities, your only relief may come when you finally crawl into bed at night. This imbalance can leave you open to undue stress, anger and sickness. There are ways to manage this, though, and the answer might be Ayurveda. This is a holistic approach, so speak to your doctor before using it as a means of treatment.
Definition of Ayurveda
Ayurveda is more than 5,000 years old, and is as common in the Eastern world as it is for people in the Western world to make an appointment with the doctor when a sore throat strikes. Broken down, Ayurveda translates into, "the science of life," explains John Douillard, Ph.D., author of "The Yoga Body Diet." It is a holistic approach to healing and preventing disease by keeping your body, soul and mind in balance through proper diet and lifestyle.
Doshas
Balance in Ayurveda is achieved by maintaining a healthy dosha, or energy source. Doshas are a combination of your mental, physical and emotional characteristics that make you who you are. Although you may contain traits of all three -- vata, pitta or kapha -- one dosha dominates your characteristics and the functions of your body. A balanced dosha has the personality nature intended and is free of sickness, while an imbalanced dosha is the opposite. Stress, environmental factors and poor eating habits contribute to imbalance.
Pitta
Pittas are a combination of fire and water. They are fiery in nature, with sharp minds and an ability to concentrate. Assertive and confident, pittas go after what they want, driven and competitive. Extremely intelligent, a pitta likes to be a leader. If out of balance, a pitta can be demanding and pushy. If under stress they become easily irritated and angry. Although good with public speaking, imbalance can result in sarcasm and sharp, cutting words. Inflammatory conditions, such as rashes, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome and high blood pressure can occur from imbalance.
Anti-Pitta Diet
An anti-pitta diet serves to balance the natural characteristics of a pitta when an imbalance has occurred. Cooling foods help soothe the fiery nature, while avoiding spicy foods helps do the same. The diet itself consists of three meals a day, no snacks. This gives your body time to process the food you eat and heal your digestive tract. Doing so aids in the balancing process. Drinking warm water throughout the day does the same. Eating specific foods, such as artichokes, asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, kale, lettuce and watercress aids in the balance restoration process. Include fruits such as apples, apricots, berries, cherries, all melons, pears and plums. Your spices should be calming, such as chamomile, cilantro and coriander. Eat garbanzo beans, snow peas, split peas and tofu. Snack on coconut, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Soy milk is the healthiest for you, as are grains such as barley and rice. Herbal teas such as chicory, hibiscus and mint are nice in the evening. Meats such as chicken and freshwater fish should comprise most of your entrees.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Ayurveda; September 2009
- Holistic Online.com: Treating Pitta-Type Heart Disease
- "The Yoga Body Diet," John Douillard, Ph.D., et al.; 2010
