If you have been a little bit into health or fitness, you must have heard about terms like hard gainer, ectomorph, or mesomorph. Those are the technical names of the constitutional character of a body of a person. However, in Ayurveda and Yogic science, these are known as yoga doshas. Basically, these depict the genetic model of a person, the biological reactions, responsive mechanism of a body, and much more. Yoga doshas engulf the physical built, emotional response, and spiritual outlook of a person in relation to the Universe.
So, long story short, if you want to enhance your physical and mental health, you need to learn how to balance the yoga doshas. For starters, there are three yoga doshas. We will read about those in a short while. The most important thing you should know is to recognize your Ayurveda doshas first. Then only you’ll be able to balance them.
With that being said, let’s first understand different types of yoga doshas. Then, you can learn different yoga asanas to work on balancing your Ayurveda doshas.
The major elemental constituency of the Vata dosha is air and space. Furthermore, a person having dominant Vata dosha is active and athletic. Thus, you can derive from this, the person is going to be mentally and physically active.
Moreover, Vata dosha personalities have dry skin and hair. Their bodies are always cold and they prefer to live in warm weather. Also, there are various physical or mental ailments related to Vata dosha when it is imbalanced. A few of those are mentioned below:
Fire and water elements are dominant in a person having dominant Pitta yoga dosha. The word Pitta can be loosely translated to ‘which cooks’. So, the major energy of the Pitta yoga dosha goes to digestion. Hence, a person having dominant Pitta doshas has a strong digestive system.
The Pitta character is hot and intense due to the presence of a fire element. Furthermore, a Pitta dominant person has a physically average physique with oily skin and bright eyes. Since there is a fire element inside the Pitta character, they tend to sweat a lot. Moreover, they prefer cold weather and easily get irritated in a warm environment.
A few ailments that the Pitta character would experience if this yoga dosha is out of balance are mentioned below:
Kaphas doshas have water and earth elements. A person having Kapha yoga dosha has smooth functioning and movements of all the body parts. The word Kapha can be loosely translated to ‘that sticks’. Hence, you can translate it to a body that sticks together.
Therefore, a Kapha dominant person has a larger body frame, heavy bones, and dense muscles. Moreover, he or she can gain or lose weight easily with a little tweak in their diet. Furthermore, a Kapha dominant person has oily skin and hair.
When the Kapha yoga dosha is imbalanced, a person can suffer from the following issues:
As you can see, the above mentioned are the three yoga doshas. Everybody has different yoga doshas that can manipulate the working and proficiency of your body. Also read yoga mudras
Bi-doshic means a person has two dominant yoga doshas. However, is that possible? Can your body sustain two yoga doshas simultaneously? To know all about that, keep reading.
The simplest answer would be yes. A person can have two yoga doshas activate at the same time. In a layman language, a person shows characteristics of two yoga doshas that can be regarded as bi-doshic. Most people are bi-doshic.
Various circumstances decide the dominance of a particular yoga dosha. Therefore, you can say that in a particular condition, either of two is going to play a major role. When one is active, the other remains dormant and plays a significantly minor role. Furthermore, weather can also manipulate the yoga doshas.
You have read about various ailments that a person can have if the yoga doshas are not balanced. So, the question arises how can you balance your yoga doshas. For that, keep the following key points in check. Practicing yoga could be the best and easiest way to balance yoga doshas and that too in the minimum time. Read more Ida, Pingala and Sushumna Yoga Naadis
Even though most of the yoga poses are compatible to balance the Vata dosha. However, still, there are some exercises you should avoid practicing. This is to ensure you do not further worsen the condition of your body. Hence, you must focus on poses that calm your mind and soothe your senses.
It is one of the most exceptional yoga asanas for Vata dosha. To practice this pose, stand with your feet a little wider than a usual stance. If possible, keep them in alignment with your shoulders. Slowly raise your hands over your head and keep your arms straight.
Slightly hinge your hips a little back and bend forward. However, make sure your back is not rounding off. Rather, ensure that your spine is erect even while bending forward. Also, you should not lock out your knees. That is going to put too much stress on your knees. Rather, slightly bend your knees so that the pressure goes on the hamstrings and the hip muscles. Hence, it perfectly balances your Vata yoga dosha.
It is one of the best poses of yoga that compresses your pelvic region along with the Vata zone. You can practice this pose by sitting on your shin bones. Make sure your feet are extended such that the upper face of your feet is lying on the ground.
Bring your arms to your side and lower your head forward. Make sure your spine is straight so that the pressure can be released from your lower back. Moreover, you should feel a stretch in your hip region and hamstring muscles. In case you feel pain in your feet, place a yoga blanket under them for extra cushioning.
To start this pose, make sure you lie on your stomach on a flat surface. Furthermore, ensure that the surface is soft so that you do not get hurt. Take your arms to the back and fold your legs simultaneously. Get hold of your ankles with your hands. Make sure the hold is tight. From there, slowly lift your head, chest, and legs in the air.
It puts pressure on your lower back and stretches your quads. Furthermore, it massages your stomach and increases spine flexibility. When you are comfortable enough, pull your legs more so that your whole body is balanced on your stomach only.
Pitta dosha person is already a heated-up character. So, practicing heat-inducing yoga poses is not the best option for such practitioners. Rather, cooling and relaxing poses could be your go-to option. Such yoga poses help in sedating the heating effects and work on your doshas.
It is one of the best poses of yoga for Pitta yoga dosha. To practice this pose, kneel on your knees. Make sure you place some cushion or yoga blanket to ensure you don’t get hurt. You have two options to place your feet on the ground. Either you can make full contact of the upper side of your feet with the ground. Or you can place the fingertips of your feet if you lack the flexibility.
From there, take your arms back to let your hands touch your Achilles heel. It stretches your shoulder joints and opens your chest. Moreover, it balances out the Pitta dosha in the easiest way.
One of the greatest poses of yoga for solar plexus extension is the cobra pose. Furthermore, along with stretching your physical body, it heals ulcers and hepatitis. To practice the cobra pose, get on the yoga mat on your stomach. From there, bring your arms under your shoulders. Place your palms full on the ground to raise your upper body in the air.
While raising your upper body in the air, keep one thing in mind. Your lower body should never leave the ground. It is to ensure you feel a stretch in your lower back. Practicing cobra pose expands your chest and rib cage.
The eyes are one of the body organs controlled by your Pitta dosha. However, if you have been suffering from serious digestion issues, you should avoid practicing headstand. Moreover, the headstand generates a lot of heat in your body that gets accumulated in your head and eyes region.
To practice the headstand pose, place the top of your head on the ground. You should place something under your head to ensure your head does not hurt. From there, raise your legs and straighten them up. If you are not able to hold them without any support, you can support your legs on a nearby wall.
Kaphas dosha’s dominant personality is cold and sedated. Therefore, yoga poses that are heat-inducing in nature should be your choice. Kapha dosha is concentrated in the chest and stomach region. Hence, include yoga poses that heal congestion in the chest and overall body.
The bridge pose is very useful to balance the Kapha dosha. To begin with, lie on your back on a cushioned surface. Further, fold your legs to place your feet flat on the surface. Align your arms by the side of your body. Gently raise your lower back with the help of your legs.
Stop pushing your spine upward once your spine is in a straight line. Engage your core muscles and squeeze your hips. If you feel uncomfortable, tuck your chin into your chest. It stretches your neck muscles for better blood flow.
The inclusion of 12 yoga sequences makes it one of the best poses of yoga to balance the Kapha yoga dosha. Moreover, the transition from one yoga asana to the other heats up your core and body. Each round of sun salutations works from your head to the toe.
You need to take care of the pace and repetitions of your yoga poses. Since Kapha dosha is cold and lethargic, you have to boost the speed of your yoga practice. Only then your body generates more heat to balance your Kapha dosha.
If you know your doshas, you must be aware that downward facing dog is the most versatile yoga poses. Anyone can practice this yoga pose, no matter what yoga doshas a person has. Moreover, it heals your back pain, loosens up your tight hamstrings, and increases the strength in your arms, legs, and core muscles.
To practice the downward dog, get on your all fours. Place your palms on the ground with a firmer grip. Get onto your forefeet and raise your hips towards the ceiling. Make sure your arms are pushing out. Also, engage your scapula muscles. Try to place your full feet on the ground. If you are not able to do so, worry not. Just don’t push too much.
Conclusion
Vata, Pitta, and Kapha doshas are the three yoga doshas that every human body constitutes. One of the most important things you need to keep in mind is that you should know your doshas. Otherwise, you might be working aimlessly on an assumption.
So, if you want to live a healthy and fit life, you should know how to manipulate your body. Moreover, you should have a basic idea about to which food or exercises your body responds to. That is why we have dictated different yoga poses for different yoga doshas.
Also Read: Yin Yoga Teacher Training in India
Hence, when you keep all these above-mentioned points in mind, you can rest assured to achieve peak fitness. Over time, you don’t have to think much while making an exercise and eating routine for your body.