Teacher Training
In our Group Session tonight we learned about another tool we can use to help balance our life. In addition to regular yoga practice yoga, balancing chakras and learning about the Eight Limbed Yogic Path, we were introduced to Ayurveda. Ayurveda is a form of holistic medicine. It’s a healing system that treats a whole person, rather than just treating their symptoms. Ayur means life and Veda means science or knowledge, which is why Ayurveda is often referred to as, The Science of Life.
Just like the Eight Limbed Yogic Path is a step-by-step path toward realization of yoga, or union, with the universal self, Ayurveda provides guidelines on how a person can help realize their full potential through daily and seasonal routines, diet, behavior and the proper use of the senses. Ayurveda shows us how health is really the balance of each of our own environment, body, mind and spirit.
Ayurveda has seven guiding principles:
- Take time each day to quiet your mind (meditate)
- Eat a colorful, flavorful diet
- Engage in daily exercise that enhances flexibility, strength and cardio fitness
- Sleep soundly at night
- Eliminate what is not serving you
- Cultivate loving, nurturing relationships
- Perform work that awakens your passion
Three energies, known as doshas govern each of our inner and outer environments: movement, transformation and structure. In Sanskrit, these energies are known as Vata (Wind), Pitta (Fire) and Kapha (Earth). These three energies are responsible for the characteristics of our mind and body. Every one of us is made up of a unique blend of these energies, with one of these energies usually being more dominant than the other two.
Here are a few characteristics of each dosha:
Vata – Light, think, enthusiastic, energetic and changeable
Pitta – Intense, intelligent, goal-oriented and have a strong appetite for life
Kapha – Easy-going, methodical and nurturing
The goal of Ayurveda is to help a person be able to identify their ideal state of balance, determine where they are out of balance and offer interventions using diets, herbs, aromatherapy, massage treatments, music and meditation to reestablish balance.
Curious to see which dosha you’re most dominant in naturally? Tonight, each of us took the short quiz to discover our dosha. Most of us aren’t just one dosha, we’re a combination of two or all three of them. This quiz is designed to be a guideline on where your energy naturally lies on a regular basis.
Discover Your Dosha Type: Click Here To Take The Quiz
Turns out, I’m a Pitta. This made sense to me for a lot of different reasons. Those who practice hot yoga tend to gravitate towards being Pitta dominant. I’m obsessed with Bikram Yoga and am enrolled in a hot yoga teacher training, CPY Hot Power Fusion. Pittas love to spend time outside and in nature. I’m a huge outdoor fan with my passion for wakeboarding, snowboarding, SUP, hiking and camping. In fact one of the motivating factors for me enrolling into yoga teacher training was so I could take my yoga practice outside and incorporate it with all of the outdoor sports I love. Pittas tend to be goal-oriented. I’ve been a goal setter and overachiever for as long as I can remember. I love checking things off of my to-do list and racking up gold stars in daily life.
When Pittas are balanced, the person tends to be warm, friendly, disciplined, a good leader and a good speaker. Often times I hear from friends and family about how energetic and outgoing they think I am. In college, I earned a public speaking certificate. I have no problems talking in front of a crowd. Disciplined? Check! I’m extremely organized and have a strong work ethic. I’ve always been a hard worker. If there’s something I want to do, I set my mind to it and achieve the goal.
When it comes to eating a diet though, my discipline suffers quite a bit. When a Pitta is out of balance, the person tends to be compulsive and irritable and may suffer from indigestion or an inflammatory condition. Bingo! That’s totally me. When I stress out, I get super compulsive and irritable.
I loved learning about Ayurveda and discovering what my dominant dosha is. I feel like I know and understand myself and why I do the things I do a little bit better. Now, in addition to the chakras and the Eight Limbs, I now have another tool I can use to help balance out my life, Ayurveda.
If you’re curious and want to learn more about Ayurveda, I highly recommend checking out The Chopra Center website.