Yoga, an ancient practice that harmonizes the mind, body, and spirit, is deeply rooted in Ayurveda, the science of life. Ayurveda recognizes the unique constitution of each individual, known as doshas. If you’re new here, the doshas, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, represent different combinations of the five elements – space, air, fire, water, and earth – within our bodies. Each dosha governs specific functions and qualities, influencing our physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Understanding your dosha can help personalize your yoga routine and further optimize your practice for elevated well-being. Don’t know your dosha yet? Use our quiz to determine your dominant dosha.
Yoga and Ayurveda
Rooted in the ancient Vedas, Yoga, and Ayurveda are like two sides of the same coin, each essential for complete well-being. Yoga cultivates physical strength and flexibility, while Ayurveda guides us towards spiritual fulfillment. While both offer significant benefits independently, their true magic unfolds when practiced together.
Practicing yoga without integrating Ayurveda into your lifestyle can leave the mind feeling restless and the body feeling sluggish. At the same time, living according to Ayurveda without any yoga practice can increase your vitality and boost your energy but without a medium to channel all that energy. By understanding how these traditional practices intersect, they become a powerful toolkit for self-healing.
To get to the bottom of the connection between yoga and Ayurveda, let’s start at the very core of the Vedic science, the doshas.
Understanding the Doshas
Customizing your yoga routine based on your dominant dosha can enhance the benefits of your practice. For example, if your dominant dosha is Pitta, you may find relief from stress with calming forward bends, while a Vata person may seek stability through grounding standing poses. Kapha, on the other hand, benefits most from strong, energizing asanas.
Vata, associated with air and space, governs movement in the body. Vata loves stability, fluidity, and safety in their practice.Â
Pitta, linked to fire and water, controls digestion and metabolism. Pittas needs a bit of cooling of that internal fire and sweetness in movement and being.
Kapha, related to earth and water, governs structure and stability. For Kaphas, their yoga practice should be energizing and stimulating of the senses.Â
Yoga for the doshas
Vata – Trust and Safe
You benefit from grounding and calming yoga practices. Slow, gentle flows, restorative poses, and meditation can help stabilize Vata’s erratic energy. With your practice, you want to bring a sense of density and heaviness that can counteract Vata’s qualities.
Essentials for Vata Yoga Practice
- Slow music
- A warm room
- Calming scents like lavender, sage, or palo santo
- Pillows and blankets
- Eye pillow to cover eyes in Shavasana
- Slower pace
- Gaze downwards
Favorite poses
- Tadasana – Mountain pose brings a sense of grounding and stability for you. By bringing your legs, feet, and toes together and focusing on a downward movement of energy into the feet, you connect to the Earth element.
- Salabhasana – Locust Pose: This pose brings energy to the area around your belly button, aiding digestion and warming you up from the inside.
- Sukhasana – Easy Pose: The name says it all. This is a gentle pose that connects your sitting bones and your root chakra with the Earth. In this pose, focus on your pelvic floor to bring stability into your practice and ground yourself.
- Viparita Karani – Legs Up The Wall Pose: This is a restorative and calming pose that helps soothe your nervous system. The best time to do this pose is before bed to ensure a restful sleep. Hold this for 20 minutes to get all the benefits and use a blanket and an eye pillow if necessary.
- Shavasana – Corpse Pose: This is everyone’s favorite pose but did you know just how powerful this pose is? This restorative pose helps calm both mind and body, brings you a deep connection with Earth, lowers blood pressure, boosts energy, and enhances concentration. You can sit for as long as 20 min and, here too, grab a blanket and an eye pillow for extra comfort.
Pitta – Humor and Humility
You, my dear Pitta, thrive with cooling and soothing yoga practices. Focus on gentle, steady poses, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques to pacify your fiery, competitive nature. Be kind to yourself always, but especially while practicing yoga. Not everything has to be perfect so infuse some lightness and laughter into your practice.
Essentials for Pitta Yoga Practice
- Cool, darker room
- Chanting music
- Sweet scents like jasmine and sandalwood
- Have fun with your practice
- Moderate effort
- Deepened breath
- Softening the eyes again and again during practice.
- Gaze at the horizon
Favorite poses
- Balasana – Child’s Pose: With this pose, you bring a sense of relaxation while giving in to the Earth element. This pose helps alleviate stress, and calms and cools your Fire element. Also, this is a great way to activate your 3rd eye chakra.
- Parshva Sukhasana – Seated Side Bend: This pose helps open up your sides, creating space for your organs to circulate any toxins and heat that might have accumulated in your body.
- Paschimottanasana – Seated Forward Bend: This grounding pose balances Pitta’s sharp quality, and cools you down by calming the nervous system.
- Bhujangasana – Cobra Pose: This pose is beneficial for Pitta because of its calming properties. It opens up the heart and improves blood circulation, infusing a sense of harmony into your practice.
- Anjaneyasana – Low Lunge Pose: This pose stretches and balances the body. Similar to Cobra Pose, it also opens your heart, calming Pitta.
Kapha – Heat and Energy
Kapha, you benefit from invigorating and stimulating yoga practices. Dynamic flows, energizing poses, and heating breath work can help balance your tendency towards sluggishness.
Essentials for Kapha Yoga Practice
- A bright room
- Uplifting citrus scents
- Faster pace
- Energetic practice
- Upward energy
- Gaze upwards
Favorite Poses
- Salamba Sarvangasana – Shoulder Stand Pose: This is the ideal pose for you as it revitalizes and uplifts your spirit, bringing ease and lightness into your practice. At the same time, this pose helps decrease swelling in the legs and acts invigorating.
- Halasana – Plow Pose: Used best after coming down from the shoulder stand, this pose boosts blood circulation and digestion. These two things that cool Kapha can certainly use.
- Vasisthasana – Side Plank Pose: Holding this pose longer helps strengthen the muscles and revitalize both your spirit and your senses.
- Virabhadrasana II – Warrior II: This pose is one you should come back to several times during your practice. It helps increase strength, zest for life, and creativity.
- Surya Namaskar – Sun Salutation: Technically a series of poses, this short sequence strengthens the entire body. Best done, well, at sunrise, this sequence helps remove excess mucus from the body and balances Kapha dosha.Â
Get More Out Of Your Yoga Practice
- Do Abhyanga 15 minutes before starting your practice to nourish your body. Take a shower to remove any excess oil
- Don’t eat before your practice
- Practice breathing exercises, pranayama, after your yoga routine to regulate energy flow.
- Include a daily meditation practice after your yoga routine to calm the mind and reduce stress.
- Match your movements to your breath
- Follow a consistent yoga routine to maintain Doshic balance.
- Set your intentions at the beginning of your practice
Living with Intention and Cultivating a Life of Balance
Yoga for the doshas offers a personalized approach to wellness that honors the unique constitution of each individual. By incorporating Ayurvedic principles into your yoga practice and aligning with your dosha’s natural tendencies you can cultivate balance, harmony, and vitality on and off the mat.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your qualified healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding a medical condition.
pictures: thais varela, anton shuvalov, dmitriy frantsev, dane wetton
