Balancing Vata Dosha in Autumn: Avert the Danger that Has Not Yet Come

If I wanted to sum up the wisdom of Ayurvedic natural medicine while standing on one foot,
I would choose the Sanskrit aphorism from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, namely, Heyam
Dukham Anagatam, or Avert the Danger That Has Not Yet Come.

The concept is simple. What you do now affects what will happen tomorrow. As in other
aspects of our lives, so too in health. One of the ways we prevent disease, or "avert danger,"
is by living in tune with the seasons. Another is through knowledge of our particular body-
mind tendencies, called doshas in Ayurveda.

In Ayurveda we use nature as our guide. It’s only reasonable to consider that we humans
are affected by natural forces of dark and light, cold and heat, dry wind and moist rain just
like the rest of the natural world. This includes both daily (circadian) as well as seasonal
biorhythms.

Autumn and Vata in Ayurveda

The cold, dryness, and movement (wind) of Autumn, especially late Autumn, is exactly
what characterizes the Vata dosha. And when a particular dosha increases in the
environment, it will tend to increase in our body as well.

In a way this is the most important time of year, since Vata is the force that moves the other
doshas. If Vata goes out of balance, the other doshas are more likely to go out of balance as
well.

The Three Principles for Balancing Vata

* To bring balance to dryness, apply moisture. Moisture here means oil,

not water
* To balance cold, apply heat. This means warming foods and warm clothing.
* To balance excessive movement or quickness, calm down and slow down.

Balancing Moisture

To balance moisture in late Autumn and early Winter, apply oil to your body. Ayurveda
recommends regular oil massages during all the warm months, but never more than at the
transition into Autumn.

On your day off, massage your body from head to toe, including the scalp, with warm sesame
oil. (If you have a current Pitta imbalance, you may need to use coconut.) Then take a nap on
a beach towel and wash off the oil in the shower with a mild soap or herbal cleaning powder.
In many ways losing moisture defines the aging process, and our senior years are governed
by Vata. The oil bath is one prevention for aging.

Application of oil to the skin replenishes, nourishes, moistens, and heals Vata of the body and
mind.
Applying Heat to Balance Vata

* Eat heavier nourishing foods. See the recipe below for an example. (This does not mean
lasagna.) I recommend parsnips and kale sauteed in sesame oil with onions, cumin, black
pepper, salt with some lemon added.
* Choose moistening and warming foods, such as cereal cooked with cinnamon and pears
versus dry cereal, and cold milk and cooked veggies with protein and rice versus a cheese
sandwich.
* Avoid old food, frozen food, processed food, as they all damage Vata.
* Lightly cook your vegetables with warming spices like Ginger, Cumin, Coriander,
Asafoetida, Turmeric and black pepper.
* Drink lots of soup and Vata tea, which is both warming and seasonally regulating.
* Have warm cooked food for lunch, or at least have some soup.
* Avoid raw food, especially salads, which are by nature cold, light, and drying and only
increase the cold dry qualities of Vata, when what you need is warming, grounding
nourishment.
* Be careful not to have too much bitter or hot spicy (chilis and cayenne pepper) food this
time of year.
* In the evening before bed put a drop of warm sesame oil or ghee in the nasal passages.
* Keep yourself comfortably warm; avoiding getting chilled, especially on the head and back
of the neck where the wind can attack.

Calming Down and Slowing Down

* Go to sleep by 10 pm and get up early.

* Don't skip meals.
* Choose slower forms of exercise, such as slow, grounding yoga poses or Yang
Family Style Tai Qi.
* Do not exercise to exhaustion. This is "too much movement." Sports and
exercise that leave you feeling over stimulated or exhausted often are
depleting you of all your vital energies and are not recommended, especially during the Vata
time of year.
* This is a bad time to run a marathon, but if you must, make sure you really recuperate with
food and rest.
* Number one way to slow down is to have a regular meditation practice.
* There is no one who can't meditate, just people who have tried and failed, or not had good
instructors. Try it. Meditation is nourishing as well as calming.
* Do a 10 minute meditation or pranayama (breath work) before going to sleep, rather than
reading or watching TV, which re-stimulates your mind.
* Make sure you get your quiet time in. Take a cat-nap.
* Try not to rush, or at least rush calmly!
* Face your fears, rather than bury them.

Vata in the Body

Vata in nature is cold, dry, light, and windy. Vata is the aspect of intelligence that
governs all movement in the body,
including in the following areas:

* Digestive tract
* Nervous system
* Mind
* Communication, including speech
* Activity of the joints

Imbalanced Vata can lead to excessive nervous system activation and excessive mental
activity,
causing things such as:

* Insomnia (mind can’t slow down)

* Anxiety (heart can’t calm down)
* Hyperactivity
* Mania
* Weight loss
* Fatigue
* Weakened immunity
* Arrhythmia
* High blood pressure

As Vata governs the joints and bowels, imbalance can lead to the following:

* Joint pain, such as arthritis and stiffness

* Any kind of pain
* Chronic constipation
* Bloating
* Gas
* PMS
* Uro-genital problems such as Interstitial Cystitis

A Balanced Vata tends to be creative, vibrant, lively, enthusiastic, clear, alert, flexible,
sensitive, talkative, and quick to respond.

What Does It Look Like Physically to be Vata Predominant?

While doshas generally occur in combinations, a text-book Vata dominant would have some
of the following unique characteristics:

* Thin
* Slender and hard muscles
* Large prominent joints (relative to rest of limb)
* Irregular features, such as ears too small or too large for the head, crooked nose or large
shoulders and hips on a fine boned frame
* Dry, rough skin
* Dry hair, like straw
* Small crooked teeth
* Dull or washed out small eyes
* Inconsistent, not hearty appetite
* Little sweat
* Light sleeper, tending to insomnia
* Tendency to bowel problems, constipation, or diarrhea
* Weak or inconsistent libido
* Forgetfulness
* Restlessness, excitability, nervousness, anxiety
* Moodiness
* Quick walk and talk, even manically
* Easily chilled so dislikes cold weather

Dietary Guidelines for Vata Types

While dealing with Vata's tendency to a restless excitable nervous system at the level of the
mind is critical, diet is also very important.

If you notice yourself worrying or obsessing about your diet, that in itself may be a symptom
of Vata imbalance in the former case, or Pitta in the latter. Take it easy. There are no evil
foods, only evil diets, and a diet occurs over a lengthy course of time. Have some sinful food
on your birthday and holidays; it’s okay.
Dietary Guidelines for Vata Types

While dealing with Vata's tendency to a restless excitable nervous system at the level of the
mind is critical, diet is also very important.

If you notice yourself worrying or obsessing about your diet, that in itself may be a symptom
of Vata imbalance in the former case, or Pitta in the latter. Take it easy. There are no evil
foods, only evil diets, and a diet occurs over a lengthy course of time. Have some sinful food
on your birthday and holidays; it’s okay.

Below are general guidelines for the hypothetical pure Vata. That means you really
need to modify these with an Ayurvedic counselor to fine tune what is right for your
exact body-mind type.

* Dairy products: All dairy products pacify Vata. But heat milk with Ginger or Cardamom,
and don't drink with a full meal. Cheese should be soft and fresh, like cottage cheese, not
aged, like cheddar.
* Fruits: Favour sweet, heavy fruits, such as avocados, grapes, cherries, peaches, melons,
berries, plums, bananas, sweet oranges, pineapples, mangoes and papayas. Avoid or reduce
dry light fruits such as apples, pears, pomegranates, cranberries and dried fruits. (Dried fruit
can be taken first soaked in hot water. Dates are best taken with ghee). Apples and pears are
ok if cooked.
* Sweeteners: All unrefined sweeteners are good for Vata (but definitely not in excess).
(Sweeteners are warming and moistening.)
* Beans: Avoid all beans, except for tofu (soybean curd) and mung dhal (split mung beans).
(Beans are considered "astringent," which dries Vata.)
* Nuts: All nuts are good (warming, moistening).
* Grains: Rice is and wheat are very good, but beware of wheat if you are allergic to it or
gluten intolerant. Barley, corn, millet, buckwheat, rye, and oats in moderation and well
cooked.
* Oils: All oils pacify Vata. Warming ones are best: sesame and olive
* Spices: Cardamom, Cumin, Ginger, Cinnamon, salt, Cloves, mustard seed, and small
quantities of black pepper pacify Vata. Avoid chilis or even too much black pepper. An
excellent Churna spice mix for Vata is two teaspoons each Cumin, Ginger, one teaspoon each
Fenugreek, Turmeric, Turbinado Sugar, salt, and Asafoetida.
* Vegetables: Beets, carrots, asparagus, cucumber, and sweet potatoes are good, but they
should be cooked and not raw. The following vegetables can be eaten in moderate quantities,
cooked and especially cooked with Vata reducing spices: peas, green leafy vegetables,
broccoli, cauliflower, celery, zucchini and spinach. Avoid sprouts and cabbage.

Activities that Aggravate Vata

Late nights, overwork, dealing with anxiety and worry, overstimulation by media, especially
fast media like television, and video games, stimulating drugs, air travel, excessive travel.
Activities that Regulate Vata

Breathing, gentle exercise, meditation, adequate rest, good friendships, warmth from color
and light.
Warmth through Color

Color is another source of balance for doshas. Since Vata is cold, like the color blue, if you
have a Vata constitution, you might do well to surround yourself with some warm colors like
gold, orange, or red, whether in your choice of clothing, art works, or even choice of paint
color. Vata is comprised of air, and Vata imbalance causes a lack of groundedness. (Thus an
Oriental carpet on the floor with rich deep maroons and reds can be grounding.)

Warmth through Light

When I was a boy in New York City, my mother would embarrass me by stopping in the
middle of the sidewalk if the sun came out suddenly on cloudy cold days. She would tip her
head back, close her eyes, and let the sunbeams wash her face and let the golden heat
penetrate her eyelids for a minute or two.

Now I know what she was intuitively doing. Mom had a Vata imbalance. Just as someone
with excess heat or Pitta should avoid the noon sun in summer, if you are a cold Vata or
Kapha, then maximize your sun exposure (within the realm of skin safety) in late Autumn,
Winter, and early Spring when cold Vata and Kapha predominate. If you work 8 to 5 make
sure you get out at least a little bit during the day to "feel" the sun with your pineal gland.

The following is a wonderful recipe for Balancing Vata in Autumn.

Autumn Baked Root Squash Stew

Ingredients:
* Butternut Squash, 1 small
* Parsnip, 1
* Sweet Potato, 1
* Kidney beans, cooked, 4 ounces
* Ground beef or Lamb or cubed Tofu or Tempeh, 8 ounces
* Yellow raisins, 2 tablespoons
* Turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon
* Allspice, 2 tablespoons
* Bay leaves, 5
* White pepper, 1/2 teaspoon
* Salt, 1 tablespoon or to taste
* 1 medium to large brown onion, sliced
* Prune juice, 3 oz or 4 to 5 prunes
* Olive oil for sauteeing onions, 3-4 tablespoons
* Water, 3/5 cup

Directions:

1. Peel and chop Squash, Parsnip, and Sweet Potato into large chunks and set aside.
2. Saute onions in oil until slightly brown.
3. Add crushed Tofu, Tempeh, or ground beef.
4. Saute until meat or tofu is browned.
5. Add powdered spices and salt and keep stirring for 3 minutes on very low heat to bring out
the fragrance of the spices.
6. Add chopped vegetables, prunes or prune juice, raisins, and water, and stir for a few
minutes.
7. Place in covered baking dish, and place in pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for 35 minutes,
or cook on stove top on simmer in heavy pan with lid for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5
minutes.

Serve with a cooked grain such as rice.

copyright eyton shalom, san diego ca october 2010 all rights reserved, use with permission

Ayurveda, Acupuncture, and Chinese Medicine in San

Diegohttp://www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com

Haritaki, Cardamom seed,