Ayurveda and The Ayurvedic Mind Body Type

Now you’ve figured out your Ayurvedic mind body type or your prakruti. So now what? How is that going to bring you to optimal health?

Ayurveda and ayurvedic health works on bringing you back to a state of balance for your personal Ayurvedic mind body type. Think of your mind body type as your baseline. When you are at this baseline, you feel fantastic. You feel yourself. You feel vibrant and energetic. 

Have you ever wondered why you couldn’t lose 20 pounds when your friend could modify her diet and lose it instantly? Or why you need only 6 hours of sleep per night but your spouse needs 8-9 hours of sleep? Things like appetite, metabolism, sleep, mood, and energy level is mostly regulated by your Ayurvedic mind body type. Now if you’ve always been thin but in the past couple of years you can’t stop gaining weight, this may be a lifestyle change or a change from prakruti to vikruti. 

Remember your vikruti is your current state or your state of imbalance.

Our goal in Ayurveda is to get us back to our own prakruti or state of balance.

Here are the ways you can get back to your Ayurvedic mind body type:

1. Honor an Ayurvedic lifestyle diet
2. Begin a dosha specific diet for Vata, Pitta or Kapha
3. Follow an Ayurvedic daily routine.
4. Follow an Ayurvedic seasonal routine.
5. Learn meditation and meditate daily
6. Follow a dosha specific exercise program for Vata, Pitta or Kapha
7. Drink dosha specific teas.
8. Following the advice of an Ayurvedic practitioner, take Ayurvedic herbs to rebalance current imbalances.
9. Work on emotional clearing. 
10. Eliminate toxins and toxic substances from your body. (i.e. alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, unnecessary prescription pills, processed foods) 

If you don’t have the guidance of an Ayurvedic practitioner, begin by balancing your primary dosha. For example, if your Ayurvedic mind body type is Vata-Pitta. You would begin by balancing Vata. Follow at Vata diet, drink Vata tea, follow recommended exercises to balance Vata, follow a Vata Ayurvedic daily and seasonal routine. Usually, if disease or symptoms are not advanced, following this advice will make you feel much better within about two weeks. However if symptoms are persistent or you have been experiencing symptoms for a while, you may need to look further into your vikruti. 

The idea behind Ayurveda is preventive health. If we can catch a disease before full eruption, we can prevent it from giving you illness. In the next blog, I’ll explain the six stages of disease according to Ayurveda. 

Wishing you perfect health always. 

Love,

Michelle Fondin, Founder of The Ayurvedic Path

www.theayurvedicpath.com

Chopra Center Vedic Master  and Ayurvedic Practitioner 

Understanding Your Ayurvedic Mind Body Type

In the last post, we talked about the three different of Ayurvedic mind types called  doshas. Even if you read the description of Vata dosha and found that it described you completely, there are a few things you need to know about the Ayurvedic mind body type.

First of all, we have all three doshas in our mind body constitution, but each of us has different proportions of the three. Secondly, most people have two dominant doshas with the third falling far behind. For example, a person may be a pitta-vata but their kapha score is twice as low as the pitta score. A small portion of the population is dominant in a single dosha and an even smaller portion it tridoshic, where all three doshas are more or less the same. So the possibilities for Ayurvedic mind body types are as follows:

Vata

Pitta

Kapha

Vata-Pitta

Vata-Kapha

Pitta-Vata

Pitta-Kapha

Kapha-Vata

Kapha-Pitta

Vata-Pitta-Kapha

Are you confused yet? If not, great. 

Your Ayurvedic mind body type is your genetic lot in life. It was the deck of cards you were dealt with at conception. So let’s suppose you were born with a fiery personality. You tend to have redness in the skin, are prone to breakouts, get irritated quite easily and are extremely driven. You were born with a fair amount of Pitta or fire and water in your mind body constitution. But let’s suppose you also move very fast, have difficulty gaining weight and have a racing mind. This means that you may also have a fair amount of Vata in your Ayurvedic mind body constitution. So your Ayurvedic mind body type would be Pitta-Vata.

Your natural mind body type is called your Prakruti. This is your nature. You cannot change it. Oftentimes, I get clients who say they want to be more of one dosha or another. You can only stay in balance when you are true to your prakruti. 

Now let’s suppose you read the description of the doshas and you said, “Oh yes, that’s it, I’m a Kapha type.” You have a lot of extra weight, you are tired and lethargic. You move a lot slower than before. You crave sweets. While it does sound like a kapha type (out of balance in some respects), you need to search into your past. When searching for prakruti, we look to all the years of life, since the time of birth. If in childhood, you were skinny, could eat anything, were very nervous and active, you may have been born with more Vata in you. But look at the rule above. I stressed that you cannot change your Ayurvedic mind body type. Right? 

The answer is “yes”. However, through improper diet, lifestyle, experience and life choices, we can get so out of balance that we no longer present ourselves as our true nature. That is called Vikruti or our current state. Vikruti or our state of imbalance can mask our pakruti, sometimes completely. 

So how then, you might say, do I discover my prakruti?

Self-awareness is the key. When you learn about the doshas and take a trip down memory lane, there are some consistencies about you. An Ayurvedic practitioner can also help you to discover both the prakruti and vikruti. 

In the next blog post, we’ll discuss what we can learn through our prakruti or Ayurvedic mind body type.

Wishing you perfect health always.

Love, 

Michelle Fondin, Founder of The Ayurvedic Path, Inc.

www.theayurvedicpath.com

Ayurvedic Mind Body Types: Doshas

Instinctively, over 5,000 years ago, practitioners of Ayurveda observed nature, including humans, and realized we are not all built the same. We are, however, made up of the building blocks of nature but we simply have different proportions of these elements in our bodies, minds and personalities. 

In other words, before the concept of genes was discovered, Ayurvedic medicine understood we have different bodies, minds and personalities from the moment of our conception. 

These Ayurvedic mind body types are called doshas. They are composed of the five elements: space, air, fire, water and earth. 

The first Ayurvedic mind body type is called Vata and is made up of space and air. Vata types are usually thin with angular features. They are quick to move and ever changing. They enjoy new things, and often change jobs, careers, interests or relationships. A Vata type is most often the life of the party and friendly. When a Vata type is in balance, they have burst of energy, walk fast and talk fast, are creative and communicative. A Vata out of balance becomes anxious, worried or even neurotic. They tend to have cold hands, feet and have delicate digestion. Do you know someone who paces while they talk on the phone? Or maybe someone who resists routine and is unpredictable? It’s likely that person has a fair amount of Vata in his or her Ayurvedic mind body type.

Pitta is the second Ayurvedic mind body type. It is comprised of the elements of fire and water. Just like the primary element indicates, Pitta types are fiery, passionate, driven. They tend to be goal oriented, good leaders, enjoy education and factual knowledge. Pitta body types are mesomorphic or medium build. They have beautiful eyes and a warm gaze. Pitta types need to eat on time or they get cranky. When in balance, Pitta types are warm, intellectual, interesting, attractive. An out of balance Pitta can be quite scary to the receiver of the imbalance. They get angry, critical, judgmental. Do you know someone who’s skin is very warm to the touch? Does that person have eyes that melt your heart by a simple gaze or is completely goal oriented? You probably have someone with a majority of Pitta in his or her Ayurvedic mind body type. 

The third Ayurvedic mind body type is called Kapha. No one likes to be a Kapha when they read what a Kapha type is, but Kapha types have many great qualities. Kapha is comprised of water and earth. Needless to say, Kapha types are earthy and stable. Since water and earth make mud, Kapha types are grounded, more heavy physically than Vata and Pitta types and are slow movers. Kapha types have great physical stamina. They almost never get sick. Everything about them is slow. They eat and walk slowly. They adore routine. Kapha types are probably the most trustworthy friends you will ever meet. A Kapha friend might say, “I can look at a piece of cake and gain 10 pounds.” In balance a Kapha type is kind, trustworthy, affectionate and reliable. Out of balance, a Kapha type gains weight, can get depressed, can become possessive or become inert. Do you know someone who has struggled with his or her weight since birth? Does this person hold a record for being the most reliable person in your life? Does he or she prefer to stay at home and read a good book rather than go out? If so, you may know a Kapha type. 

We have all three of the doshas or Ayurvedic mind body types within each of us since we are all made up of space, air, fire, water and earth. We simply have different proportions of each. In the next blog post, we’ll discuss what it means to know your Ayurvedic mind body type. 

Wishing you peace, harmony, laughter and love each day. 

Namasté,
Michelle Fondin

Michelle Fondin is the author of The Wheel of Healing with Ayurveda: An Easy Guide to a Healthy Lifestyle  and Help! I Think My Loved One Is an Alcoholic: A Survival Guide for Lovers, Family, & Friends. 

The Basis of Ayurveda, Yoga and Meditation: Exploring the Universe Within

Silence.

When you read that word, what comes to mind? For some, it may come as a respite from a chaotic life. For others, the thought may bring about anxiety or a negative connotation such as silence in a conversation. And for many, who have never quite experienced total silence, bewilderment.

I often ask the following question to new meditators, “Have you ever, in your life, sat in silence with yourself?” The most frequent answer is “no”.

Since the moment of our birth, we are called to the outside world. And even before we are born, we are hearing sounds and responding to stimuli from the outside. Our entire existence here on earth calls us to explore everything outside of us. When we are young, we take cues from our parents and siblings, then teachers, then friends, then the media, then co-workers and bosses, then doctors or other professionals. We are constantly looking for advice, education, approval and answers from others. Even when we pray, we are often asking God for advice. Aren’t we?

Although we have such a vast amount of resources at our disposal, we are often left more confused and divided than ever. Should we consult the iPhone or the Blackberry, search it on the Internet or turn on the TV? Should we ask our doctor or do a google search? Should we turn to our pastor or priest or go to the school for that answer?

Did you know that you actually have all the answers within you?

According to the teachings of Ayurveda, as vast as the universe out there is the universe within. Through meditation we learn to explore that universe that most of us have never touched.

Can you imagine we have only really begun to touch on our universe, the one we live in, over thousands of years? In order for us to discover the universe, we need money and a lot of sophisticated scientific equipment. Even then, only a handful of scientists are able to discover it then report that information back to us. And we have barely scratched the tip of the iceberg.

But you can explore the entire universe within you by simply getting silent, closing your eyes, and embracing the state of being. When we honor this call to silence, the universe within unfolds and the miraculous happens. Your life will start to transform and so will you. By getting silent, the answers to your questions will emerge without searching, asking advice or google.

Even if you have no idea how to meditate you can find a place where you can sit in silence for 5 to 10 minutes, close your eyes and observe your breath. Notice what happens. Is your breath calmer, is your mind calmer?

Try finding 15 minutes in your day to unplug. Turn off the TV, radio, cell phone, home phone or any other device that creates noise. Sit in silence in non-doing. See what comes up.

Wishing you peace, harmony, laughter and love and moments of silence,

Michelle

Putting all the chances of great health on your side

I had two conversations this weekend in which living a healthy lifestyle were the topic. Both were similar in nature in that they dealt with extremely healthy people who got debilitating illnesses. The first conversation was with a man who stated that sometimes genetic predispositions just lead us to cancer, heart disease, or some other disease. His mantra appeared to be, "Well, no matter what you do, you're going to die anyway." We all know the truth in that statement but it's fatalistic and selfish. If we all had that attitude, we would all be living careless lives with little regard for health at all.
The second conversation hit closer to home. My teacher and guru, Dr. David Simon, diagnosed himself with brain cancer in the fall of 2010. Dr. Simon is a neurologist, an Ayurvedic doctor, and an enlightened being. He has dedicated his entire existence to helping others and assisting them in their own healing. He leads a very healthy life. If we were to look at the "why" of his diagnosis, it would leave us all puzzled and quite frankly, downright depressed. If this man who has done everything right got brain cancer, what are in the cards for us?
The truth is we don't know enough about the grander scheme of things to ever have that answer.
In my previous post, I revealed my struggle with cancer as a 28 year old woman. Before that point, I had lived a relatively healthy lifestyle but it was not stellar. I remember telling a vegan friend, "You know, if I ever get cancer, I will become vegan."
What I realized after my experience with cancer was that I got it all backwards.
We live a healthy lifestyle so we can handle disease when and if it occurs. By making our mind, body, soul and spirit at its optimal level we have the strength we need to deal with whatever comes our way.
While I hate to make analogies with national defense, can you imagine if a country with little resources created a policy where they did not spend any money on a defense system? Diplomats of neighboring countries would chastise that country for acting so irresponsibly. The reason being, if the country with no defense system was invaded, it would create a threat for the neighboring countries.
By acting irresponsibly with our own health, we create a threat to our family, loved ones, community, work colleagues, and subscribers to our health insurance. The ripple effect of not taking charge of our own health is endless. Yet, we have a tendency to look at our health as a private affair. We find ourselves saying, "It's my body, I'll do what I want with it." Unfortunately, unless you are a hermit living in a cave, we don't live in a vacuum. We are not only interconnected but interdependent on others to help us when we have ill health.
Living a healthy lifestyle takes consistency and time.
Consistency is important because our bodies are resiliant but most of us are not aware of when the seeds of illness are planted. Think of a really nice car, let's say a BMW. You have paid a lot of money for this nice car. You decide that this nice care was expensive and should work really well. After all, it's a well built vehicle. But the vehicle manual calls for an oil change every 5,000 miles. The first time you go to 10,000 miles, you get the oil changed and nothing happens. The next time you go to 25,000, get the oil changed and nothing happens. You think to yourself, "Wow, the manufacturer just wants me to spend the extra money but the car is fine." So the next time you go to 50,000 miles and the engine burns. Angry, you curse yourself for pushing your expensive car to the limit.
We tend to do the same thing with our bodies. We don't get enough rest, exercise in bursts or go on crash diets and then expect our bodies to perform optimally. Without consistency, our bodies will crash and burn.
Time is important because living a healthy lifestyle takes time in our day. Dedicating 30 minutes to walking, meditation or yoga is time consuming. But realize that doctors appointments, pharmacy lines, x-rays, lab tests, MRIs, emergency room visits also take a lot of time and resources.
For the next week work out this challenge:

"What can I do consistently and dedicate the time for my health and wellbeing?"

Some suggestions might be : learn to meditate, take a yoga class, walk for 20 minutes a day, keep a journal, cook one meal per day with 4 different fresh veggies

How are you going to incorporate a healthy lifestyle into your own life and start taking responsibility for your own health?

Wishing you peace, harmony, laughter and love,

Michelle

What is Ayurveda and Why is it important to me?

Ayurveda is a 5,000-year old medical system from India. It is a holistic medical system which is all-inclusive. Ayurveda respects the elements in nature and healing comes from lifestyle, nutrition, detoxification, yoga, meditation, herbal medicine and if needed surgery. The focus of Ayurveda is on prevention by keeping the body, mind and spirit in balance. According to Ayurveda, when imbalances occur and are maintained over a period of time, disease has the opportunity to manifest. Once an Ayurvedic patient learns how to detect imbalances, he can correct them through lifestyle changes before disease has a chance to grow.
The all-inclusive nature of Ayurveda means the Hippocratic oath that doctors must take upon graduating; “First do no harm.” In Ayurveda, we gently urge the body back to health. However, if methods of allopathic or Western medicine are needed, Ayurveda recognizes the complementary nature of these methods.
My discovery of Ayurveda came as a serendipitous event. When I was 28 years old, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. My daughter was 5 at the time and my son was 18 months. Just hearing the word “cancer” devastated my life. After, two surgeries and radioactive iodine treatment, I was left without a thyroid, on synthetic thyroid medication and finding myself with a host of symptoms I had never experienced before. I had anxiety, panic attacks and depression. Convinced that these symptoms were directly linked to a thyroid imbalance, I saw doctor after doctor who assured me that the symptoms were “all in my head” since my thyroid levels all come back normal. Finally I found a doctor who believed me and he changed my medication to natural porcine thyroid hormone and put me on supplements. In addition, his nurse practitioner, a saint in my eyes, did Gestalt therapy and meditation with me. Little by little I was returning to normal.
On my road to recovery, a friend gave me a copy of Dr. Chopra’s Perfect Health to read. It is a description of Ayurveda and Ayurvedic lifestyle and it made perfect sense to me. Once I began implementing principles from Ayurvedic lifestyle, I began to feel better. Between the time of my surgery and my discovery of Ayurveda, three years had gone by, three years of my youth wasted on feeling horrible most of the time. I knew that if I were to feel good for the rest of my life, I was going to have to heal my body, mind, soul and spirit in every aspect and stick with it.
My journey into teaching Ayurveda came in about 2006 when my father-in-law at the time was diagnosed with failing kidneys. His toxicity level was so poor that the doctors told him in under 6 months he would be on dialysis. My husband came to me begging me to talk with his father about Ayurveda and to create a plan for him. I reluctantly did. I was reluctant because I did not feel I was an expert in any way. Nevertheless, I firmly believed and still do the power in lifestyle changes. So I talked with him and created a plan. The results were amazing. Within a month, he lost 35 pounds, was walking daily and his kidney levels improved.
I thought of how many people suffer on a daily basis because allopathic medicine does not have all the answers. I thus began my quest to help others heal with Ayurveda. It became not only a personal quest but my dharma or purpose in life. To end suffering is to enjoy life. And in enjoying life, each and every one of us can live our dharma. In living our dharma, we help others and bring joy to the world.

Michelle Fondin is the author of The Wheel of Healing with Ayurveda: An Easy Guide to a Healthy Lifestyle  and Help! I Think My Loved One Is an Alcoholic: A Survival Guide for Lovers, Family, & Friends. 

How is a 5,000-year old science pertinent in the U.S.?

     Change sometimes happens by mistake. Change sometimes happens as a result of innovation, technological advances or discovery. And many times, change happens because it is necessary. I believe we are, in the U.S., at a point in which change in our healthcare is, without a doubt, necessary.

     I don't follow politics closely enough to make an argument about healthcare from a political point of view, but from a medical and commonsense point of view my argument lies below.

     While we, as Westerners, benefit from longevity and modern medical technology, we as a people are growing sicker and sicker with each passing year. It seems almost absurd that the richest nation in the world, in funds and resources, has a population who cannot combat the most basic human need of physical, mental and psychological health. And it is said that this generation of American children, for the first time in recent history, will have a shorter life span than their parents due to the outbreak of childhood obesity and the related diseases. Absurd may not even be the appropriate word here. Better words that come to mind are troubling or worrisome.

     Yes, change is necessary if we want to survive as a people and if we care to live full lives.

Part of that change does come from legislation and making sure the American population has affordable health insurance. The other part comes from each and every one of us. The onus is on us to take responsibility for our own health.

     As Americans, we haven't been terribly successful in knowing exactly how to do this. Sure, we have gym memberships, go jogging in parks and follow the latest dietary fads. But because of the strong solidarity between doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and insurance companies, we have been told throughout the years to give responsibility of our own health over to someone else. And when this "someone else" has no solution for why we are feeling ill, we are supposed to just go home and suck it up.

     Taking responsibility for our own health may seem like an enormous burden but I look at it as liberation. We can stop giving the destiny of our health and well being over to another "professional" and learn how to actually take care of ourselves.

     That being said, I am completely for the medical community for certain ailments and if it weren't for doctors and pharmaceutical companies, I may not be alive today but allopathic medicine is only a portion of the complete picture.

     And this is where Ayurveda steps in.

     The practice of an Ayurvedic lifestyle helps to complete the picture and gives us practical and scientifically proven ways to regain control over our health.

     As I post, I will share my journey that led me to an Ayurvedic practice as well as shedding light on what it means to incorporate an Ayurvedic lifestyle into a crazy, hectic American life.

Wishing you peace, harmony, laughter and love,
Michelle

Michelle Fondin is the author of The Wheel of Healing with Ayurveda: An Easy Guide to a Healthy Lifestyle  and Help! I Think My Loved One Is an Alcoholic: A Survival Guide for Lovers, Family, & Friends.