How do I know if I am affected by Vata energy? Well, if you are a Vata type, you will likely be a creative person. You may not habitually sleep soundly, you may have long, light limbs and dry skin and you may experience digestive issues. However we are all affected by Vata to some degree. One way of knowing when Vata energy is imbalanced is if you are feeling ungrounded, your sleep is light and short, you are having a creative burst and you are experiencing high productivity and a deluge of new ideas (possibly to the point of mania!).
During a time of Vata imbalance, which can occur during Autumn, but which is just as likely to occur during any time of change or turbulence in life, it is important to stay grounded. We can do this by managing our diet – eat warm, oily, heavy foods and favour sweet, sour and salty things; and managing our lifestyle – avoid air travel and establish a steady routine in your day.
In you asana practice, favour steady, slow vinyasa, placing emphasis on the breath. Do balancing poses for concentration and increase your practice of poses for the pelvic area and the colon. Think lots of hip openers and lateral standing poses to release tightness through the pevis and ground down to the Earth. Practice more forward bends but don’t spend excessive time in them. Take time to connect to the ground and focus on the larger joints of the lower body.
In pranayama, practice Sama Vritti Ujjayi breath – equal inhale and exhale with a gentle ujjayi. Also practice Nadi Shodana (alternate nostril breathing).
Your yoga can be your process of inner inquiry. It’s important for Vata types to go inside and continually enquire, “How do I feel?”, “What’s really happening right now?”. In your meditation try practicing So Hum mantra: Inhale and silently repeat “So”, exhale and silently repeat “Hum”.
Enjoy your practice!
With love and gratitude,
Morven