eat Science and heal

Hopefully, my last three posts gave you a mere idea of the qualities and traits of all three Doshas. I also hope that you haven’t gone around diagnosing anyone, including yourself. A real diagnosis would involve pulse-checking and perhaps even tongue-examination. So let’s not get ahead of ourselves, and leave that for the real Ayurvedic practitioners. 

But, y’know, who can deny the trivial joy of taking a good self-diagnostic quiz every now and again? 

I’ve created one based on Dr. Vasant Lad’s Human Constitution (Prakruti) quiz from his book “Ayurveda: The Science of Self-Healing.”

Check it out! Click here to find out your Prakruti.

In the pseudo-savvy westernized world of Ayurveda, if you want to call someone “fat” tell them they’re “Kapha.” 

Actually, I prefer this drawing more...

Either way, they’re both unfair depictions. Because what most Westerners don’t take into consideration when learning about the doshas is that body weight - especially in a binge-purge society - is easily more about a body symptom than the body’s nature. For example, you can be a slender Kapha with healthy eating habits and a consistent cardio routine, or you can be an obese Vata with an unhealthy preference for an overabundance of food and quality time with your couch.

So taking weight out of the equation from learning about Kapha, never mind that I just polluted your education with inaccurate diagrams. Instead, let’s focus on the true nature of Kapha (Earth + Water).

The true nature of Kapha is nature, itself. And what does nature embody but all the elements of organic and inorganic substances; what we identify as Earth. Earth is the gross layer of the manifest from the un-manifest. To break down the creation of the Universe all over again in one shoddy paragraph:

From Ether came the subtle movements of Air. Air caused a friction that generated heat and intense light (Fire). When cooling began to occur, ethereal elements dissolved and liquified, manifesting Water. As the cooling continued, those elements solidified and formed this incredible Earth we have today.

Ta-da!

Yeah, so that happened. But that is not how a Kapha predominant person would explain the creation of the Universe. Their explanation would take at least a good, solid hour. Think of the polar opposite of Vata - instead of fast, Kapha’s are slow to remember but slow to forget. Their walking pace is slow; they take their time to speak, making sure that each and every word is well thought-out (and in good humor, comes from their heart). Kapha’s are nurturers (go figure) and are behaviorally consistent - you can depend on them to be loyal and you can depend on them to be maddeningly stubborn. However stubborn, they do possess the ability to forgive like none other.

Unlike the Vata, Kapha’s are stable. And unlike a Pitta (and Vata, for that matter), they’re the ones who can run a marathon in the dead of heat, for their endurance is like that of an elephant. When I think of Kapha’s, I like to think of how those sturdy elephants truly rule the jungle with their endurance, density, gentleness, loyalty and strength.

All hail the Kapha.

And now, foods: Which foods are Kaphic, and which foods balance out Kapha?

Sweet, sour and salty tastes are all very Kaphic. Their actions in the body are anabolic, meaning constructively metabolic. Too much of these tastes can also increase obesity. Examples of Kaphic foods (vs. Kapha balancing) are: wheat, milk, cheese, butter, candy, sweeteners, dates, nuts, green grapes, tamarind and, of course, salt.

Neil deGrasse can tell you all about Fire and “the big bang” - that its manifestation occurred when particles of heat-energy began to generate from the friction caused by Ether’s subtle movement, thus creating intense light which we know as the Fire element. 

So the Universe all began with Ether, right? And with the help of Air, Ether began to move, and moved with so much friction that it caused heat + intense light = fire. And as the cosmos began to cool (and continues to cool), we got Water...which, then, solidified and formed the molecules of Earth. Thus, Ayurveda has Vata, Pitta, Kapha. That’s Ether+Air, Fire+Water and Water+Earth.

But going back to exploring Pitta. Now that we have Fire (and water) in mind, how does that relate to our microcosmic body?

Starting with the senses: Because fire manifests as light, vision is related to Pitta. And without vision, one isn’t able to see where one walks. Therefore, the feet is also related to Pitta. 

Those who are Pitta dominant naturally possess a good amount of body heat. So we don’t want to overheat them by pouring hot coffee down their throats or making them run a 5k from 10am - 2pm when the sun is high and mighty. While the concept of “hot yoga” sounds uplifting to others, it sounds absolutely inane to the Pitta. 

Their strength is all in their digestion and metabolism which is called Agni (digestive fire) in Ayurveda. Unless they’re too acidic and burnt out, their digestion for food and knowledge is fast. -  Not only are they champion eaters and water boars; they’re also extremely perceptive, intelligent and understanding. 

Here’s a picture of Pitta gone wrong...

Pitta dominant people LOVE money and are not afraid to exhibit their wealth. There’s nothing wrong with that. But when they’re unhappy, they’re prone to anger, hate and jealousy. 

Some fine Ayurvedic professionals once told me to think of Pitta dominants as Hunters (as opposed to Gatherers and Thinkers). 

Now let’s move on because I’m starting to get hangry, and you don’t want to see me spit fire like Donald Trump. 

So let’s talk about FOOD. Yes! - Food! Om nom nom nom nom. 

How does ice cream sound to you right about now? Better yet, Van Leeuwen’s Early Grey ice cream? - Sweet as Heaven, but a tinge of astringency harkening back to a delicate cup o’ tea you might otherwise be enjoying on a cold day. Need some visual gratification? Here ya go...

Pitta dominants crave sweet, bitter and astringent tastes and cold drinks. It’s no wonder some people are sweetened iced coffee worshipers and ultimately get destroyed by coffee’s insane amounts of acidity and caffeine. 

So what are foods Pitta types should eat? First of all, don’t ever tell a Pitta what to do. 

Cooling foods such as:

-peppermint   -fresh turmeric root   -dandelion   -coconut and sunflower oil   -maple syrup (over honey)   -garbanzo beans, kidney beans, lentils and mung beans   -broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, lettuce, okra, white potato, spinach, sprouts, zucchini   -apples, banana, coconut, ripe figs, purple grapes, melons, pears, pomegranate   -coriander seeds   -saffron   -barley, basmati rice, wheat, polished white rice

If you’d like to know more about which foods to favor for balancing out one’s constitution, I highly recommend getting a copy of Ayurveda: The Science of Self-Healing by Dr. Vasant Lad 

The perceivers I mentioned here, otherwise known as rishis, perceived that from the unified field, energy is manifested into five basic principles: Ether (space), Air, Fire, Water and Earth. From these elements we have our Doshas: Ether+Air = Vata; Fire+Water = Pitta; Water+Earth = Kapha. 

Today we’re going to observe the Vata, so that afterwards, you can have fun pointing at all things “Vata.” 

Here’s a good example of Vata predominance...

or this guy... 

and foods that are...

(cool as a cucumber).

Vata is all about movement, creativity and space. Vata types are either too small or too tall. They’re thinkers - they talk fast and they’re prone to anxiety and fear. Hearing and touch govern their senses. When it comes to physical activity, they walk fast but then are easily fatigued. They’ll earn money quickly and spend it quickly; they’ll learn fast and forget fast... 

I think you get the picture. If you don’t by now, you must have a lot of Kapha, but we’ll get to that another time.

And if you are Vata predominant and you’re feeling afflicted by this post, have no fear. Vata is the leader of Pitta and Kapha; for without Vata (air), Pitta and Kapha can’t go anywhere!

For more info about the Vata dosha: 

Those are two of 20 basic attributes or qualities known in Ayurveda as gunas. 

The great Ayurvedic physician, Charak, found that all organic and inorganic substances, including thoughts and actions, have definite attributes that contain potential energy and express kinetic energy. 

And those two gunas just so happened to perfectly describe what I was feeling last night. Without getting too graphic and only just a little, I was so constipated that it hurt to move. Hence, gross... static...

From the book Ayurveda: The Science of Self-Healing by Dr. Vasant Lad (I’ll be referring to this book a lot), here are the descriptions of Gross (Sthula) and Static (Sthira).

18. Gross (Sthula) -- Increases Kapha; decreases Vata, Pitta and Agni. Causes obstruction, obesity.

15. Static (Sthira) -- Increases Kapha; decreases Vata, Pitta and Agni. Promotes stability, obstruction, support, constipation, faith. 

The obstruction in my belly would not move! But faith was, indeed, present knowing that a little coffee might do the trick the morning after. Well, morning came along and I didn’t even have to finish a full cup before things started movin’. Although, now I’m restlessly hungry and I can’t seem to buckle down and decide what I should eat in order to do things the stable way that will ensure I don’t have this problem again. Sure, the obstruction is gone, but my belly’s just acidic. Again, discomfort... Dis-harmony... Imbalance. Disease in the Ayurvedic world.

The practice of Ayurveda is all about maintaining balance between the three basic elements of the cosmos: Vata, Pitta, Kapha. 

Vata = Air + Ether

Pitta = Fire + Water

Kapha = Earth + Water

These basic elements, or doshas, can be found in the constitution of everything. A person, for example, embodies all three elements but may have a predominant imbalance of Vata qualities, Pitta or Kapha. 

Anyone in the West who know about doshas are dosha-obsessed. Talk to an authentic Ayurvedic practitioner and they won’t have any part in feeding our weird need to constantly label ourselves. I once went to an Ayurvedic doctor who comes from a long line of distinguished Ayurvedic physicians in India. He didn’t speak a lick to me about my dosha. I was mad that one of the most revered doctors in India couldn’t just lay down the law for me and settle it for good! But truthfully? - I kinda like that he didn’t feed the labeling beast. 

So going back to my condition last night: Where was I imbalanced? Referring to the aforementioned gunas, Kapha was present. Very present. So today, in all my naivety, I attempted to balance that out with a very Pitta (fire+water) element - coffee. Coffee is sharp (Tikshna) and increases Pitta, thus decreases Kapha. Coffee also promotes motion, relating to another guna - Mobile (Chala), hence the ability for that good ol’ mornin’ BM. Unfortunately, the latter attribute also promotes restlessness, which explains why I didn’t know what the heck to properly feed myself.