The blending of Ayurveda with it’s sister discipline, Yoga, has been a time honoured tradition in Indian Households and spiritual practices.
YOGA YOUR DOSHA
For a well balanced personal yoga practice, it is important to take into consideration the individual’s body structure, prakruti (original constitution), and vikruti (present constitutional imbalance). The following are general recommendations according to the predominant dosha.
Vata:
Remember to focus on calming, grounding, stillness, strengthening, and balancing while doing their practice. Vinyasa or flow styles of yoga tend to move too quickly from one pose to the next and can aggravate the hyper-mobile quality of vata over time. Transitions should be done slowly and consciously.
Recommended Salutation/Series:
Sattva Namaskar: Salute to Inner Calm
Recommended Postures:
- Vrkasana (Tree)
- Bhujangasana (Cobra)
- Eka Pada Pavanamuktasana (Wind-Relieving Pose)
- Janu Shirshasana (Seated Head-to-Knee)
- Supta Balasana (Belly Soothing Resting Pose)
- Yogamudrasana (Sealing Pose)
- Savasana (Corpse)
Recommended Styles:
Kriya Yoga or Ashtanga Yoga and other structured techniques keep vata stabilized and focused.
Pitta:
Maintain a calm, cool, and relaxed intention while doing asanas. Because asana practice tends to generate heat in the body, it is best to do them at cooling times of the day, such as dawn or dusk. Also, it is useful to place some emphasis on poses that help to release excess heat from the body, such as poses that compress the solar plexus and poses that open the chest.
Recommended Salutation/Series:
Moon Salutation:
- Tadasana (Mountain Pose )
- Urdhva Hastasana (Raised Arms Pose )
- Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)
- Lunge Pose
- Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
- Plank Pose)
- Ashtanga Namaskara (Knees, Chest, Chin)
- Bhujangasana (Cobra)
- Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
- Lunge Pose
- Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)
- Urdhva Hastasana (Raised Arms Pose )
- Tadasana (Mountain Pose )
Recommended Postures:
- Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)
- Parivrtta Trikonasana (Twisting Triangle)
- Salabhasana (Locust)
- Dhanurasana (Bow)
- Pashchimottanasana (Seat Forward Bend)
- Upavistha Konasana (Open Angle Pose)
- Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose)
- Savasana (Breathing Easy Position)
Recommended Styles:
Jnana Yoga and Vedanta are good for pitta types because they often have sharp intellects and have a keen interest in self-study (Atma-vichara).
Kapha:
Often dislike vigorous exercise. For this reason, their practice should be energetic, warming, lightening, and stimulating, providing they are physically capable. Vinyasa or flow style yoga is good for kapha because it is dynamic and moves quickly from one pose to the next, it induces sweating and gets the heart pumping.
Recommended Salutation/Series:
Sun Salutation:
- Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
- Urdhava Hastasana (Raised Arm Pose)
- Uttanasana (Flat Back)
- Lunge
- Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
- Plank Pose
- Ashtanga Namaskara (Knees, Chest, and Chin): or Chaturanga Dandasana (Push-up plank)
- Bhujangasana (Cobra) or Urdhva Muhka Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog)
- Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
- Uttanasana (Flat Back)
- Urdhava Hastasana (Raised Arm Pose)
- Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
Recommended Postures:
- Uttanasana (Standing Forward bend)
- Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
- Sethu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose-Half Back arch)
- Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)
- Halasana (Plough)
- Bharadvajasana on a Chair (Sage Twist)
- Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (Upward Extend Foot Pose)
- Navasana (Boat)
Recommended Styles:
Bhakti yoga is natural for kapha types because they are often loving and devotional by nature.
