AYURVEDA

1. WHAT IS AYURVEDA?

Ayurveda, "knowledge of life", is a science at the heart of yoga transmitted and shared in families and villages in India for more than 5,000 years.

Accessible to all, it mainly consists of modifying and improving the diet and the way of life on a daily basis. Body, mind and spirit must work in harmony to achieve the best possible health.

Complex and complete, Ayurveda includes 8 different branches and acts as prevention to deal with health problems, diseases and others that could arise without listening to the body and sensations.

Intended to adapt to everyone, Ayurveda recognizes the individual and all these differences to offer a personalized program, a mixture of nutrition, yoga/physical activity, meditation, work of the breath, and herbs using the 5 senses as a vehicle to bring the body back to its original balance.

1. THE 3 DOSHAS

From the 5 elements, three different energies have been identified. Called Doshas, ​​they are the energy of movement or “vata”, the energy of transformation “pitta” and the energy of lubrication and structure or “kapha”.

Our body is made up of these 3 doshas which combined form our physical envelope and each of them corresponds to different functions, qualities and effects. We each have the 3 doshas in us but with different combinations, each of them unique, specific to ourselves.

The doshas govern the hours of the day, the seasons and the different cycles of our life. They create balance in our body but when out of balance they bring deterioration, disease...

DOSHA TEST

1. Physics

a) thin, hard to gain weight
b) medium build with good muscle tone
c) well-built, with curves, tendency to put on weight easily

2. Olive Skin

a) fine, scratches often
b) pink, with moles and/or freckles
c) porcelain, smooth and soft

3. Hair

a) dry, thin, brittle or frizzy
b) silky and stiff, early graying or balding
c) thick, abundant, lustrous, wavy and slightly greasy

4. Face

a) oval and thin
b) triangular with marked strokes
c) round with soft strokes

5. Eyes

a) small, recurring feeling of dryness (often brown)
b) medium, almond-shaped, penetrating (often blue or green)
c) large, round, moist, abundant eyelashes

6. Hands

a) dry, rough, thin fingers and knuckles, thin and dry nails
b) hydrated, pink, medium sized fingers and knuckles, pink nails
c) firm, thick fingers and knuckles, strong nails

7. Joints

a) small, prominent bones and often crack
b) medium and flexible
c) broad and robust with lots of muscle around

8. Activities

a) very active, always on the go, multitasking, always thinking
b) likes to think, reflect before doing anything
c) poised and graceful, does not like to rush

9. Decisions

a) tries his luck without necessarily having a lot of information
b) asks many questions to get clarity on the situation before making a decision
c) takes a long time to decide and/or prefers someone else to make the decision

10. Rhythm

a) walk fast and talk fast
b) always very thoughtful and precise actions
c) slower pace, to enjoy the moment and take time to get things done

11. Sleep

a) tends to toss and turn all night, wakes up early
b) light sleeper but if awake can fall back asleep easily
c) heavy sleep

12. Appetite

a) sometimes hungry sometimes not, feels anxious or weak without eating
b) always hungry, becomes irritable or grumpy without eating
c) rarely hungry, often skips meals

13.Transit

a) easily prone to constipation, can go several days without a bowel movement
b) has a bowel movement more than once a day and easily
c) have a consistent bowel movement every day

14. Voice

a) fragile, hoarse or tired
b) powerful, sometimes strong
c) deep, with a pleasant tone often complimented

15. Emotions

a) born restless, often anxious and nervous
b) if things do not go as desired, becomes irritable and angry
c) always happy, but may feel lonely and depressed

16. Favorite Time

a) hot and humid
b) costs
c) hot and dry

17. Sweating

a) never sweats, unless doing very intense sport
b) profuse sweating and a little sticky
c) sweats easily in activity or if it is humid, pleasant smell

18. Memory

a) learns quickly and forgets quickly
b) remembers what is important
c) slow to remember, but never forgets

19. Risk Taking

a) likes to be spontaneous
b) won't make a decision unless you have a plan
c) dislikes risks and proceeds cautiously unless someone else takes the plunge

20. Stamina

a) strenuous activities but tires quickly
b) average endurance
c) can work long hours without getting tired

21. Spirit

a) lively
b) impatient
c) calm and happy

22. Personality

a) "Can I change my mind?" »
b) “I want things done my way. »
c) "Don't worry, be happy!" »

23. Health Issues

a) pain, constipation/bloating, anxiety and depression
b) rashes and infections of the skin, heartburn, hypertension
c) allergies, congestion and weight gain

24. Passions

a) art, drawing, dance and travel
b) sports, politics, anything that gets your adrenaline pumping
c) nature, gardening, reading and crochet

RESULT

If you have the most a, you are VATA: the energy of movement

• Temperament: creative and energetic
• Elements: air + space
• Qualities: cold, dry, light, mobile, subtle, rough
• Unbalanced by: over-simulation, cold/dry environment, cold/dry food, multitasking, moving too much and/or too fast.
• Needs: structure, grounding, warmth, heaviness, oilingSeason: fall to mid-winter
• Nature: wind
• Main location: colon

If you have the most b, you are PITTA, energy of transformation

• Temperament: leader and intellectual
• Elements: fire + water
• Qualities: hot, sharp, slightly oily, mobile, smooth
• Unbalanced by: too much heat, competition, high stress, the sun, too spicy or acidic food
• Needs: anchorage, fresh wind, serenity, relaxation, rest time
• Season: late spring and summer
• nature: sun
• Main location: small intestine

If you have the most c, you are KAPHA

• Temperament: stable and brooding
• Elements: water + earth
• Qualities: cold, wet, heavy, static, dense, dull
• Unbalanced by: intense emotions, too much food, too many material things, not enough physical movement
• Needs: lightness, warmth, movement, dryness and spices
• Season: spring
• nature: moon
• Main location: stomach and chest

Faustine Cressot