How to Select Pranayama for Vata Ayurveda Mind Body Type

Ayurveda is the 5,000-year-old medical system that originated in India. Colleges and universities there award students bachelors and advanced degrees in Ayurveda. There are three main mind-body, or dosha types: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Vata represents air and ether. Vatas are generally slender with a small-boned frame. It is difficult for Vatas to gain weight and they tend to thrive on constant activity, mental and physical. Dryness is a theme for them: dry hair, skin, and a tendency to constipation. Vatas are very talkative, and this can be excessive. Pranayama, or breath work, is one way to help ground the constant worry and anxiety that can overwhelm a Vata who is not balanced.

Instructions

• 1

  Begin by sitting in a comfortable, cross-legged position on the floor. If your knees are higher than your hips this way, sit on a folded blanket or pillow or chair. Your spine should be upright but not rigid. Breath work for Vatas should help tether them to earth element to balance the movement of air and ether.

• 2

  Close off the right nostril with the right thumb. Inhale through the left nostril softly. Close off the left nostril and exhale through the right nostril. Repeat in this way for 7 to 10 rounds smoothly without hurry or force.

• 3

  Practice this pranayama daily for a month, adding one to two rounds each week. Notice if you feel your chest tighten: you may be inhaling too quickly of too fully. Nadi shodhana is alternate nose breathing and meant to balance the two main energetic nadis: ida (solar) and pingala (lunar).

• 4

  Learn a very short breathing exercise to help you remain calm at work or in a challenging situation. It is a variation of viloma or three-part breath. Sitting with eyes closed, inhale to the belly about 1/3 of your capacity, pause. Inhale another third to the chest level, pause. Inhale to the collarbones, pause. Exhale slowly.

• 5

  Take several normal breaths. Repeat once more. Rest by breathing normally. This variation can be done with the eyes opened and is barely noticeable and can help dispel toxins from the lungs and calm down a Vata’s racing mind (and tongue).