Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Six stages of disease

I am going to tell you how to balance your dosha. First I want to explain how it all happens. I have said this before, all illness's start with a trauma of some sort. A sudden mental, physical or spiritual shock,  the death of  a spouse, can create havoc in the body, crippling the immune system and opening the way for illness. Other things can traumatize the body as well, a fall, car accident, surgery, and so on. According to the ancient texts, the disease process has six stages. The first 3 are invisible and can be tied in to either the body or the mind; the last three are easily detected by the patient and his doctor. Each stage represents a loss of balance, but its appearance changes as the process continues: 1. Accumulation-begins with the buildup of one or more doshas. 2. Aggravation-excess dosha accumulates to the point that it starts to spread outside its normal boundaries. 3. Dissemination-the dosha moves throughout the body. 4. Localization- the wandering dosha settles somewhere it doesn't belong. 5. Manifestation-physical symptoms start at the point where the dosha  has localized. 6. Disruption- a full-blown disease erupts. Because Ayurveda works at such  a subtle level of our bodies, symptoms can be relieved that are often very mysterious by Western standards, including pain, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and so on. Western medicine tends to say that these illness's originate in the patients head. When really they originate at the early stages of dosha imbalance. It is easy to mange them while they are still in stages 1, 2, or 3. Most often if I can get a traumatized client on my mat, for a Thai Yoga Therapy session with in 3 days of the trauma. I can balance the doshas and the body will return to normal. This does not mean after 3 days you can't be helped. I have had very good success with people who have been out of balance for years. It just takes longer and we have to use diet, exercise and meditation to restore the body to balance. Next blog, how to balance the Vata.
                                       Nancy, Certified Thai Yoga Therapist

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

If you are a Kapha

     The basic theme of the Kapha type is "relaxed." Kaphas are considered fortunate in Ayurveda because as a rule they enjoy sound health; moreover, their personalities express a serene, happy, tranquil view or the world.
     Physically, Kapha dosha gives strength and natural resistance to disease. Besides being well built, Kapha types tend to be thickest, with wide hips and / or shoulders. There is a strong tendency to gain weight
easily. Since extra weight is not easily lost, Kaphas often become obese when they are out of balance.
     Kapha are cool, smooth, thick, pale skin that is often oily. Large, soft, doelike eyes are very typical.
     Kaphas are slow. Slow eaters, with slow digestion. Slow speakers, slow making a decision,  slow in action, slow waking up and slow to get moving.slow to anger and want to maintain peace around themselves.
     Kaphas have steady energy. Their stamina exceeds that of other types, as does their willingness to perform physical labor.
     Kaphas are affectionate, tolerant, and forgiving; to be motherly is very Kapha. They can be very complacent, and even the most balanced Kapha will procrastinate if he feels stressed. out of balance  Kaphas cannot bear to throw old things away. and become stubborn, dull, lethargic, and lazy.
     Kaphas do not like cold, damp weather and respond to it mentally by becoming slower or outright depressed. Their common sleep disorder is not insomnia but oversleep.
     

Thursday, March 15, 2012

If you are a Pitta

Pitta type is "intense." they are ambitious, sharp-witted, outspoken, bold, argumentative, or jealous. The combative side of Pitta is a natural tendency, but it does not have to be expressed. When in balance, Pittas are warm and ardent in their emotions, loving, and content. They have a strong sex drive. A face glowing with happiness is very Pitta. They sleep soundly for short periods of time waking up during the night feeling overheated. They sleep a moderate length of time and come closest to the "normal" eight hours a night. If out of balance, Pittas suffer from insomnia, particularly if they are wrapped up in their work, which tends to all-consuming for them.  Pittas are medium in size and well proportioned.
     Pittas have sharp, penetrating intellects and good powers of concentration. Their innate tendency is to be orderly and to manage their energies, money, and actions efficiently. Pittas are people who attack live head-on and relish challenge, the more difficult the better. But this inner drive is often the source of their undoing. Pitta gives you a fiery energy; if you abuse it, it will burn you up. The workaholics of this world are generally out-of-balance Pittas, especially if their emotional undertone is angry and compulsive.
      Pittas incline toward anger as their characteristic negative emotion, and stress easily brings this out. They can be irritable and impatient, demanding and perfectionistic, particularly if out of balance. They can be cutting and abrasive in manner, which alienates others. Pittas have two sides: in balance, they are sweet, joyous, confident, and brave.
      Pittas are least able to skip a meal or even eat late--it makes them feel ravenous and/or irritable.
                     Nancy Adams Thai Partner Yoga Therapist

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

If you are a Vata

Most Vatas are thin with narrow shoulders and or hips. They may find it hard or impossible to gain weight and remain chronically underweight; Or, they could be pleasingly slender and supple. Though Vata people have quite variable appetites, they can eat anything without gaining weight. If you are a Vata, type you could be hungry at any time of the day or night. love excitement and constant change. Go to sleep at different times every night, skip meals, and keep irregular habits in general. Digest food well one day and poorly the next, display bursts of emotion that are shot-lived and quickly forgotten, walk quickly. For a Vata person, mental and physical energy comes in bursts, without steadiness. you probably start things and not finish them (if you are out of balance) such people shop compulsively without buying anything. talk without coming to a conclusion, and become chronically unsatisfied. Vata people are sometimes said to spend themselves to freely, wasting money, energy, and words, but this is not true if they are in balance. Vata people are prone to worry and at times suffer from insomnia, the result of runaway thinking. Normal sleep time for Vatas is six hours or less. A Vatas typical negative emotion brought out by stress is anxiety (fear) the typical digestive complaint is chronic constipation and /or gas, nervous stomachs and unreliable digestion cramp, premenstrual pain are generally attributed to the Vata dosha.
If you are a balanced Vata person you are probably infectiously happy, enthusiastic, and energetic. your mind is clear and alert; Vata is so sensitive and quick to change that it easily falls prey to overstimulation. Vata people thrive on variety, but when things change too much, their excitement turns to exhaustion. That is why so many Vatas feel frazzled and nervous.  they have quick, acute responses to sound and touch and dislike loud noise. They have dry skin, dry hair, cold hands and feet.
The source of their restlessness is that Vata dosha is no longer setting the proper rhythms in their bodies. Instead of eating, sleeping, and exercising regularly, out-of-balance Vatas grab food when they can, skip meals, exercise by fits and starts, and go to bed at odd hours.
            Such a life is bad for all the doshas, but it is worse for Vata. Many Vata types cling to it. Sadly, they have conditioned themselves to feel that a haphazard life is the same as a stimulating one. The remedy is to begin to cultivate balanced habits, paying a little more attention to regularity every day. Suround your self with happy people, happy books, happy movies. Open your blinds and let the sun in. Vata goes out of balance  first, causing the early stages of disease. If you are feeling out of sorts Thai Therapy can help balances the doshas. My clients find it very therapeutic for mind, body, and spirit.