Tips for balancing your Vata

There are four  areas for everyday life that can be used to promote balance: Diet--Exercise--Daily routine--Seasonal routine. I will talk about each of these later, right now I want to give you a basic understanding of how you can affect your doshas. Balance is very easy. Nature has endowed your body with the proper instincts for it. Ayurveda doesn't dictate that one food is "right" and another "wrong". You discover right and wrong by listening to your doshas. Every day is a conversation between you and your body. The key to balancing Vata dosha is regularity. These are the four most important things to add to your daily routine, in order of importance.
Diet: It is very important for Vatas to eat regularly, since Vata dosha is aggravated by an empty stomach. Make sure you sit down to three meals a day, have a warm nourishing breakfast of substantial foods, like hot cereal. Favor sweet, heavy fruits such as: bananas, avocados, mangoes, apricots, plums, berries, coconut, figs, grapefruit, orange, lemon, melons, papaya, peaches, pineapples, rhubarb, kiwi, dates, nectarines and dried fruits.   Eat fewer dry or light fruits such as apples, cranberries, pears, and pomegranates. To ease digestion, fruits are best eaten lightly cooked or sautéed or eaten alone. Cooked vegetables are best. Raw vegetables should be minimized. Favor Asparagus, beets, and carrots. Other vegetables may be taken in moderation if cooked in ghee or extra virgin olive oil, including peas, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, and sweet potatoes. Stay away from dry cereal. crackers, and toast because they dry out the body. Meditation: Sit quietly holding your hands in your lap. close your eyes and breathe slow and controled. Let your attention follow your breathing. Set a timer for five or more minutes so you don't have to watch the clock. Do this before breakfast and before bed.
Oil Massage: Massage your body with sesame oil in the morning before you bathe or shower.
Exercise: Yoga is the best exercise for Vatas. If you are out of balance and illness has already began, you will need some personal training and/or Thai Yoga Therapy for at least six weeks before you start a class, so as to not traumatise your nervous system. I know this is a lot to digest, I will spend more time on meditation and massage next time.
                                 Nancy, Thai Partner Yoga Therapist