Yoga, the Ayurveda exercise

      The dosha that is most likely to go out of balance is the one that dominates your body type, Vatas should be careful not to aggravate their Vata, Pittas their Pitta, and Kaphas their Kapha. But, the most active dosha in everyone is the Vata. The Vata is very temperamental it leads to the majority of short-term problems, especially if they are stress-related. I have been teaching yoga for eleven years. I have had many people with fibromyalgia come to my class thinking it would be good for them, just to be disappointed the next day; when they can’t get out of bed, because they have over worked the body. To be honest I didn’t understand either, until I started to study Ayurveda, balancing of the doshas, and how Thai Yoga Therapy plays into all that. Fibromyalgia is an imbalance in the nervous system; it is a way of your body telling you, you need to slow down. It is a Vata imbalance. All the fibromyalgia clients I have seen have been Vata’s. Vata’s do not generally enjoy the best of health. They have unexplained aches and pains, occasional sleeplessness, and they have a tendency to worry and be nervous. If the Vata is not balanced in these early stages, they become the most common visitors to the doctors’ office. Remember, ALL Illnesses are an imbalance in the doshas. Once you get them balanced you can return to wellness. Thai Partner Yoga Therapy can do wonders for people with fibromyalgia, and bring them to the point where they can do yoga. Yoga is an Ayurvedic exercise that simultaneously integrates the whole physiology—mind, body, and breath. It strengthens and stretches all the major muscle groups, lubricates the joints, conditions the spine, and massages the internal organs. Blood flow and circulation is increased throughout the body. With regular practice, you gain stability, suppleness, flexibility, and grace. Yoga balances the doshas just like Thai Therapy does, but if your Vata is aggravated doing a class could bring more imbalance. Yoga is great for a maintenance program after you have been balanced. I believe Vata aggravation is the most common disorder in America. I also believe that your body type is a mold you were cast in, it dose not contain your fate. To be tall or short, indecisive or determined, anxious or calm is to be a type, but there is abundant room for all the things that a body type does not control—thoughts, emotions, memories, talents, desires, and so forth. Knowledge of your body type helps you to evolve to a more ideal state of health. Western medicine, aims only for physical or mental health. Ayurveda wants to lift every aspect of life to a higher level.

                        Nancy Adams,  Certified Thai Partner Yoga Therapist