The world is made up of Panchamahabhuta, or the five elements, namely Prithvi (earth), Ap (water), Teja (fire), Vayu (air), and Aakash (space). These elements combine in our body to form the three doshas: Vata (air and space), Pitta (fire and water), and Kapha (water and earth). In today’s article, let’s learn more about the King of all doshas and how to balance Vata dosha.
Sharangadhara in his Samhita explains very aptly the authoritative quality of Vata Dosha. He says, “Pittam pangu kapha pangu panguvo mala dhatavah | Vayuna yatra neyante tatra ghacchante medhavat ||” (Sha. Sam. Pu. 5/43). Vata plays a vital role in the body. It is like the motivating force. Without the presence of Vata, the other two doshas, i.e., Pitta and Kapha dosha, the seven dhatus or body tissues, and the malas, or waste materials, of the body, including excreta such as urine, stools, and sweat, become functionless. Only when the Vata moves or motivates all the dosha, dhatu, and mala move and perform their activities. Thus we know the importance of vata dosha in the body, and it can definitely be called the King of all the doshas. The mind, body, and spirit maintain their firmness, harmony, and stability due to the proper functioning of Vata dosha. In other words, Vata dosha governs all the movements in body and mind, including processes such as breathing, digestion, heartbeat, blood circulation, excretion, and even thoughts of our mind.
Elements of Vata:
Vata/Vayu is subdivided into five different types based on the specialized function:
- Prana Vayu: located in the head while it moves in the chest and throat. The force behind the normal functioning of the heart, lungs, and throat is Prana Vayu. It regulates willpower, vision, and intellect and performs functions such as sneezing, belching, inspiration, swallowing, and expectoration.
- Udana Vayu: Resides in the chest; it helps in speech and is responsible for enthusiasm, strength, complexion, and memory. Respiration is due to udana vata.
- Vyana Vayu: It is situated in the heart but moves all over the body. Activities such as opening and closing of eyes, circulation of blood in the body, flexion, and extension of the joints, and all the muscular activities are guided by Vyana Vayu.
- Samana Vayu: It moves in the gastrointestinal tract. It helps in receiving food into the stomach and then divides the food into nutritious and waste parts by the process of digestion and further moves these parts in their normal route through circulation. Samana Vayu's function is mostly limited to the digestive tract and aids in normal peristalsis movement.
- Apana Vata: It is located in the large intestine and moves in the waist, genitals, and bladder. Excretion, urination, ejaculation, labor, and menstruation are all taken care of by Apana Vayu.
To understand Vata dosha more, we need to know the qualities of Vata. Vata is dry, light, cool, rough, subtle, and mobile. A person with Vata Prakriti (body constitution) usually has a thin and light body frame. They have excellent energy but can experience sudden fatigue. A Vata person usually has dry skin and hair, and their hands and feet are cold most of the time. They sleep for fewer hours, and digestion gets hampered very quickly. Vata Prakriti people are creative, flexible, and energetic. They get angry very quickly, but they forgive much quicker. Vata people are talkative and are usually anxious.
An imbalance of vata dosha in a person can cause nervousness, anxiety, panic, fear, tremors, spasms, dry skin, constipation, bloating, low body weight, insomnia, excessive thinking, and worrying. A variety of neuro-musculoskeletal disorders are caused by imbalanced vata dosha. Pain and aches are predominant in vata imbalance.
Benefits of Vata Dosha:
Guidelines for Nutritional Balance
In order to balance the Vata Dosha, the Vata Diet is essential. Warm, moist, and grounding foods are part of the diet, while Vata is cold, dry, and light.
Items to Include:
- Warm, cooked foods: Vata can be well-balanced by eating soups, stews, and cooked grains.
- Good Fats: Avocados, olive oil, and ghee fight dryness.
- Tastes of Sugar, Sour, and Salt: These flavors ground and balance Vata.
Items to avoid:
- Raw and Cold Foods: Iced drinks, salads, and raw veggies can all worsen vata.
- Dry and Light Foods: You should minimize your intake of crackers, popcorn, and extremely dry grains.
- Caffeine: Too much caffeine might make you more agitated and anxious.
Methods to balance Vata Dosha:
Snehana: Since vata is dry, to pacify it, internal and external administration of oil, ghee, and fat would be beneficial.
After oliation treatment, Swedana or sudation therapy would help. Vata being cold can be pacified with the hot fomentation treatment to remove the stiffness and rigidity.
Very mild Panchakarma such as Vamana or Virechana would be beneficial. Basti, another panchakarma treatment, will bring Vata to balance.
Foods that have a sweet, sour, and salty taste help in decreasing vata dosha. Food should be taken when they is hot. Hot soups, stews, ghee, nuts, coconut, olives, buttermilk, whole milk, cheese, wheat, berries, melons, etc. can be taken in their meals. Spices such as ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, and cumin can be taken. Timely sleep and regular meals can help balance vata dosha.
Avoiding foods that are cold or frozen, and have a bitter, astringent, and pungent taste is beneficial. Avoid intake of potatoes, cabbage, green peas, whole grams, cauliflower, dry food, stale food, etc. Avoid excessive intake of tea or coffee. Avoid raw and uncooked food.
Vata's diet is all about eating soothing food that is hot and highly nourishing.
Unbalanced Vata Dosha Symptoms
The first step in reestablishing balance is identifying the symptoms of an unbalanced Vata. These are a few typical symptoms:
Symptoms in the body
- rough or dry skin
- chilly hands and feet
- Gas and constipation
- Unexpected weight reduction
- stiffness or discomfort in the joints
Mood and Mental Symptoms
- Worry and anxiety
- Anxiety or overanalyzing
- inability to concentrate
- insomnia or restless nights
- Uncertainty and fear
Natural Treatments for Vata Equilibrium:
Certain herbs, being warming, nourishing, and grounding, might help bring Vata into balance.
Sirish tablet helps in balancing Vata Dosha since it contains anti-inflammatory properties.
Triphala powder aids in regular bowel motions and digestion, both of which are important for preserving the Vata element.