In the blog Discover the hidden truths about yourself!, we discussed that the entire universe, including the human body, is formed from the five basic elements. These elements determine an individual’s unique Tridosha, or constitution, as well as the predominant Dosha. The Tridosha and the predominant Dosha influence an individual’s physical, physiological, and psychological characteristics, and this influence is also known as “Dosha Prakriti”. Each of the three Doshas we discussed before has a distinct Prakriti as we shall discuss below.
This blog will delve into the details of Vata Dosha (or simply Vata) and the Vata (Dosha) Prakriti. In order to understand this blog better, we recommend reading the Discover the hidden truths about yourself! blog first.
If most of what you read here applies to you, probably Vata is your predominant Dosha and you have Vata Prakriti. We have written separately about Pitta and Kapha, the other two Doshas. So let us begin.
Which are the main elements of Vata Dosha?
We discussed before that all matter, organic or inorganic, consists of the five basic elements. These elements combine in unique proportions to determine an individual’s Tridosha, which is a combination of the three Doshas, and the dominant Dosha among these three. Vata comprises Ether and Air elements. Hence the Vata individual is influenced by the elemental qualities of Ether and Air.
Which energy does Vata manifest as in the body?
All Doshas derive energy from the underlying elements to be able to perform their functions within the body. Vata is the energy required for all movements within the body.
What is Vata responsible for?
Vata is responsible for various movements in the body, voluntary or involuntary, physical or non-physical, such as respiration, ingestion, blood circulation, intercellular and intracellular transport, the pulsation of the heart, muscle movement, and even the flow of thoughts and emotions in the mind. The movement of food through the digestive tract to the movement of fluids and nutrients to the body cells are all governed by Vata.
Where does Vata reside in the body?
Doshas have different functions, so they are located where they are needed.
Essentially, Vata is responsible for motion and can be found throughout the body, predominantly in the head, the throat, the diaphragm, the small intestine, the belly button, the pelvic girdle, and the thighs.
What is Vata Prakriti characterized as?
Dosha Prakriti can be more accurately understood by the qualities or Gunas of the Doshas. In general, an individual experiences the qualities associated with his/her Tridosha, with the predominant Dosha’s qualities being more prominent.
Vata individuals tend to depict dry, light, cold, rough, subtle, mobile, and clear qualities in physical, physiological, and psychological states.
How does Vata influence the physical and physiological aspects of an individual?
Below are a few illustrative examples of how Vata influences an individual.
The skin, hair, lips, and eyes may suffer from dryness and roughness. The dryness causes excessive thirst, dehydration, and chronic constipation.
The individual may have a thin and light body and also suffer from light sleep. In terms of physical attributes, an individual’s weight and height can vary (mobile) a lot.
The cold quality of Vata may subdue digestive fire and cause digestion-related issues. The individual may also have a lower body temperature.
The individual usually has dark complexions, eyes, and hair.
A condition may also lead to multiple other conditions. For example, dryness may cause dehydration which can also lead to UTIs and other diseases.
How do the Vata individuals usually behave?
The Vata individuals depict behavior that reflects the elemental qualities of Ether and Air.
The light quality makes them alert, attentive, active, and imaginative. They are quick-thinking, creative, and flexible. They quickly grasp concepts and act fast.
However, they tend to be bad planners and often face economic hardships in life.
In excess, the light quality makes them feel “ungrounded” and hence they experience insecurity, anxiety, and fear.
They may suffer from claustrophobia and fear of darkness and heights.
They may feel lonely and isolated due to the dry quality. Other people may view them as emotionless.
The mobile quality drives rapid thinking in Vata individuals causing them to be restless and forgetful.
They live up to the maxim “change is the only constant” and as a result are rarely “stable” in life, rearranging everything from their thoughts to their environment.
What kind of food should Vata individuals consume?
We discussed the six main tastes in Ayurveda in the blog Eat your way to good health! Each of the six tastes, like all organic and inorganic matter, contains the five elements, with two predominant elements, just as the Doshas do. In this blog, you can see that astringent, bitter, and pungent tastes contain the same elements as Vata.
Vata types are attracted to bitter, pungent, and astringent foods, but their constitutions are most balanced by sweet, sour, and salty tastes.
Vata individuals are often attracted to astringent and drying foods like salad, raw vegetables, and fruits such as cranberries, pomegranates, and raw apples. However, these foods should be avoided and substituted with cooked vegetables instead.
They may also consume juicy fruits and plenty of drinks to preserve fluidity. Eating foods cooked with water and oil will counter dryness in Vata individuals.
What aggravates Vata?
A major change in the qualities of Vata mentioned above may also aggravate Vata in one’s Tridosha, causing an imbalance between the Doshas. This may have a negative effect on the mind, body, and soul of the Vata individual.
For example, Vata is already cold, dry, and rough. If these conditions increase in the external environment, say at the onset of the fall season or winter, or in a diet rich in foods with “cooling effects”, it may also aggravate Vata.
Vata can be aggravated by various things, including lifestyle, climate, diet, thoughts and emotions, and specific tastes such as pungent, bitter, and astringent.
Hence, in order to keep Vata “pacified”, it is necessary to understand its qualities and their impact on body, mind, and soul.
If Vata still becomes aggravated, an Ayurvedic practitioner will usually assess the extent and nature of aggravation and then apply the appropriate qualities to pacify it. This applies to all three Doshas.
Are there any symptoms associated with an imbalance of Vata?
Different functions of Vata relate to different locations within the body leading to further subclassification of Vata. Accordingly, Vata has five subtypes. Depending upon which subtype is imbalanced, an individual may experience disorders specific to that location.
Prana Vata may cause palpitation, breathlessness, anxiety, nervousness, fear and anger, lack of concentration, stroke paralysis, and various respiratory disorders.
Udana Vata may cause speech-related issues, mental confusion, dullness, lack of ambition, respiratory issues, and discoloration of the skin.
Samana Vata may cause loss of appetite, bloating, and indigestion.
Apana Vata may cause constipation, diarrhea, menstruation problems, sexual problems, conception issues, and osteoporosis.
Vyana Vata may cause poor blood circulation, lack of oxygen, heart attack, and brain stroke.
How can the deviation in the current state (Vikruti) of Vata be understood?
We discussed before that Tridosha or the constitution of an individual is formed at his/her birth. However, as life progresses, the three Doshas may undergo changes and the balance between them may get disturbed due to various factors such as environment, diet, lifestyle, emotions, and stresses of life in general. This is known as “Dosha Vikruti”, the current state of Tridosha, as against the “Dosha Prakruti”, the original and natural state of Tridosha formed at birth.
Ayurveda practitioners assess the Dosha Vikruti and compare the results with the Dosha Prakriti of the individual. Any changes found may be indicative of the individual living outside the parameters of his or her Tridosha formed at birth and may indicate physical or mental illness. It is then possible to prescribe an appropriate treatment to restore the Dosha Prakriti.
The assessment of Vata Vikruti may take the form of a questionnaire and assesses an individual on various conditions such as skin health, weight, mental and emotional health, and current disorders.
A very good self-assessment quiz can be found here.
How is Dosha Prakriti restored in Ayurveda?
A basic rule to understand when dealing with Doshas is that “like increases the like”. If the diet, environment, or lifestyle of an individual has similar qualities as his/her Dosha, it is bound to increase or aggravate the Dosha. For example, Vata aggravates in winter because it increases the “cold” quality in Vata.
Hence, to prevent the aggravation of a Dosha, “like to like” qualities must be avoided in the environment. Applying the “opposite quality” may maintain the balance of qualities in the Dosha. It might be a good idea to revisit the Vata qualities previously mentioned to determine which ones should be adopted and which should be avoided to balance Vata.
With that understanding, Vata individuals should bring more regularity to daily lives, get plenty of rest or sleep, choose warm and moist environments, include oily foods in the diet, and add moderately astringent, sour, and salty tastes to the foods.
How is Vata related to other Doshas in Ayurveda?
Vata means movement, and the body cannot function without movement. The function of Pitta and Kapha, as well as most body systems and organs, depends on Vata. Hence Vata must be kept in balance for the other two Doshas to function normally.