Balance & Replenish
I heard the word “pacify” used in a peculiar context when I got my first Ayurvedic checkup in Bopal, India four years ago. It was a steamy day, and I couldn’t wait to experience a soothing, cooling treatment, which I thought would be the perfect “alleve” for the sizzling heat. Until then I always thought “pacifying” meant calming down or eliciting the relaxation response of the body. But I was somewhat puzzled when the doctor said, your “dosha” is deranged, and we have to “pacify it”.
According to Ayurveda, the ancient Vedic healing system that dates back more than 5,000 years ago universal life force manifests as three different energies or “doshas”, known as vata, pitta and kapha. Energy is required to create movement so that fluids and nutrients get to the cells, enabling the body to function. Energy is also required to metabolize the nutrients in the cells, and is called for to lubricate and maintain cellular structure. Vata is the energy of movement, pitta the energy of digestion or metabolism and kapha the energy of lubrication and structure. We are made up of a unique blend of these three forces. Though everyone has some of each, most people tend to have an abundance of one or two of the doshas. This unique combination is determined at the moment of conception, and is your own personal thumb print or “prakriti”. Based on your constitution the Auyrvedic system examines your physical build, emotional nature, and spiritual outlook in the context of the universe. As you move through life, the proportion of each of the three doshas constantly fluctuates depending on your environment, your diet, the seasons, the climate, your age, and many other factors. As they swing into and out of balance, the doshas can affect your health, energy level, and general mood. To learn how to balance the body, mind and consciousness then requires an understanding how vata, pitta and kapha work together. According to Ayurvedic philosophy the entire cosmos is an interplay of the energies of the five great elements–Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. Vata, pitta and kapha are combinations and permutations of these five elements that manifest as patterns present in all creation. When one of these doshas goes out of “wack,” it is considered “deranged” and needs to be “pacified” or restored back to equilibrium.
I couldn’t quite grasp the concept at first. How do you “pacify” these elements? By calming down and resting? The doctor picked on my train of thought and went on: “By matching like with like you can neutralize any inconsistency to restore the balance.” The doctor further elaborated that in my case of a “Vata” derangement I was prone to skin dryness, wavering thoughts, cracking joints, poor circulation, insomnia and low immunity. And he had nailed it. In fact, I did suffer from all of the above at some point in my life, and was now ready for the fix. Before prescribing the right treatment he also noted that I had the tendency to often fluctuate from monodoshic “Pitta” (manifesting one element) to bi-doshic “Vata-Pita” (manifesting equal amounts of both elements), so in my treatment he needed to include remedies and techniques that would rebalance both the air and fire elements. As a Pitta “native” I was innately strong willed, intense, and irritable. I enjoyed great endurance, but battled with constant inflammation, rashes and loose stool. The new treatment that I was about to undergo would let me manage my “fiery” tendencies, channeling them in productive ways and learning to recognize their destructive power. So in other words the doctor would match fire with fire to neutralize the negative intensity of the element, while preserving its purifying benefits.
As I went into the healing room I didn’t know what to expect. I had heard about the incredible benefits of Ayurveda and the uniqueness of the treatment, but what I experienced exceeded any expectations. I was led into a candle-lit chamber, infused with lavender, sandalwood and rose, reverberating with the intense wailing of the Indian raga. I was laid on a wooden table and given a sesame oil rub by two girls clad in white saris that ventured into a symmetrical massage dance – working in a mirror image and in perfect sync. Their graceful round movements penetrated deeply into the tissues and stimulated my circulation, while relaxing the muscles and triggering the acupressure points. Then they poured hot oil over my third eye which electrified my head, and burned beeswax candles infused with patchouli in my ears. They blew rose fumes through my nostrils and rubbed primrose oil into my temples. I was flipped around in all directions, and treated while reclining, sitting, kneeling and standing. The ritual lasted more than two hours and ended with a cold rose water splash and a milk-honey and cardamom drink. The effect was rapturous. I felt I was floating above ground. My achy joints had been oiled, my jittery mind was finally at peace, my eyes beamed with luster and my skin looked translucent. As I exited the facility the doctor greeted me with a “Namaste” and gave me a few home tips to pacify the “doshas”, once they go out of alignment.
I learned that day that the key to preserving your personal balance is to hone your sensitivity for noticing potential imbalances that may arise from your environment or from dietary or emotional imbalances, and to adopt practices that will counter-balance these influences. I experienced how the cause of disease in Ayurveda is viewed as the lack of proper cellular function because of an excess or deficiency of vata, pitta or kapha and/or the presence of toxins. I felt the synergy of body, mind and consciousness in pacifying my individual constitution and helping me make the lifestyle changes that would bring about and maintain this balance.
As I was leaving the Ayurvedic center in Bopal, it dawned on me that we could allow the same interplay of “elements” in our body by creating targeted sequences that blended mudra, mantra, meditation and asana. Ever since, I have seeped my passion for designing signature routines with Ayurveda’s perennial wisdom. Here’s a healthy mix of all these fabulous yogic ingredients to help you not only pacify your body by eliminating stress, but also replenish the cells to align with the needs of your prakriti – your singular self.
Yogea Pacifying Evening Routine Balance & Replenish
This Yogea routine is rich in asanas that will help you calm the nervous system, clear the mind, release stress or anxiety build-up and most importantly rebalance all the elements in your body, so you experience inner peace. The sequencing takes you in different spatial planes and levels and nurtures the capacity of your cells to reprogram and increase efficiency. Reclining backbends alternate with poses that stimulate the crown chakra and the third eye to elicit of state of insight and fuel intuition. Deep twists couple with soothing forward bends, to rinse out in debris from the chakras and allow deep relaxation. The poses are augmented by targeted massage techniques that enhance the acupressure stimulation through trigger points to allow free detoxification. Signature variations of classical standing and sitting poses are introduced to promote a “tri-doshic” effect and rebalance the energetic, emotional, mental, physical and causal sheaths of the body. Special newly minted binds promote optimal meridian crossing to re-balance the right and the left brain. The effect of the sequence is soothing and restorative, as well as centering and replenishing.
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