Ayurveda & Ashtanga

[Guest guest]

Greetings yogis!<br>My questions are along the

lines of your recent discussion about individualized

practice. I recently attended a lecture by an Ayurvedic

doctor, which inspired me to buy a book by David Frawley

called Yoga and Ayurveda. Both men echoed the same

point: how we live our lives (as well as how we practice

yoga) should depend on our mind/body constitution, i.e.

vata, pitta, kapha, or combinations of the three. These

recommendations are making me question whether or not I should be

practicing Ashtanga. My ayurvedic constitution is combined

vata/pitta, meaning the air/ether elements dominate and the

fire element is a close second. These forces are most

susceptible to being thrown off balance, from the wrong

foods, exercise, thinking patterns, etc. According to my

new book a vata-pacifying yoga program should be,

"calm, slow, steady..." and a pitta pacifying yoga

practice needs to be "cooling and relaxing." This advice

makes a lot of sense to me, but it is obviously

conflicting with my daily Ashtanga, which emphasizes

(relatively) short amount of time in each asana, many vinyasas

with jumpings and strong heat. A kapha person

(earth/water) on the other hand, who really needs to get up and

get moving, would be someone who would need this type

of practice the most.<br>I've been practing yoga

daily for 2 1/2 years, and have been doing the primary

series for the last five months. I really enjoy my new

practice; it makes me feel like I'm doing a "complete"

asana practice, more so than anything else I've done.

So far I've only experienced positive effects, but

in light of this new information I'm a little

concerned that I could throw myself off balance without

being aware of it, especially over the long run. Part

of me wants to to the sound, logical and

time-honored logic of Ayurveda and adopt a slower and more

calming practice. My enthusiasm for Ashtanga is making me

resist, though - this system, after all gives great

benefits, too!<br>Are there any vata or pita people out

there who practice Ashtanga? I'd love to know how your

practice has treated you. <br>I realize I may be

over-emphasizing "form," but I believe that our yoga practice

should be about balancing and harmonizing ourselves on

all levels. I am only searching for the best way to

do this for myself. Any comments or suggestions?

Your input is greatly appreciated!<br>Love,

Namaste,<br>Amrita

[Guest guest]

This is such a fascinating topic! I believe that

ayurveda is a valuable tool. That said I still believe

that intuition & really fully paying attention to the

body's state is the best practice. If your practice

truly makes you feel great - why fix it? However if you

start to notice subtle changes in your well-being such

as constipation, tiredness etc..then maybe then it

is time to evaluate your actions. I find that in the

modern world people do not pay attention to their body's

reaction to different foods, actions,weather,stress etc. &

ignore the signs until it's too late. That's what I find

great about yoga - it actually makes you more aware of

your body.<br> Anyway that's my $.02 worth ( and just

a personal opinion) Good luck with whatever

direction you choose to take.

[Guest guest]

Hi, I am a vata person and I find Ashtanga

practice to work wonderfully. In fact I like it better

then any form I have practiced in the last 28 years.

It can can have a grounding effect on vata and is

very calming if done with devotion and attention to

the breath. Also the effect varies a little with each

series.I would encourage you to keep it up because while

it may look hectic to a casual observer it is a very

different practice from the inside.Trust the way you feel

after practice.

[Guest guest]

Interesting topic. First I also agree that the

results of your practice are of paramount importance, and

that ashtanga has more subtle benefits than meets the

eye. If you do notice imbalance, try alternating your

practice with other kinds of yoga or developing a routine

to better suit your unique needs.<br><br>My husband

is also a Vata/Pitta in the same order as you are,

but he has a very difficult time with routines

because of it. While he enjoys the vinyasa practice, it's

also possible that his individual needs are not met by

practicing ashtanga only. Therefore he has developed a sort

of "Ashtangar" practice whereby he incorporates

Iyengar-style intensity with vinyasa. He tells me he feels

better doing this than after doing the full primary

series. But since he never stuck with ashtanga (being a

scatterbrain vata/pitta!) it's hard to say what the long-term

effects would be.<br><br>Anyway, for a vata, focus is

important, as is the breath. Ashtanga offers a chance to

link asana with breath in a meditative focus which is

unique to its form. Thus it could be balancing to the

vata dosha. As for the pitta dosha, it is possible

that the heat produced by ashtanga actually balances

the pitta by releasing it...who knows? In sum while I

believe in the wisdom of ayurveda, I also believe in the

wisdom unique to our individual characteristics that

transcends any one system.<br><br>Me I am pitta/kapha with a

fair dose of vata thrown in--a real hodgepodge of

dosha in my chaotic body/mind/spirit. Ashtanga seems to

level me right out.<br><br>Sunshine

[Guest guest]

There's a book called Body Mind & Sport by John

Douillard. It's all about reaching the zone in sports from

an ayurvedic perspective. Ujjayi breathing is one of

the methods employed. The author makes an important

point of monitoring the body so as not to over-stress

it as that is what can put us out of balance.