Ayurveda
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Personalities defined according to Ayurveda
Kapha or type K personality
[ From the archives of the Times of India]: Ayurveda consultant Sonica Krishan:
Are you a Kapha or type K personality?
If you are the slow and steady, poised sort of person, then you are a Type - K personality or an individual with k a p h a d o s h aaccording to Ayurveda. Anyone with this nature or p r a k r i t iis considered to be the best among the three types of individuals defined by Ayurveda — v a t t a, p i t t aor k a p h a. People with k a p h a d o s h ausually have a proportionate body. There is an aura of endurance, strength and stability about their physicality. Type - K people gain weight easily. Their skin is soft, smooth, supple, and particularly greasy and glowing. Their hair is slightly greasy but thick, maybe curly, and clearly dark coloured. They tend to be slow and calm eaters and thus normally stay clear of digestive afflictions, although digestion of a k a p h a person is apparently slow.
Calm and steady
They are calm and steady by nature and don’t get excited or irritated easily. They possess intellect but generally take time to come to conclusions. The kapha-type people set great store by morals like respect, trust, equality, and have a giving nature. They have great endurance and do not easily complain about pain and fatigue. Type K people are likely to have a pleasant and deep voice. The dreams of people with k a - p h a d o s h aare typically of waterfalls, large lakes, swans, clouds, flowers and birds. Due to the k a p h a d o s h a, Type K people enjoy a long and stable life with less incidence of illness. Their body is usually well-built and they exude good health. Their eyes are large, shiny and reveal happiness. Their gait is steady like their personality. They are never in a hurry owing to the slow nature of the k a p h a.
Basic temperament
Type K persons tend to be pious, prudish, truthful and grateful by nature and bear a fine moral character. They are not impulsive. They think about the pros and cons before performing any action, and make wise decisions. Type K people don’t get angry or grieve easily. But they also tend to hold on to grief and anguish. They are likely to be possessive and attached. The k a - p h a d o s h aalso makes them sedentary, inert and sluggish. — Excerpt from Healing Through Ayurveda by Sonica Krishan (Rupa & Co)
Understanding the kapha person
[ From the archives of the Times of India]
The kapha person reacts to stress by withdrawing and holding on to past incidents. Alternative medicine healer Kaity Cama suggests how the kapha person can restore balance in life.
Kapha dominated individuals are loving and caring and can empathize with others. They have a beautiful, gliding walk, which comes naturally to them. When the kapha is imbalanced, it leads to weight gain, but they retain that gliding walk. Earth and water are their ruling elements, and these govern stability and structure. With stress, the vata person is worried, fearful and anxious, and the pitta person angry and irritable. But the kapha person reacts to stress with a form of withdrawal — becoming possessive, holding on to relationships and incidents. This ‘holding-on’ mentality takes the form of water and fat retention in the body.
Foods for kapha
Kapha-pacifying foods are bitter, stringent and pungent. Bitter is karela, leafy vegetables and spinach, Romain lettuce; pungent includes pepper, mustard, and capsicum. The fat can be gradually flushed out by drinking a lot of comfortably hot water daily. Kapha-pacifying herbs and teas are helpful. With care, balance is soon restored. If you work on invalid belief systems by self-affirmations, rather than just blaming imbalances of vata, pitta and kapha, you can beat stress. Winter aggravates their ailments, if already stressed.
Kapha time
Full moon is kapha period, so is full tide in the ocean. Mornings from 6 am to 10 am are also kapha periods. At this time, normal cells are in a state of calm, almost, and do not replicate. If you know anyone receiving chemotherapy, advise them to get it done around 8 am. Chemo works on replicating cells only, so the side-effects are considerably lessened if done at that hour, with nausea and hair loss being minimal. Kapha people are calm and easy-going, who take an interest in others. It is only when they are stressed that they withdraw. Introspection to identify their own invalid beliefs is good for them. To de-stress, go over past incidents which you may be holding on to. You will find that at the root of it, is an invalid belief. Use selfaffirmations to balance this. Vatas and pittas can do this, too. Kapha people also need their sleep. They like to wake up slowly, gradually, to a cup of tea, perhaps. If they get their sleep and the right food, they will be more balanced.
The ‘anxious’ v a t a personality
[ From the archives of the Times of India]
Ayurveda explains the three main d o s h a s or body types but no single human being belongs to only one group, points out Kaity Cama, alternative medicine practitioner
From a biological viewpoint, some people are more worried, more afraid and anxious at times. That’s because according to ayurveda, we are one of three body types or doshas — v a t a, pit t aor k a p h a and exhibit certain traits in our personality.We may be dominated by one particular d o s h a, but all three prevail in some ratio or the other in our systems. Typical traits: We’ll take alook here at the v a t adominated person, which, governed by air and space, denotes movement. Va t adominated people do everything in quick movements. They walk fast, talk fast and quickly absorb new information; they are lovely people, lively, airy and enthusiastic. Their bodies are slim, and muscles, long and slender. They have erratic sleep and eating habits, so if you have a slim, slender child at home who doesn’t eat at mealtimes, but suddenly tells you he is hungry, do not insist on the child following disciplined eating patterns; that stresses out the child. When Va t adominated people are stressed, they become extremely anxious, full of fears and anxiety; their sleeping and eating patterns go haywire and they are filled with negative thoughts created by anxiety. When these children grow up and begin a selfdiscipline regime, things become better as they follow sensible eating and sleeping patterns, particularly if they are working.
Pacifying v a t a foods:
In such people, v a t a gets imbalanced through any type of stress but they can be “de-stressed” by pacifying v a t afoods which would be sweet, salty and sour. When stressed, some of the physical dysfunctions include menstrual cramps (for women), and over a long period of stressful living and osteo-arthritis.
But we know that positive thoughts attract more positive thoughts, and negative thoughts and emotions attract more of the same, so when a v a t adominated person is worried and anxious, everything around seems chaotic. But the v a t a-dominated person now also has the knowledge that they can change negative emotions —stress is something we bring upon ourselves when we see something as athreat to our well-being. Stressed out v a t a-dominated people should have more of sweet food like potato, (not sugar), salty and sour foods with their meals. Iced cold drinks are not advised for all, particularly for v a t a-dominated people at meal times.
The science of the c h a k r a s
[ From the archives of the Times of India]
Physicist-writer Amit Goswami explores ancient Indian wisdom with love for scientific exploration. Here, he describes the c h a k r a s and maps their connection with our health.
Each chakra is near important organs of our body. Here is a description of their vital functions, corresponding physical organs, and emotional feelings:
Root chakra:
The body function is elimination and the organs are kidneys, bladder, and large intestines (rectum and anus). The feelings are selfish rootedness and survivaloriented competitiveness when energy moves in, and fear when energy moves out.
Sex chakra:
The body function is reproduction and the organs are uterus, ovaries, prostate and testes. The feelings are sexuality and amour when energy is inward (increasing); when energy is outgoing , there is unfulfilled lust.
Navel chakra:
The body function is maintenance or anabolism and the organs are stomach, small intestine, liver, gall bladder, and pancreas. Upsurge of energy at this chakra gives pride and anger; when energy moves out, unworthiness and resentment result.
Heart chakra:
The body function is self-distinction (between me and not-me). The organs are the heart and thymus gland of the immune system whose job is to distinguish ‘me’ from ‘not me.’ There is romance when energy moves in and loss, grief, hurt and jealousy when it moves out. You feel romance here when you meet an appropriate partner and the me extends to include a partner. When the self-distinction extends to everyone, compassion enters.
Throat chakra:
Self-expression is the function and organs are lungs, throat and speech organs, hearing organs and thyroid gland. There is freedom of speech when energy moves in and frustration when the opposite happens.
Brow/third eye chakra:
The function is evolution. This is the chakra of intuitive energy. The organs are the middle and hind brain, eyes, and pituitary gland. As energy moves in, there is clarity and confusion with depletion of energy.
Crown chakra:
The function is self-knowledge and it is associated with the pineal gland. There is satisfaction when energy is gained and despair as it gets depleted. An endocrine gland is associated with each chakra. These communicate with the brain where the mind is mapped. In this way, the mind gets control of vital energies. —Excerpt from Quantum Doctor by Amit Goswami, Jaico Publishing House
True nature according to Ayurveda
[ From the archives of the Times of India]
Remain healthy by knowing your prakriti, the physical and psychological qualities that nature gave you, says Ayurveda exponent Yogitha Bali
Traditional medicinal systems view the individual as a whole — constitution, susceptibility to disease, mental status, lifestyle and other factors — before prescribing treatment. This has been refined in Ayurveda with its concept of prakriti. Pra is the beginning and kriti is form. Prakriti is, therefore, a person’s natural constitution. Prakriti is determined at the moment of conception and is unique to each person, like the DNA or fingerprints. Disease occurs when there is a change in the original natural form at the psychological or physiological level. Knowledge of our prakriti helps us know and prevent potential health problems. We can also eat the foods recommended for our prakriti to become healthier.
The three doshas
[ From the archives of the Times of India]
Relative predominance of satva, rajas, or tamas dosha is responsible for our psychological constitution. Our physique, skin texture, hunger, thirst, digestive capacity, temperament and memory determine our physical constitution. Our prakriti may be either be vata, pitta, kapha or a combination of two doshas, although one will be predominant. Vata people have dry skin and lean bodies. The hair, nails, teeth and eyes appear dry. The voice is weak, low, crackling and hoarse. These people require little sleep and are hyperactive. Their movements are quick and unsteady. Due to quick action, the individual shows early initiative in work, but because of the dry quality, soon loses strength and becomes tired. Their memory is weak, but their grasp is quick. Pitta people have a high metabolic rate, a tendency to eat and drink more and are often thirsty. They develop moles and skin eruptions. They possess soft and scanty hair and turn prematurely grey and bald. They are unable to bear even minimum heat. They are brave and courageous but cannot tolerate exertion. They get easily provoked and upset. Due to their sharp and quick actions, they have a very good intellect, grasping power, memory and have moderate strength. Kapha people possess unctuous and oily skin. Their stable and steady quality endows them with a well-built body. Their dense nature provides fullness to the body and organs. The slow quality of kapha makes individuals slow in their activities but they have a strong streak of perseverance and are emotionally mild.
Ayurveda: Eating
[ From the archives of the Times of India]
Watch how and when you eat
Yoga and ayurveda teacher Amrit Raj gives advice on how and when you must eat your food. In general, eat your food with relish for best results, he says
First and foremost, eat to live, but don’t live to eat. Second, eat food that is beneficial and last, eat in moderate quantities. There are several dos and don’ts formulated about food by ancient sages that are useful to abide by. For instance, never eat your food in ahurry or when you are in a disturbed state of mind. Eat when you have regained your peace of mind – when you are calm. Always wash your hands before sitting down to eat. Take your meal in a clean, well-ventilated and welllighted dining area. There are also rules for how much you should eat as well. Fill half your stomach with solids, a quarter of your stomach with water and liquids and keep a quarter empty for air and the digestive process. A yogi or committed yoga practitioner takes only one full meal a day. He begins his day with a light breakfast, and this is the best formula for living a healthy and hearty life. A person who eats two full meals a day might live mostly to eat and will suffer from illnesses from time to time. A person who greedily eats more than twice will definitely be ill, and in yoga and ayurveda, he will be called a r o g e eor a sick person. Such a person is gluttonous and always ill. You should also watch how you eat — it shouldn’t be either too fast or too slow. Eating slowly leads to excessive consumption and eating fast is not good for the digestive process. There are other guidelines too. Don’t do yoga and other exercises immediately after taking food. It is better, therefore, to do yogic exercises early in the morning or in the evening when the stomach is empty. After you have finished your exercises, take food after one hour. Don’t go to bed immediately after your supper either. Wait for an hour after food before you retire to bed.
Excerpt from "A Book That Nourishes Body, Mind and Soul" by Yogi Dr Amrit Raj.
Ayurveda for good health
The Times of India, Oct 17, 2011
Renowned Ayurveda expert, V Vasudevan, talks about Ayurveda and the p a n c h a k a r m a technique used for detoxification and internal cleansing of the body
Ayurveda is as applicable now as it was centuries ago. It looks upon health in its totality and defines the physical, emotional and intellectual well-being of a person as a harmonious state. Serious health issues impact all three realms.
Ayurvedic medicines are given as powders, decoctions and pills, depending on the disease, constitution, body type, etc. There is no system of prescribing a particular medicine for a particular disease, as even a single medicine has a wide range of applicability in various disease conditions. The physician prescribes treatment after talking to the patient individually. Herbal medicines are safe if authentically prepared and used. The range of medicinal formulations available is immense.
Ayurveda applies both external and internal therapies for treatment, which focus on the location of the disease as well as on the entire body. The aim is to restore the total health of the patient, who also develops good immunity after treatment. P a n c h a k a r m a is a central part of the therapy and is a detoxification or internal cleansing process. Most cases are treated with p a n c h a k a r m a and that usually turns out to be the best alternative even in surgical cases. Body toxins are eliminated through external orifices like the mouth, anus, nostrils and skin.
Ayurveda has its own methods of diagnosing disease, and a skilled Ayurvedacharya relies on his skills of diagnosis for treatment. Prescribing Ayurvedic medication on the basis of modern diagnosis is usually not accurate, especially for chronic diseases. P a n c h k a r m a in such cases is far more helpful. The procedure prescribes complete rest as well as strict adherence to physical and mental discipline. Combined with pre and post p a n c h a k a r m a treatments, the course includes therapies, medication, diet, routines and regimens and varies for different patients. P a n c h a k a r m a is effective in curing psychological imbalance and emotional disturbances too.
Ayurveda believes the human body is akin to nature and treatment lies in attuning a diseased body to match nature’s rhythm
Ayurveda for arithritis
Apr 04 2015
AIIMS study endorses Ayurveda for arthritis
DurgeshNandan Jha
In a significant scientific validation for traditional therapies, India's premier medical institution, AIIMS, has found certain Ayurvedic formulations effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which causes irreversible joint damage. The study , conducted on 125 RA patients, found Ayurvedic medicines Ashwagandha powder and Sidh Ma kardhwaj helped in relieving pain in tender and swollen joints, and increased mobility in a majority of subjects.Ashwagandha powder is de rived from a plant while Sidh Makardhwaj has herbal and mineral ingredients.
The study was part of a larger research at AIIMS on therapies offered under traditional medicine. The PM's endorsement of alternative medicine has given further push to the programme.
Apart from RA, AIIMS is studying alternative therapies for epilepsy, Alzheimer's and chronic heart failure, among others. Dr Y K Gupta, head of pharmacology at AIIMS, saidscientific validation of alternative medicines was one of the mandates of the institute. “Interest in traditional medicine is renewed and growing due to the adverse drug reactions and economic burden associated with modern system of medicine. The central government is promoting them too,“ he added.
AIIMS is also conducting studies to validate the medicinal values of turmeric, sankhpushpi or Evolvulus alsinoides and stem bark of terminalia arjuna (a medicinal plant used by Ayurvedic physicians) for treating various health ailments. A IIMS doctors said Ashwagandha powder had anti-inflammatory , anti-stress and immuno-modulatory properties, which help improving physical function and joint pain in RA patients.
A researcher who participated in the study said the formulations had multiple benefits. The subjects were administered 5 gram of Ashwagandha powder twice a day for three weeks with lukewarm water or milk and 100 gram of Sidh Makardhwaj daily with honey for the next four weeks as part of the pilot study.
“The drugs decreased RA factor and there was significant change in posttreatment scores of tender joints, swollen joints, pain assessment score and patient self-assessed disability index among other,“ the researcher said.The study has been published in the latest issue of the Indian Journal of Medical Research.
Dr (Gen) Ved Chaturvedi, rheumatol ogist at Army (Research and Referral hospital) said this is a welcome step.“Whether we accept it or not, there are many people in India who subscribe to the health benefits of alternative therapies. It is important to scientifically validate the claims about their efficacy rather than ignoring them totally,“ he said.
According to him, rheumatoid arthritis is a debilitating condition in which patients have to take life-long medications.
“In many cases, where treatment is delayed or the joints get damaged badly , costly joint replacements is done,“ added Dr Chaturvedi.
The NDA government recently announced opening of institute of Ayurveda on the lines of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi and several other parts of the country .
