Practice yoga in balance with your dosha
How to listen to your current body feeling in your routine.
The first time I taught yoga, I was suddenly faced with the challenge that one student could not follow my instructions so quickly. I asked myself what the difficulty was. Should I question her about it, or should I just let her do it? I decided to gently ask one, it was all ok. Later I realized, that each person is an individual and has their own needs. From the Ayurvedic point of view, each person is born with different forces of energy that determine your personal constitution, also known as dosha. These are called Vata, pitta, and kapha. Knowing your own dosha type helps you to better understand yourself and your needs and to live them.
The doshas in Ayurveda and their properties
Vata (air and space) = Movement
Vata is always on the move, has many ideas, and is communicative. However, Vata is easily scattered and likes to be a bit erratic.
Pitta (fire and water) = metabolism
Pitta uses fire for energy and is good at implementing what has been planned. At the same time, there is a danger of overheating, so Pitta becomes unfair to others, as well as irritable.
Kapha (water and earth) = structure
Kapha is the calm dosha. Kapha is structured and grounded and approaches everything with more patience and calmness.
Daytimes and Seasons
Surely you have also noticed that the day radiates a magical calm in the early morning. Your thoughts are usually still quiet, just like nature. It is slowly awakening, is most active in midday, and becomes quieter in the evening and then completely still at night. This is also how your energies behave. They assign you different mental and physical activities at different times of the day. Ayurveda divides these phases and assigns each to a dosha. Applied to yoga, a specific dosha practice to your type can benefit your body and balance yourself. In the morning, between 6-10 am, the Kapha-dosha is predominant. To balance the increased dosha, Ayurveda always uses the opposite. Accordingly, energizing yoga with power asanas should be beneficial for you so that you start the day invigorated. At noon, between 10-14 o`clock, the pitta dosha is active. During that time, flow is quite suitable, but be careful not to get ambitious and expend too much energy, so that pitta remains balanced. Between 2-6 pm is the time Vata dosha. This is a good time for grounding and focusing practice to calm down your mind. In the evening the Kapha dosha is present again. You can now apply a routine that balances the day. Yin yoga may be appropriate for you at that moment. Your body should calm down, and you can go straight to bed afterward.
In Ayurveda, the rhythm of the doshas is also transferred to the seasons. You can clearly recognize this regularity in the change of nature. Perhaps you already know different activity rhythms from yourself. Spring is Kapha time, so you should use invigorating asanas during this time of the year to counteract fatigue. In the summer you tend to feel your fire, which is assigned to the pitta dosha. To follow the law of opposites, you should practice cooling yoga asanas. In the autumn and winter, you can feel the Vata dosha in you. You should pay special attention to your self-care here by providing warmth and comfort to counteract the breezy and stressful times.
What does a yoga routine for my dosha mean?
Referring to the above-mentioned properties of the doshas, it should be added that you often feel the properties of your dominant doshas more present when the doshas are no longer in balance. For example, in a Pitta-Vata mixed type, pitta is very pronounced at this time. Ayurveda is about keeping all three doshas in harmony and being as close to your primordial vibrations as possible. This might be a challenge in your daily life where you are very focused on the outside. Perhaps you would like to try consciously taking time out every day to return to yourself to perceive your needs and feelings and to give them space.
An appropriate yoga practice for your dosha could help you with this.
Thus, as an Ayurvedic novice, I invite you to create a yoga routine for your dosha. Start with an energizing practice in the morning. If you practice yoga at midday, focus on a calmer sequence. Towards the evening, grounding yoga practice is balancing. This Routine corresponds to the daily rhythm of the doshas.
Each human being is individual, every day is different and so are your daily needs and well-being. Sometimes an invigorating yoga ritual in the morning does not suit you because you wake up stressed. Then listen to yourself, to see if a grounding practice is better for you today.
Exercises Kapha predominant
An invigorating routine with strengthening asanas. To start, feel free to do several rounds of the sun salutation.
Exercises pitta predominant
Calmer Hatha or gentle Vinyasa flow with balanced asanas and relaxation phases. You should avoid asanas that heat up.
Exercises Vata predominant
Focus on standing balance postures and bring your thoughts back to the here and now. Maybe a mantra that you mentally recite with each exhalation will help. A long guided Shavasana or 20-30 minutes of breathing practice will help you to calm your mind.
An article by Katharina M.
I hail from Hamburg, my beloved home. After turning to Ayurveda for health issues a few years ago, I continue to embrace its principles, fostering intuition and intentional breaks from the hectic world. Travel and cultural curiosity led me to India, deepening my understanding of yoga and Ayurveda through training and ashram stays. This transformative journey highlighted that no one returns the same. As a structural engineer, I recharge in nature and with loved ones, finding solace in sewing, crafting, and dancing for personal reflection.
