Ayurveda and yoga are sister sciences. Both have their origins in India. The oldest written references to Ayurveda are 2,000 years old, but speculation suggests that the origin goes back as far as 5,000 years. Yoga is about the same age.
As one of the oldest traditional human medical sciences, Ayurveda is a holistic health system. Translated, Ayurveda means “knowledge of a long, happy and healthy life”.
The goal of Ayurveda is to recognize what promotes your health and what does not. Yoga is an ancient empirical science whose ultimate goal is to calm the mind and thereby recognize our true self.
Yoga and Ayurveda – a connection that is thousands of years old
The connection between yoga and Ayurveda goes back to the Vedas. Since then, many thousands of yoginis and yogis have cultivated the connection between yoga and Ayurveda: The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, one of the most important yoga writings, describes the effect of many yoga exercises in Ayurvedic terms and names their effects on the
- Doshas (bioenergies of Ayurveda),
- Agni (digestive fire) and
- Ama (undigested).
T. Krishnamacharya, who, as a teacher of BKS Iyengar, Patthabi Jois and TKV Desikachar, significantly influenced yoga as we know it here in the West, studied Ayurveda and prepared many Ayurvedic recipes. Geeta Iyengar, daughter of BKS Iyengar and author of “Yoga for Women” had a doctorate in Ayurveda and believed very much in the connection between Ayurveda and yoga.
How can you incorporate Ayurvedic knowledge into your yoga practice?
Ayurveda is based on the dosha theory, which helps you to better understand and classify processes in the world and within yourself. This is based on the 3 doshas (bioenergies): Vata, Pitta and Kapha.
Vata and yoga – always in motion
Vata is the movement principle of Ayurveda and is made up of the elements space and air. It is therefore characterized by lightness and urge to move. Vata in balance shows itself in a tendency towards curiosity, inventiveness, a love of variety and new things, and enthusiasm. If you have a lot of Vata in you, you love trying out different yoga styles. However, too high Vata results in a restless mind, anxiety, being constantly on the move, and difficulty finding peace.
How can you balance high Vata through your yoga practice?
Vata is lightness and movement, so grounding and stability are needed for balance. You can find these in calm yoga styles such as restorative or yin yoga . A very quiet yoga class is usually not that easy for strongly Vata-driven yoginis at the beginning. You can therefore try to combine: A dynamic start to the lesson (e.g. Gentle Flow) satisfies Vata's thirst for movement and the rhythm helps your thoughts to calm down. End your practice with grounding asanas (such as some restorative yoga exercises like Supta Baddha Konasana or Viparita Karani).
Standing poses also bring the grounding needed by Vata and are a good way to start your yoga class. Pranayama exercises such as alternate breathing (Nadi Sodhana) or mantra practice are also worthwhile when Vata is high. The jumping mind that we often suffer from when we have high Vata is thereby tamed.
Pitta and yoga – keep going
Pitta is the fire principle of Ayurveda and reflects the elements of fire and water. Pitta stands for transformation and implementation and is characterized by willpower, clarity, direction and joy in planning. If you have a lot of Pitta in you, you are constantly doing things, tend to have a hot temper and love perfectionism. You probably find it difficult to give up. When Pitta is high, the pressure to perform does not stop at yoga practice: Pitta loves dynamic forms of exercise such as Vinyasa Flow , Ashtanga Yoga or Bikram Yoga . But forms of yoga that produce inner heat are not the best when Pitta is high.
How can you balance high Pitta through your yoga practice?
In contrast to many dynamic forms of exercise, a calming, relaxation-promoting practice is often not demanding enough for Pitta (from their perspective), but is ideal. Essential oils such as rose or lavender are ideal for Pitta, as Pittas react very well to scents. Used in Savasana, these enhance the calming effect. A good pranayama exercise for Pitta is Sitali Pranayama, as it has a cooling effect and brings inner calm, especially in times of anger and aggression that can occur with high Pitta.
Because of the precise instructions , Iyengar Yoga is highly valued by Pitta with a penchant for accuracy.
Kapha and yoga – always comfortable
Kapha is the stability principle of Ayurveda and reflects the elements earth and water. Kapha is characterized by peace, comfort, serenity and contentment. If you have a high Kapha, you tend to have trouble getting going and prefer calm, not-too-challenging practice.
How can you balance high Kapha through your yoga practice?
Kapha can use yoga to get moving, to get stagnant energy flowing and to work up a sweat through stimulating yoga. Sun salutations, Vinyasa flow yoga or power yoga are very suitable for this. Warming, activating pranayama exercises such as Kapalabhati or the breath of fire from Kundalini yoga are kapha-reducing.
Ayurveda is a path to your balance
The main goal of Ayurveda is to bring you back into balance. If you understand the doshas, you have a tool to always bring yourself back into balance. How do you know if you are out of balance? Quite simply: whenever you don't feel good. Ayurveda wants to prevent illnesses in advance. Therefore, it's about feeling which dosha is predominant at the moment and how you can balance it out to get back into balance. Depending on your needs, you can adapt your yoga practice and enrich it with Ayurvedic knowledge.
Rita Longin is qualified. Ayurveda wellness practitioner, nutritionist and yogini. After many years in “classic” nutritional science, she discovered Ayurveda. The individual aspect, to which Ayurveda places such great importance, has become a great enrichment for them both in nutrition and in their lifestyle. Ayurveda has not only helped her, but also many people around her, to regain more joy and strength in life. Rita loves Ayurveda's definition of health: You are healthy when you feel completely well and in your strength - not just in the absence of illness. She gives cooking courses, workshops and Ayurvedic treatments in and around Vienna (Austria). Rita also offers online Ayurvedic nutritional advice on her homepage .
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