Vata Imbalance

In my experience, every one of my clients (and myself) has some vata imbalance. It is just a byproduct of living in a world that is overstimulating, lacks routine and has a lot of movement–in other words, urban life.  Below, are some signs of vata imbalance (not an all inclusive list). Remember, that means too much vata energy for your being.

BODY

• dry skin (can be itchy too), dry hair, brittle nails, dry cuticles, dry lips, dry mucous membranes
• runny nose (and dry scratchy throat)
• dry, itchy eyes
• gas, intestinal gurgling, belching, and cramping
• tendency towards constipation or even just pebbly, hard stools and straining
• loss of appetite (and bloating after you eat)
• increase coating on tongue (low agni…see tongue reading 101)
• PAIN, especially musculoskeletal or cramping anywhere
• stiff creaky-cracky joints
• dark circles under your eyes
• increased urinary frequency
• inability to sit still
• tremor, unsteadiness in movement

MIND

• trouble sleeping (especially the 3-4am wake)
• indecision
• overwhelm
• anxiety
• restlessness
• difficulty focusing, paying attention
• difficulty completing tasks
• interrupting your own thoughts with tangential ones
• cycling of emotions
• impulsive speech or behavior
• addictive tendencies

SPIRIT

• Feeling like you’ve been doing a lot but still don’t really have a sense of where you are headed in this life, what you are about, or where you feel at “home”; A pervading feeling of restlessness, or being unsettled.

I could go on and on, but you get the picture…So, what can you do? Well, in ayurveda we approach balancing with opposing qualities. So one would balance vata by cultivating the opposite qualities of vata in every way possible in their lives. Vata is cold, dry, moving, light, wavering, irregular, unanchored, etc. Bringing in warm, moist, stillness, heaviness, groundedness, regularity or routine, etc. will help to balance vata. These qualities can be brought in through diet, relationships, schedule, yoga, pranayam, climate–there are infinite ways to bring energy into our lives.