Category: Yoga for over 40’s

No need to fly to Bali – you can learn about Yoga and Ayurveda as a personalised therapy where we address all areas of your lifestyle. We provide a range of services that will guide and support you to live in line with your unique constitution using the tools of Yoga, Ayurveda and Recovery.

In Ayurveda, understanding what you need to do to achieve total health is as simple as understanding your dosha: Vata, Pita and Kapha – the three fundamental principles of nature which govern the activities of your mind and body. Start off with our short quiz here to develop a guide to implement further investigation.

Once you have worked out your unique dosha body-type you can then balance it by changing your diet and lifestyle. We all have a certain amount of Vata, Pita and Kapha in our constitution and while all three of them are active, one or two usually dominate.

Combining Yoga, Ayurveda and Recovery

Ayurveda, which translates roughly to “the science of life” is the traditional health system of India.  Ayurveda is based on the idea that we are all born with a specific constitution or “dosha”. We can’t change it but we can use it in our favour and achieve optimal health by eating, exercising and living according to our unique makeup.

It is not a one-size-fits-all approach to living and health as in most other methods. Ayurveda uses natural, drug free, methods and when you learn about them you will recognise the common sense. The treatments are harmless with no side effects and can give you health and vitality.

As wholistic lifestyle choice

In a Yoga and Ayurveda therapy consultation we look at many things. This includes your body shape, lifestyle and family history. We help you to tweak your behaviours in incremental ways inline with this ancient tradition. You can also recommendations for an exercise plan and diet guidelines that will best suit your body type. For instance, in Ayurveda, the raw-food diet that is so popular among many in the wellbeing industry, is problematic especially for Vata and Kapha types with sluggish digestive systems. If you eat raw at dinner, it might bloat your stomach.

Pita the Fire dosha

The fire dosha – Pita has a strong digestion. You can eat anything for lunch and for dinner, soft-cooked is better. Coffee, on the other hand is good for the earth personality – Kapha. You need coffee to stimulate you and for the fire personality, it kick starts the day. For the Vata dosha it can increase anxiety and fear. 

Daily exercise is also prescribed for all dosha types but in varying degrees. The Pita type with their intense mental activity tends to create tension in the body by over doing it. Likewise the Pita person can push themselves too hard in line with their competitive spirit. They will find the classes too slow, or too soft and will favour more of the combative martial arts. However this will increase their fire and can cause anger, digestive problems and control issues. The tastes to best suit Pita are sweet, bitter and astringent.

Kapha the Earth dosha

The earth dosha – Kapha needs a regular exercise program that stimulates their system, although at times they will need soothing. It is hard to get them motivated to attend a regular class and are the type to buy the monthly pass yet find excuses not to attend. However once they commit to a regular practice and get into a routine they will stick at it and receive many benefits.

The earth dosha – Kapha naturally gravitates towards fried and heavy foods and all they have to do is walk past food and put on weight. They are constantly talking about the next diet, or they are on a path to change their diet, but often lack the self discipline. The digestive fire is not as strong as a Pita and caution needs to be take with what they can and cannot digest. The tastes that best suit the kapha are pungent, bitter and astringent.

Vata the Air dosha

The air dosha – Vata needs a soothing and regular Yoga practice to calm the nervous system and will create stability. This type will be enthusiastic to start the classes but may have problems getting there on a regular basis. Their mind will be racing throughout the class and the Yoga therapist will help Vata types by directing their awareness to the breath and connect wit the body sensations.

Vata types love to eat light foods such as salads and they will do better including warm steamed root vegetables. Eating lunch in the middle of the day when their digestive fire is strong and sipping warm water throughout the meal aids digestion. The tastes that best suit the vata type are sweet, sour and salty. Often their food intake can be irregular, however sticking to a regular routine will be of great digestive benefit.

Ayurveda recognises individual differences

“For earth personalities letting go is the hardest thing. More and more exercise they do, more easier on yourself you will be.” There is nothing “woo woo” about the advice, a point worth mentioning simply because of a lack of Western research into the efficacy of the approach.  It is simply about becoming more attuned to our own nature so we can tend to ourselves correctly.

If a person is fire they cannot change to air, air to fire, nothing, but we can learn to use it in our favour instead of fighting with it the whole time. There is a saying in Ayurveda: if you can let go of the imperfections, perfection will appear by itself.

Yoga Ayurveda for special needs

As we age our bodies change. There are so many benefits to gain from bringing Yoga and Ayurveda into your life and it doesn’t matter your age or condition! We can also experience ongoing pain from past injuries that can reoccur due to change of season. Learning how to look after your body in a natural way without having to resort to medications is empowering.

Each practice has positive effects on the pineal gland which is the seat of our intuition and inner wisdom. You can read more about that here.

For more information contact Zoe on +61 407 956 071