What's YOUR Dosha?

What’s Your Dosha? - Roadrunner or Couch-Potato?

Guest Post by Claudia Richey

Do you like going to the gym? Do you love getting out of bed before 6am to hit the road running while your spouse and kids are still in half slumber cozied up in their warm beds?

It's a good feeling to get active early in the morning and greet the world with energy and enthusiasm.

But you may not have any pull to move at all and would much rather do restorative yoga for an hour in the afternoon, or watch while your kids play soccer.

Do you feel frustrated because you wish you were more active, but you really don’t have the motivation to do anything about it?

Ever wonder why we are all so different?

Introducing Ayurveda.

Ayurveda is a sister science to Yoga and has been practiced for well over 5000 years. It's origin is in India. Today the Ayurvedic teachings are spreading and recognized as a health modality around the globe.

Ayurveda focuses on the prevention of illness and a healthy lifestyle that is achieved through lifestyle adjustments, nutrition, exercise, and in some cases herbal medicine and bodywork. These measures of treatment or wellness care are very individual to each person. Ayurveda carefully differentiates between certain body types, the Doshas, which are pre-assigned at conception. The way we are affected by food, by the weather, the seasons, stress, illness, any external or internal factors, has a lot to do with what our Dosha is.

There are three main Doshas, each Dosha is associated with two of the elements. They are called Vata (space, air), Pitta (fire, water), and Kapha (water, earth). Depending on which Dosha type you are you may be drawn to one kind of activity over another.

Vata Dosha

The Vata nature is airy and mobile. If you have a strong Vata Dosha you likely want to be on the go, you may be a runner, cyclist, or triathlete. This type is often involved in high energy sports like running, triathlons, extreme sports. We find the adrenalin junkie here. But Vata’s energy tends to be somewhat variable and mental, emotional, and physical stress can throw this type off easily. Vata has a strong tendency to burn out and run down and should make sure to get sufficient breaks and balance in their lives.

Pitta Dosha

If you are a Pitta type you like action. Pitta types are firecrackers, but can be aggressive in nature as well, they tend to have a sharp tongue. Pitta likes sports that are challenging; they enjoy competition and won’t like to lose. Competitive and high-energy sports are right up the Pitta persons ally. Pitta tends to be the A-type personality who wants to go for Hot Yoga every day, but would be much better off choosing a more restorative style.

Kapha Dosha

The Kapha type is the one least likely to enjoy a regular exercise program. Kapha people like to sit back and watch sports on TV rather then participate. For Kapha any activity that gets them moving and increases their heart-rate is good. Kapha is also the type that is best suited for running due to their strong physique, good stamina, and well- cushioned joints.

Did you find yourself in one of these types? Does your tendency toward a certain type of exercise make more sense to you now?

Maybe you feel inspired to take a Dosha test and explore which body-mind type you are.

We can learn much from nature if we pay attention and get to know ourselves. Each of us is unique. Finding out about your natural strengths can help you enhance the lifestyle you love to live!

The saying is true: Nature does know best!

Claudia Richey is a personal trainer and Ayurvedic wellness practitioner. She is the founder of DoshaFit®, merging ancient Ayurveda with modern exercise science, and the creator of The Breaking Free Program which teaches women to live a healthy life according to their body-mind type. You can find Claudia’s work at www.ClaudiaRichey.com and http://www.DoshaFit.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/doshafit

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/wellnessprofit

Images courtesy of Claudia Richey.