The Wheel of Healing with Ayurveda

MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS: sixty minutes of hatha yoga (for flexibility and strength).
TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS: walk briskly for forty-five minutes using a heart rate monitor (cardio).
FRIDAYS: go to the gym and do thirty minutes of cardio and thirty minutes of weight training (cardio and strength).
SATURDAYS: go salsa dancing (cardio).

Being composed of the elements of air and space, Vata types have peaks and valleys of energy. They need an exercise regime that is gentle and creative, one that sparks their interest. Vatas do best with walking, swimming, dance, yoga, aerobics, light jogging, or a sport that is not too strenuous. Also, Vata types need to mix up their routines so they don’t get bored. Their vital energy is quickly depleted, so running a marathon may not be good for a Vata type.

Since Vata is composed of space and air, a Vata diet will contain mainly foods that have a good amount of water and earth (the qualities opposite of space and air). Here’s what to do:
INCREASE: sweet, sour, salty
DECREASE: bitter, pungent, astringent
First of all, to counteract the already light and cold Vata dosha, Vata types must eat warm, heavy, oily, and sweet foods. To give some examples, home-cooked foods such as stews, casseroles, pasta dishes, hot apple pie, bread pudding, and hot bread with olive oil are all Vata pacifying. Vata types can eat cold foods, but only in very warm weather. Vatas respond best to cooked vegetables rather than raw; warmed 2 percent or whole milk rather than skim milk; and sweet fruit such as mangoes, ripe bananas, and pears. The three tastes that Vata types should focus on are the sweet, sour, and salty tastes, and Vatas should eat smaller quantities of bitter, pungent, and astringent foods.

The Six Tastes — Common Foods

the prepared food within twenty-four hours of making it.

It is my firm belief that most illness stems from our not living our life’s purpose

Perfect Health, by Dr. Deepak Chopra,

Vata person is thin and light and has angular features.

Staying stuck will get you nowhere. Life is not perfect. It’s naturally rather messy. Keep the wheel moving, and soon you will find you’re rolling smoothly.

So, when we define spirituality, we can expand our view beyond religion and, as a result, also have a sense of intuition and experience such things as coincidences, good luck, love, awe, compassion, wonder, and excitement. And when we expand, we feel a sense of connectedness, trust, surrender, and flow. Then we experience the miraculous.