Ayurveda & Yoga

Doschas

Thousands of years ago the ayurvedic theory describes both different types of personallities, pysical and mental functions, yearly and daily rythms as well as connections to the Universe. These types, doshas, were described as energies, all equally important – for life. In Sanskrit their names are Vata Pitta, Kapha and each of them have another five sub-doschas. The basis and explanation was made fromthe five elements, the forms of space, air, fire, water and earth, where the space holds the air, the water holds the fire, and earth holds the water. 

Vata came to be known as space and air, which is necessary for movement, variation and the ability to dry out.

Pitta came to be known as mainly fire and some water, which is necessary for the metabolism, heat, limitations and energy. 

Kapha came to be known as water and earth, which is necessary for lubrication, rejuvination and structure. 

Inside of us for instance, Vata regulates the blood circulation and muscle movements, Pitta the methabolism both in regards of food and thoughts as well as regulating the body temperature while Kapha moisten the joints and build the tissues.

We all have our unique set of Vata, Pitta and Kapha which creates our basic constitution. All three are there, but mostly one or two are more dominant. Since the combination of the doshas are unique fore each and everyone of us we react differently to different things, such as stress, what we think, plan, how we solve problems, how we receive information and how we act, move and express ourselves.  

To be in, and to return to, balance according to Ayurveda is a complex science, but the principle is very simple, it´s like when you take of the extra jumper when you get hot, and you ad an extra blanket when you are cold, you balance the situation with an opposite. The idea is that “like increase like” What influence our balance are both outer and inner factors such as food, sleep, working out, time of year and day, feelings and thoughts It’s a constant dance between Balance and Imbalance where we can influence the steps when we know more about them.

Fascia

In the AyYo App we also use yin yoga as a tool, and we focus on the yin parts of the body which includes the myo fascia, connective tissues and ligaments. The function of the fascia is foremost to be a connection for muscles and organs with the rest of the body and also work as a protection when power is transformed, nerve signals are sent and as infections are fought off. 

To work as well as it can the fascia needs enough fluidity, and it doesn’t have to do with how much water you drink, but how well your tissues are used. Yoga, massage, yinyoga are some of the ways you can hydrate the fascia to keep it elastic and stable. 

The fascia moves slowly, and if you feel stiff or if you have a scar then it is most often the fascia which need to be taken care of, increasing the fluidity again, and it is the whole body that is included, this since the fascia surrounds your body, every organ, every muscle, every cell in your body. 

Other things that can influence us

When things happen in life which are perceived as traumatic, like if someone dies, a divorce, bullying or being bullied, an accident, or just being really scarred it influence us even if we don´t like think so. If these experiences stay untreated, or not taken cared of, it is said that part of those feelings stay in the body, and/or you will start to build behavior patterns to avoid them such as always keep others close to you, always stay alone, always confront or never do it, etc. According to ayurveda and yoga that are some of the reasons that leads us out of balance and leads us away from who we really are. As are the influences from the climate, sleeping patterns, growing older and so on. We are living. 

The ups side to this is that we can learn how to prevent these imbalances and avoid the building up of new imbalances. This is where the Vata, Pitta and Kapha comes in again, we are different, therefore it’s different for different persons. Exactly as when you state the word success it can mean different things depending on who you ask; so what is success to you? Perhaps it can be enough to just stay you!