The habits most of us have gotten into are to do more, faster, and to double up on anything that we can. I count myself in this club! Multi-tasking is the norm, and we tell ourselves we are being efficient and getting more done. There may be real, hidden costs to our mental ease, to our physical health.
The influence of our society and economy will keep us moving in this direction because the trend to keep going has a momentum that is very hard to resist. The Ayurvedic characterization of this tendency is Vata. The qualities that describe Vata dosha are cold, light, dry, irregular, rough, moving, quick, and changeable. The fast-moving, 24-7 pace of 21st century electronically activated communication and entertainment emphasizes and even exaggerates all these attributes, doesn’t it? The saying is that the current state of civilization “aggravates Vata . “ Very likely you recognize the feeling of being always “on.”
How does this pervasive environment affect our internal circuits? Well, Vata is helpful in stimulating imagination, creativity, enthusiasm and quick insight.
Vata is not as helpful when it is pushing fear, anxiety, confusion, racing and scattered thoughts and digestive disruptions.
The external, social influence of Vata can be offset by balancing our own activities.
Take time to rest. Schedule some ‘offline’ time- regularly. Create and maintain the routines that sustain you. Simple but not easy!
True, deeply restful activities could be relaxing on a hammock or lawn chair for at least ten minutes, simply listening to the birds and watching the sunlight flickering in the trees. It could be stopping to listen, really listen, to calm or uplifting music. It could be a leisurely walk outdoors, with no objective in mind. Ease back from the incessant multi-tasking eg, “I want to walk 1,000 steps today.” You can do the very same walk -or any activity- with a leisurely frame of mind, rather than a constant goal-oriented and task-driven attitude. You can still get your 1,000 steps in, without burning through your own nervous system. Set your cellphone on Do Not Disturb. Reading uplifting or positive books is another great choice.
Also helpful: simply doing our normal routines with more mindful attitude, instead of allowing ourselves to always juggle three or four mental topics in our heads at the same time as doing the laundry, answering the cell phone texts and calls and making lunch. Mindfulness and meditation are practices that chill-out (mitigate against) the less useful aspects of Vata.
Vata Dosha is one of the three naturally occurring combinations of the five elements: Earth; water; fire; air and space or ether. These occur in unique combination throughout all of the natural world. Vata governs movement, and so it rules the other two doshas – to a great extent, they cannot ‘go anywhere’ without Vata. Learn more about the Vata dosha and its partners, Pitta and Kapha, in coming articles.
Contact me if you would like to find out more about Ayurveda in general or your dosha in particular.