vata guide

8/11/2019 Vata Guide

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VATA DOSHASpring Renewal Protocol

If your dosha test suggests that you have a predominantly VATA constitu-tion, you particularly appreciate the signs of warming weather and the stir-rings of nature as she emerges from her wintertime slumber. This week you

will focus on eating a light but nourishing diet abundant in healthy fats andproteins to provide a stable foundation for transitioning into the rhythm ofthis dynamic season.

Key themes of your renewal program: routine, nourishment, and expan-sion.1.WakingStart each morning by scraping your tongue. Clean the tongue

by gently scraping it with a tongue scraper slowly from back to front five toten times. Then clean and dry your tongue scraper and rinse out yourmouth.

Tongue Scraping2.Drinking warm waterDrink six to eight ounces of hot water or di-gestive tea.

VATA Digestive Tea: Choose the ginger & turmeric digestive tearecipe and substitute 2 teaspoons of fennel seeds for turmeric

Digestive Tea Recipes3.Cleaning the SinusesClean and lubricate your nasal passages using a Neti Pot and Nasya Oil.Neti Pot Video
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Nasya Video4.Abhyanga (Ayurvedic oil massage)- Before you bathe massage athin coating of warmed or room temperature organic oil over your entire

body, using long strokes on your limbs and circular strokes on your joints.Follow this with a hot shower and a cool rinse. Do not use soap. The oil is anatural skin cleanser and the hot water will wash most of it away leaving

your skin with a smooth, soft feeling. Pat yourself dry with a towel youvedesignated as your abhyanga towel to prevent the oil from being wipedoff. Add a teaspoon of baking soda to your laundry to remove any excess oilthat has stuck to your abhyanga towels. If you can, take a 10-minute steam

bath or sauna after applying the oil and before bathing (enough time tobreak a light sweat).

Abhyanga VideoVata Abhyanga Oil: sesame5.Yoga Practice- Do yoga before breakfast. If this is not possible, wait atleast three hours after eating to do your practice.Vata Yoga Practices: Strengthening and relaxing styles of yoga

Vata Breathing Practices: Focus on taking complete inhales dur-ing your yoga practice and continue this practice throughoutyour day.

Additional Yoga Practice Ideas6.BreakfastPrepare breakfast porridge and eat this in a calm environ-ment while you sip your digestive tea.Breakfast: follow the rice porridge recipe substituting these ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, rice or oats 1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil !teaspoon cinnamon !teaspoon nutmeg !teaspoon salt 3.5 cups almond milk (can substitute water for part of liquid)
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Handful of currants (cooked into liquid) Dash of Maple Syrup

Breakfast Recipes7.Drinking warm liquidsSip hot water and the digestive tea through-out the day.8.Lunch and DinnerFor lunch and dinner you will be eating kitchari(Indian Mung bean and rice soup). Below are the basic recipes and sugges-tions for additional ingredients to customize your kitchari for your constitu-tional needs.

Basic Kitchari Recipe

Vatas: Follow the kitchari recipe with these additional ingredi-ents:

Add 1 tablespoon of ghee Add two stalks of minced carrots Add 2 teaspoons of cinnamon Add !teaspoons of cardamom Add 1 bay leaf Add 1 teaspoon dulse flakes (seaweed)

Chutney: Use the cilantro chutney or the sesame chutney to addflavor and increase the healing properties of your kitchari.Chutney RecipesVata Balancing Vegetables: cooked bitter greens (collards, chardand spinach), baked squash, yams, carrots, beets, fennel

Vegetable side dishes are a great way to add variety to your meals. You can

steam, bake or lightly saut vegetables and add oil, salt and spices.Cooking Oils: ghee, coconut, sesame, almondSpices: basil, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander,cumin, dill, fennel, fresh ginger, marjoram, nutmeg, pepper-mint, oregano, rosemary, saffron, spearmint, thyme, turmeric
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After Meals: Rest or lie on your left side for five minutes9.SnacksAs a general rule, avoid snacking between meals; but if you arehypoglycemic or feel like you need to have something to eat, please do. If

you are snacking often, this may be a sign that you arent getting enoughfood at mealtimes. Before you have a snack, drink some of your digestivetea to see if that satisfies you.Snack Options: sour apples, berries, roasted pumpkin or sun-flower seeds10.Afternoon RelaxationIn the afternoon make time for deep relaxa-tion. Even ten minutes of deep breathing or lying down will have a pro-

found effect on detoxifying your nervous system.Afternoon Activity: 20 minutes of relaxation or alternate nostrilbreathing11.MediaLimit your exposure to all forms of media this week. This willhelp you become more attuned to your internal rhythms. Limit computerand television use and long phone conversations after the sun has set.Other Practices: Take warm baths at night with Epsom salts andessential oils of jasmine, citrus, and lavender. Rub castor oil intoyour lower belly and place a hot water bottle on top of your lowerbelly at night before bed.12.Triphala (Ayurvedic herbal detoxifying formula)- Approxi-mately one half hour before bed, take !teaspoon or 2 capsules/caplets oftriphala. This formula contains three of the most important Ayurvedicherbs for detoxification and rejuvenation of the whole body. If you find that

your bowels slow down during the week you can take 4 capsules of triphala

each evening to gently remedy this.

Common Sense Precaution:Triphala, which means three fruits,

is very gentle, but if you are on any prescription drugs, check with

your physician about whether triphala is right for you.


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13.A Day of Silence and Reflection Take time on the last day of yourcleanse to reflect on your experiences and to envision how you would like

your life to be moving forward. What insights arose during the process?What foods and activities do you wish to bring back into your life as you re-turn to a more normal routine? What foods or activities would you like toreduce or eliminate? How can improving your own health benefit your fam-ily, community and the natural world? Use a journal and write down youranswers so that they will serve as inspiration and guidelines for maintain-ing positive momentum in your life.On the last day of your renewal program, you will be drinking a rejuvenat-ing veggie broth. This tridoshic broth, an excellent electrolyte source and

blood builder, is useful for fasting and the rejuvenation period after cleans-ing. If you get hungry feel free to have some kitchari.

Rejuvenating Veggie Broth Recipe14.Rejuvenation After Cleansing Ayurveda always follows purifica-tion with rejuvenation. A purifying lifestyle and diet like the one prescribedhere is intended to create a fresh, clear quality within our minds and bod-ies. During the rejuvenation phase we have a chance to nourish andstrengthen the positive changes we have initiated in our lives by carefullychoosing foods and activities that will serve us most. Check out the sugges-tions for how to do this on the Spring Renewal home page. Generally speak-ing we recommend that you continue to drink the digestive tea, slowly rein-troduce a wider variety of whole foods, and to continue to get enough rest.

You can also continue to take triphala if you find that it helps regulate yourelimination patterns. Below is a general guideline for how to add foods backinto your diet during the first week of the rejuvenation phase.

Day 1:Stay with Kitchari and add in some nuts and seeds.

Day 2:Other vegetables, grains, legumes, and natural sweeteners

Day 3:Fruits

Day 4:DairyDays 5-7:Introduce more complex food combinations, small amounts

of caffeinated beverages, and chocolate if you like. If you are someone

who regularly eats eggs and/or flesh foods or consumes tobacco, or al-

cohol we recommend that you wait until the second week of rejuvena-
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tion to start including these items again.

We want to you to have the best renewal experience possible!

Create community and find support by visiting our Facebookevent pageand find additional resources and FAQs by visitingYogaInternational.comand DoctorBlossom.com. Blessings!
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