Photo: G.E. Ulrich

Real Life Yoga and Ayurveda, Part 1

And some like it cold. Finding Balance.

BY MAGAZINE COLUMNIST AJA BLANC

Here in my neck of the woods in New England, the humidity is downright inescapable. Even with the summer supposedly winding down (a fact I refuse to believe) the weather is hot, hot and more hot.
 
I love talking about the weather with people. As I slog my sweaty, heat bedraggled self around town, I will inevitably run into someone who says “Oh, I LOVE this weather – isn’t the heat GREAT?”

Hmmm.

To each his own, right?

 
Elements such as hot and cold can play themselves out in fascinating ways in a yoga practice. 

In many ways, yoga is a forum for the interplay of all sorts of elements – hot/cold, fast/slow, water/fire, air/earth, and more.  Yoga, and especially its sister science, Ayurveda, actively work to bring a balance into the mind and body through the balance of these opposing forces.  Adding to this is the fact that we all have proclivities towards certain elements or forces.
 
In Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of health and medicine, each of us are made up certain characteristics, or elemental energies, called doshas.

The doshas are
Vata air and space
Pitta fire and water
Kapha water and earth

Things run smoothly when these elemental energies are balanced.  However, each of us is made up of a unique combination of all three elements and yep, you guessed it, we each have a dominant dosha that swings us out of whack.

When we are chronically out of whack, disease and sickness can set in. Adding to the pendulum swaying away from center are things like the changing of seasons, age, diet, and physical and mental health.

Naturally unique, also naturally contrary

 
Some folks naturally run a little cooler, move a little slower and embody a watery quality.  Others are by nature hot, fiery and intense.  And others still embody air; fast and fluttering and light.
 
Here is the cosmic kicker to the whole thing – wouldn’t you think that if you were naturally, let’s say pitta dominant, you might be attracted to cooling foods, activities and energies?

But no, of course not.  Because that would be WAY to easy.  If we were naturally drawn to the things that put us in perfect balance, well, the world would probably be a very different place.
 
But there is good news: through the steady, ongoing practice of actively and purposely seeking out balance, we can guide ourselves towards a place where such choices are natural and effortless.

Choose to cultivate balance

Balance. This is something I think about a lot in my yoga practice. If we think of yoga as the union of the mind, body and spirit, then we can see how balance plays a crucial role in making that union meaningful.  My yoga practice shines when those three elements are united in equilibrium. In fact, a single pose can radiate when approached from a place of balance – a place of equal effort and equal release.
 
Here’s an example: Imagine two yogis practicing a posture, say bakasana (crane pose) which a challenging arm balance. One yogi is attempting to come into the pose with a furrowed brow, lips pursed, muscles tense and shallow breathing. The yogi comes into the pose for a moment but then falls out, only to mutter an expletive under their breath and begrudgingly try again.
 
The second yogi is attempting the very same posture, but with a different approach. There is efforting, through concentration and focus, but it is in balance – with the flow of the breath, a soft relaxed face and interest in the journey through the pose, not just the final result.

This yogi comes into the pose for only a moment before coming out, but pauses, breaths and focuses before trying again.

Hot and cool: have it both ways

I have tried both approaches and can report that the first approach doesn’t feel very good. Balance and equilibrium just feel good.
 
So what about the hot and cold of it? Once we can recognize imbalance (paying attention), realize balance for you is different from balance for me (its personal), and commit to a steady practice of balanced choices (intention), it’s time for the HOW.
 
With the summer heat still blazing, I have been exploring how to bring the elements of hot and cool into balance within my practice. In the next two posts of this 3-part series I will share some of my findings.

It’s fascinating isn’t it? How yoga can be both a barometer for imbalance and also the tool for finding equilibrium?  Perhaps that is what folks mean when they say yoga is a gift.
 
Peace to your practice,
Aja
            
(note: I have simplified the complex and fascinating science of Ayureveda, so please do read up if you are moved to. I find that it adds greatly to my yoga practice. I would recommend anything written by Ayurvedic physician, Dr. Vasant Lad, the founder of The Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Ayurvedic Institute has trained people in the science of Ayurveda for over 25 years.) 

Looking for a way to even it all out? Watch for Part 2 of Aja’s column next Thursday, September 2nd and Part 3 Labor Day Weekend