Yoga for your Dosha

Vata Dosha Yoga Practice
Slow, grounding, calming asanas will stabilize and nurture the Vata Dosha. Practice yoga in a warm, quiet environment. Gentle, slow-paced movements and poses that help to cultivate strength and stability, like mountain pose, warrior pose, and tree pose, are beneficial. Hip-opening poses, like the Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend, release tension and promote a sense of grounding.

Incorporate restorative and Yin yoga poses that provide deep relaxation and nourishment. Reclining Bound Angle Pose and Child’s Pose with extended holds, using props, can be deeply calming. Child’s Pose and Savasana have a positive effect on the nervous system, which can help reduce Vata imbalances such as nervousness and anxiety.

Vata dosha benefits from grounding and centering breathing practices. Practice gentle pranayama techniques like alternate nostril breathing and deep diaphragmatic breathing. Make time for a regular meditation practice to cultivate mental calmness and stability. Chanting mantras can help clear a busy mind. Recite a mantra such as Om-Ah-Hung (ancient Tibetan mantra) for 10 minutes to help to balance your mind. 

Pitta Dosha Yoga Practice
Practices at a moderate pace and effort in a cool, well-ventilated space to promote relaxation and restore equilibrium.
Avoid intense practices and opt for a balanced approach that includes active and calming postures. Incorporate moon salutations to balance the fiery nature of the Pitta dosha. Focus on slow, relaxed movements, emphasizing lunar qualities.

Twisting poses help to release excess heat and tension. Include poses like Half Lord, Bharadvaja’s Twist, Seated Side Bend, and Revolved Side Angle in your practice to promote detoxification and balance. Include gentle back bends like Locust, Cobra, and Bridge Pose.

Practice cooling  Pranayama like Sheetali and Sheetkari pranayama, to help cool the body and calm the mind. Engage in meditation practices that promote relaxation and inner peace. Visualize cool, serene landscapes, like a calming ocean or a cool forest, to pacify the heat of Pitta dosha. So Hum (Silent Breath Meditation) has a calming and soothing effect on heated emotions. As you breathe in, mentally chant “So”. As you breathe out, mentally chant “Hum.” 

 

Kapha Dosha Yoga Practice
Focuses on energizing, invigorating practices to stimulate the body. Choose dynamic yoga styles that involve flowing sequences, such as Vinyasa to counteract stagnation. Incorporate sun salutations to generate heat and build energy. Focus on fluid movements, synchronized with breath, to increase circulation.

Practice active standing poses, including Warrior II, Triangle Pose, and Extended Side Angle Pose, to build endurance and create a sense of lightness. Back-bending poses open the chest, expand the lungs, and uplift the energy. Camel Pose, Upward-Facing Dog Pose, and Bridge Pose are particularly beneficial. Incorporate core-strengthening poses like boat pose, plank, and twists to build internal heat and stimulate the digestive fire. 

Utilize energizing and heating Pranayama techniques to awaken the senses and increase the digestive fire. Kapalabhati and Ujjayi pranayama generate warmth and stimulate the metabolism.
Walking meditation helps Kapha to stay in the flow. Visualizations such as being bathed in golden light are energizing.