Tips for Balancing Vata

• Eat three warm, nourishing meals each day.
• Favor foods that are warm,  heavy, oily, sweet, sour and salty.
• Minimize foods that are spicy, bitter or astringent.
• Minimize foods that are cold, dry and light.
• Pay attention to fluids: avoid cold or iced drinks,  sip warm water at regular intervals, avoid alcoholic beverages, coffee and black tea.
• Ayurveda discusses three doshas or mind/body operators to keep ion balance for optimum health. Vata is the lead dosha and governs all movement in the body.
• Experience the benefits of a warm sesame oil massage before your morning shower or bath.
• Keep warm: avoid cold, windy or chilly environments; take long warm baths and showers.
• Try to keep your environment humid.
• Favor calm, quiet environments. Avoid mental strain, overstimulation, loud music, and long hours of TV in the evening.
  
• Develop regular habits such  as eating and going to sleep at the same times each day.
• Enjoy light, humorous entertainment.
• Make your surroundings light and bright.
• Regular daily elimination is important.
• Go to bed by 10 p.m. each night and get plenty of quality rest.

• Favor foods that are bitter, sweet, astringent, cool, heavy and liquid.
• Reduce foods that are excessively spicy, salty, sour, hot, or deep-fried.
• Try to avoid skipping meals.
• The key to remember when balancing Pitta is moderation.
• Avoid hot baths and overexposure to the sun.
• Pay attention to leisure and rest: do not overwork.
• Keep inside temperatures on the cool side.
• Avoid or minimize stressful deadline-oriented activities.
• Seek out pleasing natural environments (sunsets, lakes) and the tonic of laughter.
• Late evening strolls, when the air is relatively cool, and swimming can help soothe a  Pitta-aggravated mind and emotions.
• Decrease stimulants: avoid alcohol, coffee and tea.
• Avoid watching violent, shocking or controversial entertainment.
• Cool milk, blended with a couple of dates, before bedtime can help balance Pitta.
• Maintain regular mealtimes; try and eat lunch close to noon.
• Use cooling oil for massage, such as coconut.

• Favor foods that are light, dry, warm, pungent, astringent and bitter.
• Reduce foods that are sweet, sour, salty, heavy, cold and oily.
• Do not overeat but do not skip meals either.
• Kapha types are steady and slow, so the key to balance is activity and variety.
• Exercise regularly preferably every day.
• Avoid excessive rest and oversleeping.
• Enjoy the benefits of a dry massage with a loofah sponge or raw silk gloves to stimulate the circulation.
• Enjoy variety in life, and seek the stimulation of new slights, sounds, and people.
• Stimulate the digestion by eating a little fresh ginger before meals.
• Stay warm in cold, damp weather.
• Early to bed and early to rise can help balance rest and activity.
• Raw honey is the one sweetener that is beneficial for Kaphas, but in moderation not more than two tablespoon per day.

• Savor your meals don’t work, drive, read or watch televisions while you’re eating.
• Eat in a settled atmosphere. A calm environment and focusing on the food aid the body in absorbing nutrients.
• Eat your main meal at midday, and eat lighter at night. Your digestive fire is strongest at midday.
• Always sit down to eat eating  on the go can hamper digestion.
• Avoid ice-cold drinks or foods. They decrease the digestive fire.
• Eat at approximately the same times each day.
• Don’t eat too quickly, take the time to enjoy each mouthful of food.
• Eat to about three-quarters of your capacity.
• Take a few minutes to sit quietly after eating.
• Don’t drink a lot of fluids with a meal. It’s fine to sip water or juice.
• Favor fresh foods and avoid left-overs which can disrupt digestion.
• Avoid taking a meal until the previous meal has been digested. Allow approximately three to six hours between meals.
• A bit of fresh ginger before a full meal will help stimulate the digestive fire.
• Milk should not be taken with full meals, especially with salty or sour tastes.
• Avoid yogurt, cheese, cultured buttermilk and cottage cheese at night.
• Eat only when you are hungry when the stomach is empty.
• Do not eat when you are stressed digestion and assimilation are negatively impacted by stress.
• Maintain regular meal times.
• A happy, positive frame of mind at meal times will help you get the maximum benefit from your food.
• Chewing fennel seeds after a meal helps digestion and freshens the breath.
• Do not interrupt your meals for phone-calls or other work-related activities.

• Place thin packets of aromatic, relaxing herb / flower potpourri in your pillows.
• Do not bring work-related material into the bedroom.
• Wear comfortable clothing to bed cotton is recommended.
• The bedroom should ideally be dark or very dimly lit.
• Keep your bedroom clean and orderly to limit disorderly thought.
• Calming or settling activities as bedtime draws near help prepare the mind and body for rest.
• Drink a cup of warm milk before bed.
• Use calming aroma therapy oils to help you feel more settled.
• Go to bed before 10 p.m. during the drowsy Kapha time of night.
• Listen to soothing music before bed such as Maharishi Gandharva-Veda melodies.
• Poppy Seed Chutney is a natural sleep aid.
• Avoid arguments or intense entertainment right before bed.
• Have your last meal about three hours before you go to bed.
• Eat light at dinner and minimize hot spicy foods.
• Wash your face, hands and feet just before bed.
• A warm 20-minute bath an hour before bed can help you relax. Infuse bath water with relaxing aroma oils for added benefit.

• Practicing Transcendental Meditation is an effective way to manage stress.
• Walnuts, almonds, coconut, and sweet juicy, seasonal fruit such as pears, apples (cooked if possible), milk, lassi, Ghee, and fresh cheeses such as panir or ricotta are natural stress-busters.
• Practice pranayam-breathing exercises to help balance the mind, body and emotions.
• Mental Stress:
• Manage mental activity try not to overuse or misuse the mind.
• Favor Vata-balancing foods, such as sweet, sour, and salty tastes and warm, unctuous and heavy foods.
• Favor warm milk, Ghee and other light dairy products.
• Diffusing a relaxing aroma oil can help calm you before bed.
• Perform a full-body warm oil massage everyday.

• Seek the nurturing positive company of family and friends.
• Eat lots of sweet juicy fruits.
• Favor Pitta-pacifying foods such as the sweet, bitter and astringent tastes.
• Drink  a cup of warm milk with Rose Petal Preserve before bed.
• Try sweet lassi with Rose Petal Preserve at the noon meal.
• Cook with cooling spices such as cardamom, coriander, cilantro and mint.
• Massage with a cooling oil such as coconut oil.
• Go to bed before 10:00 p.m.

• Follow a Vata-Kapha pacifying diet.
• Perform the full-body warm oil self-massage everyday.
• Exercise regularly in moderation. 

• Avoid extreme temperatures, hot or cold.
• Eat a balanced, nutritions diet with lots of fresh vegetables and fruits.
• Cook with moderate amounts of spices like turmeric, ginger, black pepper, cumin and coriander.
• Avoid ice-cold foods and beverages.
• Eat three regular meals everyday.

• Eat foods as close to their natural state as possible processed, canned and refined foods are low on chetana natural intelligence.
• Include healthy proteins in your diet legumes, lentils, beans and grains.
• Include several  helpings of fresh fruit and vegetables in your diet.
• Don’t cut fat entirely out of your diet, fat performs essential functions in  the body.
• The brain is especially susceptible to damage by free radicals, so harness the power of antioxidants.
• Try diffusing the essential oils of rosemary, peppermint and lemon to help enhance mental clarity and alertness.
• The essential oils of basil helps dispel mental fatigue and aids focus.
• Stress impacts mental performance practice relaxation techniques to manage stress levels.
• An adequate among of good quality sleep is essential for peak mental performance.
• Keep your brain constantly challenged to keep it working well.
• The daily warm oil self-massage helps enhance mental alertness.
• Cracked black pepper in your diet can help the free flow of oxygen to the brain and help you stay focused yet calm.
• Balance periods of intense mental activity with short periods of rest.

• Reduce your intake of dry, spicy and salty foods.
• Drink a little cool milk, but not with meals. Eat sweet, juicy fruits, such as plums and pears.
• Get proper rest. Try to go to bed before 10 p.m. when digestion becomes active again.
• Eat promptly when you’re hungry.
• Don’t skip meals.

• Cook with moderate amounts of ginger, turmeric and black pepper.
• Cut down on raw foods such as salads.
• Regular daily elimination is important.
• Avoid or reduce bananas, yogurt, eggplant and bell peppers.
• Avoid or minimize intake of cold, heavy foods that are hard to digest.
• Do regular exercise in moderation-overdoing exercise can strain joints.
• Perform the warm oil full-body self-massage everyday to improve circulation.
• Pay special attention to the joints during the massage.

• Get extra rest during detoxification.
• Go to bed before 10 p.m. to aid the  body in purification.
• Eat wholesome, nutritious, easily digestible foods such as vegetable soups and well-cooked mung dahl.
• Increase the amount of fiber and bioflavanoids in your diet eat plenty of cooked, leafy green vegetables and fruits.

• Use more massage oil on  the soles of your feet and the palms of your hands to enhance circulation to the peripheries.
• A full-body warm oil daily self-massage helps balance the body, mind and emotions.
• A brisk daily dry massage with a raw silk glove  can help break down cellulite deposits over time by enhancing circulation.
• Enrich your massage oil with extracts of herbs for added benefit.
• Sweet juicy fruits are excellent for cleansing and repairing the body.
• Drink plenty of plain warm water to help flush toxins from the body.
• Spring is the ideal time for a full-fledged internal cleansing program.
• Regular, daily bowel movements are important. Psyllium seed husk can aid regularity.
• Essential-oil-infused massage oils provide the dual benefit of massage therapy and aroma therapy.
• Wait 5 -10 minutes after you apply the oil and before you shower for better absorption.
• Massaging the lower arms, hands, lower legs and feet with a light massage oil can help relax you before bed.
• A warm oil scalp massage, once or twice a week, stimulates the scalp and helps balance the mind.

• Reduce cold, heavy, oily, sweet, sour and salty foods.
• Include all six ayurvedic tastes (sweet, sour, salty, pungent,   bitter and astringent) in at least one meal each day, to help balance unnatural cravings.
• Avoid heavy meals and leftovers which are hard to digest.
• Exercise daily. Vary the intensity and amount according to your age, weight and overall health.
• Avoid fasting or other sudden changes in your diet.
• Savor your meals. Don’t divide your attention by reading, working or watching TV.
• Avoid cold drinks and food. Cool is okay.
• Favor light, nutritious foods. Fill up on sweet, juicy fruits and vegetables.
• Cook with fennel, cumin and turmeric.
• Don’t fast or skip meals.
• Add barely and mung bean soup to your diet.
• At meals, only eat until you are about ¾ full.

• Drink warm water throughout the day it helps flush toxins from the body.
• Exercise regularly, but in moderation.
• Cook with turmeric, cumin, coriander, fennel and clove.
• Include psyllium husk or high-fiber brains in your diet.

• Include asparagus, bananas and dates in your diet they  help enhance reproductive fluid.
• Eat whole bran’s and whole-wheat products because they contain zinc.
• Eat radishes and asparagus to help purify the blood and urine.
• Regular elimination is important, psyllium seed husk and a fiber-rich diet will help.
• Reduce leftovers and heavy foods such as red meats and deep-fried foods.
• If you crave sweets or feel thirsty, eat plenty of sweet, juicy fruits.
• Never skip meals, because it can aggravate the liver and bile secretion.
• Drink lots of warm water to purify the whole system.
• If you sit for long hours, take breaks and regular walks.
• Cook with black pepper, cumin and coriander.
• Practice relaxation techniques to manage day-to-day stress.

• Drink plenty of warm water through the day.
• Avoid stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine and alcohol.
• Eat 1-2 slices of fresh ginger before meals to balance blood flow and aid digestion.
• Avoid heavy foods such as red meats, deep-fried foods or leftovers.
• A low salt diet helps ease water retention and bloating.
• Cook with spices such as ginger, turmeric and cumin. Sauté the spices in a little Ghee and add to cooked foods.

• The daily warm oil massage is calming and balancing for the emotions and the functions related to menopause.
• Eat light, easy-to-digest, fresh foods.
• Avoid cold foods and iced beverages.
• Eat only a moderate amount of sugar.
• Coconut, raisins, figs, papaya and sweet juicy fruits help with digestion and elimination.
• Try to avoid stressful situations and practice Transcendental Meditation to help manage stress.
• Get extra rest, especially if you experience menstrual discomfort.
• A relaxing, leisurely 15-30 minute walk can help you stretch without straining.
• Warm, liquid foods with a smooth texture, such as soups and vegetable purees are the ideal diet.
• Go to bed by 10 p.m. so that the body is at rest during the natural purification period between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.
• Eat your largest meal at mid-day when the digestive fire is strongest.

• Follow the rhythm of the seasons detoxifies your skin in the spring, protect it in the summer and nourish it in the winter.
• Cook with coriander, cumin, turmeric and fennel to stimulate digestion and help detoxify  the skin.
• Include plenty of cleansing sweet, juicy fruits in your diet.
• Regular daily elimination is important for clear glowing skin.
• Sip plenty of warm water through the day to keep the channels of the body clear.
• Your skin absorbs what you put on it use only gentle natural skin care products.
• If you have very dry skin, a little Ghee in the diet will help add moisture balance, suppleness and luster.
• If your skin is prone to breakouts, or in hot weather, cutting down on hot spicy foods will help keep the skin clear.
• Follow a regular daily skin care regiment cleanses, tone moisturizes and nourish.
• Make sure you get enough quality sleep inadequate sleep can show up as lusterless skin and puffy eyes.
• Learn techniques to manage stress, such as Transcendental Meditation ongoing stress can age and wither skin.
• Eat  a  balanced, nutritious diet with plenty of  cooked leafy greens, milk, fresh seasonal vegetables and spices appropriate for you physiology and the season.
• Stay away from ice-cold beverages they dampen the digestive fire.
• Do not  drink too much water, or other beverages at mealtimes, they can inhibit digestion.
• The full-body self-massage with oil stimulates circulation and helps tone the skin, keeping it soft, smooth and supple.
• Maintain a positive attitude and a serene happy mind;  the results will show on your skin.
• Applying watermelon puree on skin that has been overexposed to the sun can help cool and soothe.
• Mix rosewater, milk and oatmeal to make your own natural facial cleanser.

• Cook with “hair-friendly” spices such as cumin, fenugreek, turmeric and black pepper.
• Stay away from harsh chemical-based  topical hair products; they can cause long-term damage to the health and luster of your hair.
• Never attack wet tangled hair with a brush, use a wide-toothed comb instead to gently untangle hair.
• A warm oil massage twice a week will help stimulate the scalp; leave oil on for at least an hour or two, then shampoo it out.
• Use healthy fats to cook with Ghee and olive oil, for example.
• Try and dry your hair naturally as far as possible, then brush into place; excessive blow-drying can cause hair to split and become brittle.
• Botanical-based topical products shampoos, conditioners, and hair-oils can help nourish your hair as well as clean and condition it.
• Add dairy products such as milk fresh yogurt and fresh cheese to your diet.
• Avoid processed, refined or canned foods and foods with artificial preservatives or colors Ayurveda considers such foods stripped of their  “ intelligence” and, therefore, not useful.
• Manage day-to-day stress with relaxation techniques; prolonged stress is injurious to hair health and color.
• Include plenty of green leafy vegetables and sweet juicy fruits in your diet.
• Fresh coconut is excellent for hair sprinkle fresh grated coconut over salads, fruit or cooked rice.

• The key is to stay within your comfort zone stop or slow down  when you start breathing  hard, breathing through your mouth, or you feel you are straining.
• Balance and mind-body coordination are key to experiencing the zone of peak performance.
• Only exercise to 50% of your body’s capacity.
• It is best not to exercise on a completely empty stomach some juice, milk or light fruit will help.
• Ayurveda recommends yogasanas yoga postures and pranayam breathing exercises.
• A brisk walk is beneficial for everyone. It calms nervous Vata energy, relaxes Pitta and stimulates Kapha.
• Give your full attention to the process of exercising. Do not divide your attention by watching TV or listening to music while you are working out.
• If you are a Vata type, light and thin, you need less exercise than Pitta and Kapha types. Low impact sports are best: dance aerobics, gymnastics, yoga and walking.
• If you are a Pitta type with a medium build, a moderate amount of exercise is good. Sports that help you stay cool are best: swimming, surfing, skiing and ice-skating.
• If you are a Kapha type with a large build you need regular, vigorous exercise. Sports that require stamina and physical endurance are best: aerobics, cycling, running, weight-lifting and football.