How to Use Ayurveda to Balance Your Mind, Body, and Spirit for Optimal Well-Being
Updated: Apr 18
From time to time we all experience an imbalance in our lives - be it physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. But, for millions of people around the world, chronic mind-body-spirit imbalance is the norm.
If you’re among the millions, I want you to know two things:
You’re not alone
Ayurveda can help
Ayurveda is an ancient whole-body healing system based on the energies — known as doshas — that circulate within your body. Depending on your unique doshic constitution, certain lifestyle choices (such as how you nourish your body, your daily routine, and the activities you partake in) can either balance the doshas or send them further into imbalance.
Many people unintentionally compromise their well-being by making choices that don’t balance their doshic needs.
In this article about how to use Ayurveda to balance your mind, body, and spirit for optimal well-being, we’ll explore:
What the doshas are
How to determine if your doshas are out of balance
3 Ayurvedic practices that will help you balance your mind-body-spirit
Let’s get started!
What are the 3 doshas? How to Use Ayurveda to Balance the Doshas?
In Ayurvedic practice, the three doshas are used to understand a person’s body type and personality. While all of the doshas exist within each of us, we each also possess a unique doshic constitution that determines which dosha is more dominant in our body. When your doshas are out of balance, it can lead to physical and mental health issues and even disease. These doshas are responsible for your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.
Vata Dosha
Vata dosha is air and space and governs all movement—inside of us. This dosha primarily resides in the colon, joints, skin, bones, ears, and brain. As such, it provides essential motion for all of the bodily processes including digestion, blood flow, and energy distribution. Keeping vata balanced is vital to attaining an optimal state of well-being.
When vata becomes imbalanced, conditions and illnesses such as anxiety, dry skin, digestive issues, constipation, premature aging, and difficulty focusing are more likely to manifest.
Kapha Dosha
Kapha dosha is water and earth and governs protection and lubrication. This dosha is primarily found in the chest, throat, lungs, head, fatty tissues, connective tissues, and is responsible for healthy psychological boundaries. When kapha is out of balance, congestion, lethargy, depression, and weight gain are more common.
Pitta Dosha
Pitta dosha is fire and water and governs all metabolisms. This dosha resides in the lower stomach and small intestine. The Pitta dosha controls hunger, thirst, and body temperature. When imbalanced, the mind and body may overheat resulting in skin issues, fever, redness, anger, irritability, kidney infections, menstruation difficulties (painful or heavy periods), high blood pressure, and headaches.
How to determine if your doshas are out of balance
If your doshas are out of balance, you will feel ‘out of sorts.’ While the actual symptoms will manifest in different ways based on your unique constitution, you’ll notice signs such as:
Brain fog and attention deficit
Greater susceptibility to illness
Increased anxiety, depression, or mood swings
3 Ayurvedic practices that will help you balance your mind-body-spirit
1.) Yog-asana to balance your mind, body, and spirit
While yoga is regularly touted as a fitness practice that can help you achieve flexibility, toned abs, and a desirable body — the history and purpose of yoga run far deeper than modern societal understanding.
Yoga is a spiritual path that enables the practitioner to become fully present in the here and now, align the breath and the body, and balance energy.
When practiced regularly, you can expect to experience greater mental clarity, improved physical health, and a deeper connection with the divine part of you.
2.) Pranayama to balance your mind, body, and spirit
Pranayama is a yogic practice that focuses on prana. The most important and foundational to all other pranayama, is diaphragmatic breathing. The way we breathe directly influences how we feel.
Learn to Breathe diaphragmatically and Change Your Life, You’ll strengthen and stabilize your mind, body, and spirit.
When practiced regularly, pranayama can help you develop inner calm, increased balanced energy, and develop a relaxed focus in all you do. Additionally, studies show that pranayama can also positively influence your well-being including lung function, blood flow, and brain function.
To learn more about pranayama breathing techniques, click here. You're invited to make daily use of our popular and free guided practices. Learn to create and carry a relaxed awareness with your throughout the day.
3.) Food as Medicine to balance your mind, body, and spirit
The Ayurvedic texts say, “Take your food as medicine.” What this means is you take the right amount of food that is correct for you, then food becomes your medicine.
Food can either be used as a medicine to enhance vitality, boost immunity and keep us healthy. Or, it can be used as a slow poison that destroys well-being, decreases immunity, and creates issues in both the mind and body.
Natural foods — preferably whole, local and organic — carry medicinal properties. When consumed based on doshic constitution (meaning you eat food best suited for your body type), your mind, body, and spirit will flourish. Check out our Recipe Box.
Read and watch our client's stories. "I had my free phone consultation yesterday, and after looking at some testimonials I was blown away. I am excited to start my healing journey under your consultation." -M.F.
To learn more about how Ayurveda can help you balance your body, mind, and spirit for optimal well-being, click here.
Be well, Veena
Veena is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and Meditation Teacher. Veena fell in love with the traditional medicine used in her family’s home learning about herbal remedies at her grandmother's knee. She has remained passionate about Ayurveda for 30 years.
A firm believer in Ayurveda, the oldest, most continuously practiced holistic medicine system, Veena individualizes treatment plans to each person, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach. To learn more about Ayurveda and how she will help you take control of your health now — click here to schedule a free consultation.
