Vata Stool Analysis: What's a Vata Poo and What To Do?
Updated: May 1
What is a Vata poo? 💩 Do you experience hard stools that are difficult to pass? Gas? Bloating? Incomplete bowel movements? Irregular? Gurgling intestinal sounds? Extended lower belly?
Ready to get your poop together and become empowered? You don't have to be at the mercy of constipation.
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"About 4 million people in the United States have frequent constipation. Constipation is the most common gastrointestinal complaint, resulting in 2.5 million doctor visits annually." according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
"Constipation is a condition in which a person has uncomfortable or infrequent bowel movements. Generally, a person is considered to be constipated when bowel movements result in passage of small amounts of hard, dry stool, usually fewer than three times a week. However, normal stool elimination may consist of having a bowel movement three times a day or three times a week; it depends on the person." (Johns Hopkins Medicine.)
Vata Stool Analysis: What's a Vata Poo and What To Do?
While the description of constipation is spot on, Ayurveda views healthy elimination differently. Having a bowel movement, even if it is a good one, three times a week does not feel good to most people, nor does it seem healthy.
If you eat three meals each day, and eliminate three times a week, how much stool are you walking around with in your belly? Let's face it, there's nothing like a good poop. You feel refreshed, clean, lighter, clearer, and ready for your next meal.
Everything and everyone in the world around us is composed of five great elements or, panchamahabhuta:
Air (vayu)
Fire (agni)
Water(jal)
Earth (prithvi)
Space (aakash)
Ayurveda groups these elements into three basic energetic properties, known as doshas. These foundational energies (called Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) are the building blocks of our entire universe.
Vata: That Which Moves
Vata dosha is characterized by space and air. The essential engine of the universe, Vata governs all functions of movement within the mind, body, and outer world. Like the elements it embodies, Vata’s physical properties are cold, dry, mobile, subtle, and light.
Vata’s powerful mobile nature is the source of creativity, expansion, openness, eagerness, and ingenuity. However, when Vata falls out of balance, we may feel scattered, ungrounded, tense, anxious, and experience poor sleep.
What does Ayurveda say about poop?
According to Ayurveda, the color, texture, frequency, and smell of your poop are all indicators of your overall health. For instance, if your poop is discolored, watery, or too hard, this points to internal issues within your digestive tract - and likely beyond.
When you understand how to analyze your elimination with Ayurveda, you can proactively address health issues early on — as opposed to waiting until your symptoms become conditions and diseases.
Ayurveda stool analysis is a non-invasive diagnostic tool that can see into the 30 feet of digestive tract.
In this article about poo, we’re going to explore what your poop says about your health — according to Ayurveda — and how to accurately analyze yours to assess what your body needs.
For information on what's regular vs. irregular bowel movements, how many times a day should you have a bowel movement, what the color of stool means, and a deep dive into Ayurveda stool analysis, visit our popular article Ayurveda Stool Analysis: What Your Poop Says About Your Health.
Why are bowel movements important in Ayurveda?
If you've been reading up on Ayurveda, you might be wondering why the digestive system is at the heart of every health concern in Ayurveda.
"When appetite is balanced, and digestion, assimilation, and elimination are working well, food is taken in and let go the way nature intended. We feel good, we don't have symptoms (heartburn, constipation, lose stool, bloat, pain, and gas) and our digestive system is working optimally and therefore, not forming ama."
--Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
What is Āma?
"Āma denotes the abnormal or impaired process of digestion and metabolism that leads to build up of toxic by-products, which cannot be neutralized or eliminated by the body." (National Institute of Health) "Āma is the root of all disease, illnesses, conditions, and imbalances, according to Ayurveda. This is why the digestive system is at the heart of any health concern.
"Think of a car engine's oil. When it is clean, it smoothly flows through the parts and the engine works well and the car operates correctly. What happens if the oil is not changed regularly? The viscosity changes, it becomes an overly thick, dirty, gunky substance that compromises the engine. That's car Āma. Eventually it will ruin the car's engine. Our number one job in Ayurveda, is to rid the body (and mind) of toxins (ama) so we enjoy good health."
--Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
What are the symptoms of constipation?
Johns Hopkins states, "The following are the most common symptoms of constipation. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:
Difficult and painful bowel movements
Bowel movements fewer than three times a week
Feeling bloated or uncomfortable
Feeling sluggish
Abdominal pain
The symptoms of constipation may resemble other medical conditions or problems. Always consult your doctor for a diagnosis."
From Ayurveda's perspective, these are additional symptoms:
Coated tongue
Feeling the bowel movement was incomplete
Stuffed and blocked up sensation
Dry, hard, and possibly pellet like (think rabbit poop) stools
Alternating constipation and lose stools
What are complications of constipation?
It can be uncomfortable to talk about bowel movements, but it's an important topic. Constipation can lead to complications such as hemorrhoids, impacted fecal, or anal fissures, which can then result in rectal bleeding.
According to Johns Hopkins, "...straining also causes rectal prolapse, where a small amount of intestinal lining pushes out from the anal opening. "
According to Ayurveda, your digestive fire (agni) and state of ama are key to good health. Healthy elimination is a primary way of cleansing and detoxing the body and helps rid it of ama. From Ayurveda's perspective, digestive symptoms often reflective of broader dosha imbalances.
How To Recognize Vata Imbalances
Due to its dry nature, Vata is more prone to constipation. Here's a comprehensive list of common ways Vata imbalances manifest.
"The first sign of dosha imbalance is in the digestive system. If they are not rebalanced there, the doshas spills out and overflows, going into circulation and moving around the body (and mind). This is why Ayurveda takes to heart, what's going on in your gut." --Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
30 Signs of Vata Imbalances
Body:
Dry skin, hair, lips, joints
Dry digestive tract: gas, bloat, constipation
Dry, scanty, irregular periods, or absent flow. When your period is present, imbalanced Vata manifests as anxiety, insomnia, sharp or stinging cramps, and blood discoloration
General sense of feeling cold, hands and feet especially
Poor circulation
Tight muscles, twitches, muscle spasms and feeling clenched
Tics and tremors
Aches and pains here, there, and everywhere at times
Palpitations
Dehydration
Weight loss, difficulty gaining weight, and weight loss and hair loss
Fidgeting or other extra movement
Dislike of cold and wind
Difficulty with loud noises
Light, interrupted sleep
Difficulty sleeping, with waking, or difficulty and staying asleep
Feeling weak, fatigued, loss of vitality
Astringent taste, dryness in the mouth
Sense of wanting to run or runaway
Lack of focus or forgetful
Difficulty concentrating, remembering
Mind:
Anxiety, nervousness
Panic attacks, fear
Restless, agitated
Dizziness
Feeling ungrounded, spacey, scattered, overwhelmed
Excess worrying and thinking in general (“cannot shut my mind off, it just keeps talking.’)
Feeling sped-up, racing mind
Confused, shaky
Excessive talking
Vata's mobile (and sometimes unsettled) nature is balanced by our grounding free daily guided practices.
Vata Dosha Poop Analysis
Vata dosha body types are governed by air, which means they are more likely to experience dry, sluggish bowel movements, constipation, gas, and bloating.
What is a Vata-Type Stool?
A healthy Vata stool will be passed without gas, have a firm texture (but not too hard), be dark brown in color, have minimal odor, and be eliminated through your digestive system once a day, typically in the morning within 2-3 hours of waking.
When Vata is imbalanced, the stool will be dry and/or hard, may look like rabbit droppings (as in small, thin pellets), occur irregularly, cause gas before and during elimination, be darker (almost black) in color, and smell foul. It may feel as though bowel movement is incomplete.
Balanced Vata Stool Summary:
Quantity: Moderate
Quality: Slightly oily, soft
Consistency: Ripe banana
Float or Sink: Floats for lack of ama
Color: Light brownish-yellow Odor: Mild, non-offensive
Frequency: 1-2 times a day, upon waking and before coffee
Passes: Easily
Imbalanced Vata Stool Summary:
Quantity: Scanty
Quality: Dry, hard
Consistency: Rabbit type stool (pellets)
Float or Sink: Sinks
Color: Dark brown
Odor: Mild Frequency: Once a day or less
Passed: Difficult to pass, straining, uncomfortable
Complicated Imbalances
The doshas do not operate in isolation, there's a dynamic dance and it can get complicated. One example is alternating diarrhea and constipation. Long term dosha imbalances tend to involve more than one dosha and results in more involved issues. In this case, it is best to seek experienced guidance of a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner.
How to Balance Vata Poo
Drink plenty of water: The number one key to a healthy stool is water. Being governed by air, Vata types are dry and especially prone to constipation. As such, make sure you stay hydrated throughout the day.
Use food as medicine: When your body has the nutrients it needs to function properly, based on your unique constitution, it will thrive! Whenever possible, eat foods as close to their natural state as possible (local, whole foods are best) and try to avoid consuming anything that is overly processed and contains chemicals, harmful additives, and preservatives.
Avoid Not Voiding: Please don't suppress the urge to have a bowel movement.
Laxative Use: While it's understandable that stuck bowel movements feel awful, use of laxatives is not a long term solution.
Free daily guided practices: In a nutshell, systematic progressive relaxation practices provide biofeedback and you can do the practices anywhere. According to Johns Hopkins, "Biofeedback is used to treat chronic constipation caused by anorectal dysfunction. This treatment retrains the muscles that control release of bowel movements."
"When your mind is relaxed and you're abiding in the rest, restore, relax side of your nervous system (versus flight-fight-freeze), the body and mind operate optimally. Digestion begins in the mind."
-Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
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- Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
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Veena is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and meditation teacher, and monk.
She is President Emeritus and teaching faculty of the Meditation Center.
Veena fell in love with the traditional medicine used in her family’s home, learning herbal remedies at her grandmother's knee.
These childhood experiences were the seeds of a lifelong passion. For over 30 years, Veena has dedicated her life to the world’s oldest healing system: Ayurveda.
She draws on this ancient wisdom to help others find their compass to a healthy life – and support those left wanting by Western medicine.
An experienced Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, Veena’s deep, intuitive knowledge of Ayurveda empowers her clients to reclaim their fullest, most vibrant lives –mentally, physically, and spiritually. Veena individualizes treatment plans to each person, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, so it fits your life and becomes woven in your lifestyle, naturally.