For about a month now I’ve been having big issues with my stomach and my digestion overall. It started about four weeks ago with a lot of diarrhea. I was in the bathroom multiple times a day for a week and a half or two weeks. Then my stomach started getting really sensitive. A lot of the time when I would eat, it felt like it would get irritated and inflamed. Painful isn’t necessarily the word I would use to describe it, but it felt hot, angry, and uncomfortable. I started to get heartburn more often too, which is uncommon for me. And intermittently I’ve been having a whole lot of gas. I got tired of feeling this way, so I turned to ayurveda to help calm my digestive system.
I have been interested in ayurveda for a long time now, and I have done a tiny bit of research into it in the past, but I never felt like I truly understood what it was or what it was for. It’s the approach of prevention and daily habits that confused me since I was looking at it through the lens of modern healthcare, which is focused on treatment instead of prevention. I think that even though this imbalance has not been fun for me, it serves as the perfect door into learning and living a healthy life using ayurvedic principles. As I have been learning about how to manage my imbalance, I have also learned a lot about my mind and body and how I can work with it instead of against it to enhance my life.
The first thing I did was find out what my constitution is. Put extremely simply, the five energies of the world, Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth, are all found within every part of the universe, including inside of the human body. The three types of combinations of these energies are called pitta, vata, and kapha, which are called doshas. Every person has all three of these doshas inside of them, but at varying levels. Everyone’s energetic makeup is unique and is often compared to our fingerprints. Learning your constitution can help you figure out the best ways you can support your body according to your needs. The goal is to create and maintain a balance of energies for optimal health. I used the dosha quiz from Banyan Botanicals because they were highly recommended by The Ayurvedic Institute. I had actually done this months ago, but I didn’t feel confident that I remembered the results, so I took it again. I learned that I am a kapha-pitta type. This means that the energies associated with the kapha dosha are predominant in my body, and pitta is also more prevalent for me than vata.
Here’s a little bit more about what that actually means, at least for me:
Kapha
Kapha is the energy of lubrication and structure in the body so a person might have thick, oily skin, is more likely to be overweight, and sleeps more.
In balance, kapha characteristics include strength and stamina, healthy sleep, physiological stability, and calm and stable emotions.
Out of balance, kapha can cause sadness, lethargy, slow digestion and metabolism, excess sleep, overeating and excess weight.
Pitta
Pitta is the energy of digestion and metabolism and is tied to the elements of fire and water so a person might run hot, may be easily agitated, and have strong digestion and metabolism.
In balance, pitta can be characterized by good sleep, healthy glowing skin, vigorous digestion, and strong intellect.
Out of balance, pitta can cause overpowering and domineering disposition, poor sleep, loose stool and poor digestion, and skin concerns.
The really cool thing about the Banyan Botanicals quiz is that it will also tell you, based on the answers you provide, if you are experiencing any imbalances. My quiz results revealed that my pitta is way out of balance, which totally lines up with the issues I have been experiencing and describes them perfectly: loose stools, burning digestion, plus impatience, irritability, and frustration.
So, I have been looking into what I can do in order to nurse my digestive system back to health. One of the things I can do is eat foods that are known to calm the fiery energy of pitta. These types of food are cool, dry, heavy, sweet, bitter and astringent. Some of the things I took note of that I am prioritizing right now are avocado, green vegetables and root vegetables, oats, yogurt, watermelon, and milk. These are all foods that I enjoy and that should help get my stomach feeling more comfortable again. I have started bringing my lunch to work, which was something I had been saying for weeks that I wanted to start doing, so this was a great opportunity for me to actually start. This way I have better control over what I’m eating to support my digestive health. Monday I brought salami and cheese and crackers with cucumber on the side, Tuesday I brought hard-boiled eggs and a rice cake with avocado, and Wednesday I had egg salad and crackers with grapes. I have tried to keep my lunches cool and light, which I think has helped a lot. I have been doing the same with my breakfasts too. My go-to breakfast meals are usually hot, but I’ve been having yogurt with blueberries and granola, and overnight oats with blueberries, sliced almonds, and chia seeds. And I’m certainly not perfect; I’ve had a couple of spicy foods here and there, which are not the best choice for me, but for the most part I’ve been doing really well and my stomach is doing soooo much better, so that’s what counts.
I’m aware that this is an extremely surface-level discussion of ayurveda, but this is just the beginning of my journey and I’m excited to keep learning and sharing. I’m also not abandoning Western medicine in any way. I believe that it is important to seek professional medical help for many issues and ailments, and I was just in urgent care and the doctor’s office recently. I also believe that there is more that we can do for ourselves and our health than we have been taught and I want to take the power back and support my body in as many natural ways as I can.
More to come! Much love <3
Nicole
References
“Kapha Dosha: Characteristics, Diet & How to Balance | Maharishi AyurVeda.” Mapi.com, mapi.com/blogs/articles/understanding-kapha-dosha.
“Understanding Pitta Dosha | Maharishi AyurVeda.” Mapi.com, mapi.com/blogs/articles/understanding-pitta-dosha.
“What Is Ayurveda? Introduction & Guide | the Ayurvedic Institute.” Ayurveda, 24 Aug. 2021, ayurveda.com/ayurveda-a-brief-introduction-and-guide/.
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