Introduction
Ayurveda

A robber comes into a bank and pulls out a  gun and tells everyone to stick up their hands.

What do you do?

Answers:

a) Wind     b) Fire     c) Water

       Please redo this questionnaire 2 or 3 times. Do it with a friend who knows you well and can help fill in any holes. Think about the different aspects for a couple of months and observe yourself. Most people are a mixed constitution.

       I find the knowledge I use and learn from Ayurveda to be vitally important to me personally and professionally. It is a fascinating and rewarding study. Good Health!

Do This!

Exercise 6 • Observing Constitutions

Spend a few days in a public place, where you can observe people. Go through each part of the questionnaire and pick out the different constitutions. Example: Lips. Do they have small, thin, dry lips? Or medium, soft, red lips? Or full, firm and smooth? Think about the effect of wind, fire and water and its presence or absence in what you observe.

What Constitution Am I?

Wind

   You love to be busy.

   You often have long lists of what you want to get done.

   You enjoy talking.

   Your hair is dry and somewhat curly.

   You have cold feet and hands.

   Your body is slender.

   You sometimes suffer from gas or constipation.

   You often experience fear.

Fire

   You are usually warm. 

   You have warm hands and feet. 

   You hate waiting in lines and are sometimes impatient. 

   Your hair is fine, straight and often oily. 

   You go to the bathroom frequently. 

   You love challenges and even a good fight once in awhile. 

   You particularly enjoy the visual world and often dream in colour. 

   You often experience anger, frustration and impatience (be honest).

Water

   You have fairly thick, wavy and oily hair. 

   You are often cool and you like to be warm. 

   You gain weight easily and it is difficult to lose. 

   You like to have lots of food in the cupboards. 

   You enjoy and need at least eight hours of sleep. 

   You tend to avoid stress when possible.

   You think that most exercise is a waste of time and energy (be honest).

Mixed Constitutions:

My wife Sandy has a Water\Fire body with a predominantly Fire mind. She grew up in the Pacific Northwest and never realized how badly the damp cold affected her until we took a seven week break in the tropics. She especially loved the dry heat and many of her symptoms disappeared. Her fire mind is pro-active, unfortunately her Water body doesn't always want to follow. She feels best when she gets lots of exercise and she is in a warm climate.

Be patient (if you don't have too much fire) and you will get to know your constitution as you begin to understand the workings of Ayurveda philosophy. The best thing to do when you are of a mixed constitution is to strengthen and build the missing dosha. If you are fire\water then you would encourage the development of air.

Three Functional Levels of Constitutions

Wind:

Harmonious: lots of energy, adaptable, quick thinking and good understanding, communicable, enthusiastic, optimistic, good healing power, ability to make changes easily.

Disturbed: hyperactive, unstable, poor decision making, restless, talks a lot, anxious, jumpy nerves, superficial, empty enthusiasm.

Darkened: depressed, filled with fear, drug addiction, self-destructive, dishonest, mentally challenged, suicidal.

Fire:

Disturbed: controlling, domineering, forces will, manipulative, prone to anger, careless, false pride, impulsive, quick to criticize, ambitious.

Darkened: full of hate, resentful, destructive, criminal tendencies, attracted to the underworld, possible drug dealer.

Water:

Disturbed: need to control, attachment, greed, materialistic, comfort seeking, insecure, needy, needs luxury.

Darkened: lethargic, lazy, slothful, crude, confused, insensitive, possible thief.

Symptoms of Disturbed Constitutions

How to keep your constitution in balance

I thoroughly enjoy the knowledge that I have gained and I am continually amazed at its accuracy. As you begin to understand yourself and others better, you may develop more understanding and compassion. By being clearer about your expectations of others your relationships may improve.

Wind:   predominant emotion is fear (takes stress and holds onto it)

   Be regular and practice routine.

   Start with one project or activity and work on one thing at a time.

   Get up at the same time every day.

   Take a hot bath every afternoon.

   Have a gentle soothing massage with warm oil when stressed. 

   Keep your mind busy, active and happy.

   Eat small meals frequently:
                    Eat a nourishing diet of sweet, oily, sour & salty edibles.
                    Eat hot, oily, cooked food (root vegetables are excellent).
                    Grains in general are beneficial. Millet is particularly good.
                    Add yogurt to your diet.
                    Use aromatic herbs.
                    Eat in a relaxed environment.
                    Avoid eating dry foods.

   Exercise with yoga or tai chi.

   Surround yourself with less concentrated colours like yellow, orange and pastels.

   Use alcohol based medicinal preparations like tinctures

   For those brave of heart or suffering from excess wind:

Administer medicated oil enemas. Corrective oily enema is considered the best. The oil enters the colon and destroys completely the root of morbid wind which is the originator of all wind disorders.

*see pg. #74 of Ayurveda The Science of Self Healing
by Dr. Vasant Lad for further instructions.

   Keep pleasant company and environment.

   Take cold baths or showers.

   Stay in a cool atmosphere.

   Administer mild laxatives.

   Avoid sleeping during the day.

   Participate in amusement, enjoy music and singing.

   Food:    Favour sweet, bitter and astringent tastes.
                  Eat cool salads and other raw foods.
                  Eat sufficient quantities.
                  Avoid fried foods.
                  Avoid excessively pungent spices like cayenne.
                  Use ghee (clarified butter) regularly.
                  Avoid excess sour foods like tomatoes, yogurt or wine.

   Exercise should be cooling like swimming. Avoid competitive sports.

   For those brave of heart or suffering from excess fire:

Strong laxatives are considered the best as they enter the small    intestines and destroys the very root of the morbid fire which is the originator of all fire disorders.

Water:   Predominant emotion is complacency (ignores stress)

   Fast.

   Exercise.

   Sleep less.

   Food:    Favour pungent, astringent & bitter tastes. Eat dry, non-fatty foods.
                  Use stimulating spices like cayenne, ginger and garlic.
                  Eat less.
                  Avoid fattening foods.
                  Use moderate amounts of honey.

   Have a dry stimulating massage regularly.
   Use emetics to induce vomiting if lungs become overly congested.
   Exercise is considered the best for water constitutions, since it acts on the stomach    from the beginning, destroying the very root of the morbid water which is the originator of all water disorders

Herbal Healing Journey Playful Workbook • 26-27

How to Imbalance Your Constitution Wind:    Fast often.    Worry a lot.    Never sit down to eat.    Stay up late and get up early.    Forget about routines.    Move around a lot in cars, planes, trains and automobiles.    Jog or bounce on a rebounder.    Hang out in dry, cold and busy places.    Drink lots of coffee. Fire:    Get drunk a lot.    Indulge in hot spices.    Involve yourself in frustrating activities.    Eat plenty of tomatoes, chilies, raw onions, and sour foods like yogurt.     Add lots of red meat and salted fish to your diet.    Snack often on highly salted foods.    Exercise at noon in the sun.    Over dress.    Sleep with the window closed and the heat up.    Hang out in hot, stale and violent places. Water:    Get plenty of sleep during the day.    Enjoy fatty foods with lots of extra oil.    Eat often and as much as possible especially beer and potato chips.    Deny your creativity.    Lie around and feel sorry for yourself.    Hang-out in cold, dull and wet places.    Eat at least one big helping of ice cream or cheese cake every day.    Avoid exercise.
Herbal Healing Journey Playful Workbook • 27-28
Introduction