This image shows us the elements of fire, earth, water, air, and ether
The study and ancient sister science to yoga, Ayurveda, has a unique perspective on how we get our best sleep. And just like all other things in life, no one person is the same, therefore no one prescription is either.
You see we are all made up of the 5 elements of nature, just like plants, trees, rocks, and sky. These elements; earth, fire, water, air, and ether are within us all in various levels, making us unique human beings.
This is why we all look differently, act differently, and respond differently to our surroundings and daily living. I’m sure you have heard that every person is unique and identified by their fingerprints? This is also true for our eyes and our tongue.
We begin to identify our unique constitution in 2 ways
First by what is called our birth constitution or Prakriti. This is our own natural balanced state at birth. Second we identify where we are now, called our Vrikriti, our constitution based on our habits, our living environment, our experiences, etc. These two states are usually not the same, and this, my friends, is where the imbalances or dis-ease originates from.
We identify our imbalances or disturbances by what is called our Dosha. Ayurveda identifies 3 different Doshas, Vata, Pitta, Kapha, which help us know our own unique state of being. I will identify these in another post. When we know our Dosha, or our current dis-regulation, we can begin to bring ourselves back into balance.
How? By using the Ayurvedic principle of “opposites balance”. A simple way to understand this layered and complex science is to consider what we instinctively do when we get hot or overheated. We drink cold water, or move under shade, or go indoors where it’s cooler. This is the principle of opposites balance in Ayurveda.
Once we know our Dosha, or our imbalance, we can start to implement opposite qualities to help our body find harmony again. It’s simple really, but can be challenging.
I love this practice as it hands the power back to us, rather than listening to all the noise around us. Are you confused as to how and what to eat, or how much exercise you need, or even what kind of work you should do? Yep you and everyone else! We can live in the world feeling empowered to make the best choices for us!
So back to sleep…..how does all this help us sleep better?
Sleep can be a lovely state of balance and harmony or not!
When we know and understand our Dosha, we begin to understand how the choices we make on a daily basis may not be the best for our unique constitution.
Here’s another simple example: let’s say your typical dinner time is 7:30pm. And your typical bed time is 10pm. You may do this for a variety of reasons, maybe you like to “dine” in the evening, or maybe you work late and can’t make dinner earlier? The reason doesn’t really matter. But let’s say your constitution needs you to have longer time to digest your food. This pattern of only 2.5 hours between your last meal and your bedtime doesn’t allow for complete digestion. When you go to bed not fully digesting your food, your body can’t rest, because it’s still at work digesting your last meal! This absolutely disrupts your sleep pattern.
Now, in this example, everyone is different. We all digest at different rates based on our Dosha. So listening to general guidelines may not work for you!
Knowing your Prakriti, Vrikriti, and Dosha can empower you to make YOUR best choices.
Does this interest you? Are you curious about your constitution and how you can make simple lifestyle choices to live in balance and harmony?
If so, book an Ayurvedic Health Session with me HERE. After this first session you will have a better understanding of who you are at a constitutional level, and walk away with specific guidelines that you can use forever to help keep you in health and harmony.