Personalize Your Yoga Practice with Ayurveda
How can you make your yoga practice more effective? More enjoyable? More personal? The key lies in understanding Ayurveda, the ancient Indian wisdom of life, health, and longevity that has been practiced in India for thousands of years and is gaining popularity in the Western world. By utilizing concepts from Ayurveda, you can create your own personalized yoga practice that will have an immense impact on both your physical and mental health, as well as your daily lifestyle.
Connecting the Dots Between Ayurveda and Yoga
Ayurveda is Yoga’s sister science. Think of it as a how-to-guide for yoga techniques like postures, breathing exercises, and meditation. They were meant to be practiced together and when they are, they’re more effective at mind-body balance.
If a yogi wants to personalize their yoga practice, then Ayurveda would be how to do it. This is because Yoga was created for the specific purpose of honing in on the well-being of the individual rather than the general public.
Ayurveda Says: Know Thyself
First, Ayurveda recommends understanding your true nature by learning about your constitutional Prakruti – or body type – and any imbalances (Virkuti). You learn about the 3 Doshas – Vata, Pitta, and Kapha – and which one is strongest in you. Next, you can learn which poses and techniques balance those doshas. Now, we’re getting somewhere!
What If I Don’t Feel Good After Doing Yoga?
It’s telling about your inherent nature when you find yourself drawn to one type of Yoga. Do you like intense classes like Ashtanga or Hot Yoga only to leave feeling more exhausted and overheated than invigorated? Do you go to Vinyasa classes but then feel too spacey to function afterward? Have you found yourself tuning out or even falling asleep during a Restorative class? This might be because you are choosing the wrong class! Ayurveda teaches us to seek harmony with our dominant energy (dosha or body type) to avoid pushing it into imbalance, which eventually causes us discomfort in some way.
The key to knowing if you’re doing yoga right for you is how you feel after a class. It’s not just about feeling great. It’s about feeling balanced: alert, calm, and peaceful.
One of the most important principles of yoga is that it should feel good. This relates to ahimsa or self-compassion.
Why A Personalized Yoga Practice Can Make A Big Difference
Personalized yoga practice is more effective because poses and techniques are used therapeutically to support the doshas that need the most attention. We learn that some poses help us. Others not so much. We learn from positive feedback from our body and mind that we’re moving in the right direction. What does that feel like, exactly? Consequently, our energy levels become more stable and our moods become calmer. Success! Conversely, when our energy feels low and our mind turns negative or flighty we know something’s off.
Balancing Your Dosha Through Poses, Mindfulness Practices, And Diet
Understanding your balance of energies is crucial. When you know your Prakruti (body type or constitution) and Vikruti (imbalances), you can use the same principles in your diet and lifestyle, too. You learn that to remain balanced, there is an overarching theme for everything you do. It’s a little different for everyone. In time, you can feel great off the mat, too.
How Do I Personalize My Yoga Practice?
If you’re interested in learning how to use Ayurvedic wisdom to enhance your Yoga practice and lifestyle, take a look at my Yoga Balance Guide (free download).
Here are the main takeaways from my Yoga Balance Guide:
- Discover the ancient teachings that will unlock the potential in your personal practice.
- Understand the signs of a disconnected practice.
- Balance energies in your Prakruti & Vikruti.
- Discover Your Prakruti & Vikruti.
Find Balance On And Off The Yoga Mat with The Life of Balance Program
Check out my new online course, Life of Balance. It’s a self-paced way to create your best holistic lifestyle with Ayurveda & Yoga with plenty of peer and practitioner support. Sign up now to lock in early registration savings before the end of May 2023.
Take care.
Heather R. Burkart
Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner
Founder, Her Well Being Ayurveda & Yoga
Please be advised that the content on this website is for education and information purposes only and does not replace advice from a medical professional.
Heather R. Burkart
Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner
Founder, Her Well Being Ayurveda & Yoga
Please be advised that the content on this website is for education and information purposes only and does not replace advice from a medical professional.
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