Redefine Your Body Image with Ayurveda

By Prarthna Raashi Naidu
Ayurveda Clinical Therapist

I had worked with a woman a little while ago at an intensive ayurvedic retreat. The first time I worked with her, I was overcome with compassion for what things I imagined she might have gone through. She had a big scar running under her belly. So, many horrific thoughts kept running through my mind, on how and where she might have gotten these scars. Maybe, she had to do an emergency C Section in the middle of nowhere, or when she was a young and innocent girl an amateur family surgeon needed someone to experiment on. Later I found out, she had gotten a liposuction. This discovery came with such a heart breaking irony! She opted for this highly intrusive procedure for something that is transformable with time, fat in the belly, to look more beautiful. Instead, she now has a big unsightly scar running across her belly. I’m sure that extra little pudge in the belly was way more attractive then what had become of it now. Although, this is not a sad story by any means; at first I could tell she was a little insecure about her body and having someone work on it. But I could see she was consciously breaking through her barriers of insecurity. I could see she had gone far on her journey of accepting her body AS IT IS; with the scars and all. I hope she doesn't’t mind me sharing her story but I’m sure so many of us can relate to her, not necessarily the events she went through but the psychology behind it.

I believe women should know what the natural and healthy state of her body looks like, and accept it as it is. One of the reasons I’m writing this article is because I think there is a huge misconception in our society, especially with women on what they should look like. I see a great movement is women wanting to be healthier but sadly most of the time this “pusedo healthier mind set” is more damaging to the mind, spirit and even the body, as in the example above.

There is an unfair and unhealthy body image women are subjected to in today’s times. There’s a very widespread and strongly held myths by men and women that there is only one look that is attractive and every other body types should work towards that look. There’s especially a pressure in the Indian community to look beautiful. Like it’s a women’s most marriageable asset, like a man’s would be his salary. But this problem of distorted self image goes well beyond the Indian community and touches women all over the world regardless of race, creed or background. Let’s take the ultimate symbol of beauty in today’s times in the Indian community, Aishwarya Rai. She’s slim, tall, flat belly, full breasts and buttocks. I accept it! She is a beautiful woman, but is that the only definition of beauty we have? Is it really healthy for the rest of us to strive towards that body type? And sadly, even Aishwarya Rai is not immune to this. After her marriage she gained a little weight and got so much negative comments from the media and public about it.

One of my pet peeves in life is one of the most common interactions between women these days. This is the “who’s fatter” or “who needs more work” contest. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about, “oh my god, I look two months pregnant”, “well I look like I just gave birth to quadruplets”. And the self deprecating back and forth keeps on until really both of the women end the contest with mutual self pity. This saddens me because women believe it to be the truth and as a result destroy their very bodies and minds while trying to achieve this perfect body image. My goal in this article is to shake up your own personal body image and look at it from the point of ayurveda. What body type suits who and what is a healthy way of keeping fit. I don’t disapprove women wanting to look attractive but rather encourage women to be aware what a healthy perception of beauty is and what is an unhealthy obsession.

Body Types
Face it! Not all bodies are the same. Then how can we have only one specific look as an inspiration for all? It’s an impossible goal that will only leave majority of us frustrated, guilty and less empowered.

There are 3 different types of bodies or constitutions in Ayurveda. Everything from the look of the body, diet, energy levels, exercise regime, to mental state is guided by these 3 body type principles. The 3 constitutions or doshas are derived from the 5 element theory; Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. The expressions of these elements are everywhere in the world including our body and mind; ayurveda has simply organized the natural happenings and call these 3 constitutions as Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

Vata Constitution
The combination of Space and Air create the Vata constitution. People with a Vata dominance tend to be underweight or have a hard time gaining wait. I, myself have a Vata dominance and ever since childhood my mother was on a mission to fatten me up, with special milk, fatty foods, and special drinks. Vata people tend to be either really tall or really short. Their skin tends to be cold and dry to the touch. Their hair and nails tends to be dry and brittle. Due to overall dryness they tend towards constipation as well. Vata types tend to be more creative, active, intuitive, and flexible with people and situations. They movements tend to be quick and abrupt like the movements of air. Or they tend to be spacey and have really bad long term memory. Although, their short term memory can be impressive.

Pitta Constitution
The Pitta Constitution usually have medium and muscular built. This dosha is associated with fire and water. The fire in them keeps their skin warm or hot and their digestion strong. They have a reddish hue to their skin and even hair. Baldness is associated with high pitta as well. But due to excess fire they are also prone to skin rashes and acne and acidity. Pitta types are strong leaders and have great self motivation. They are also perfectionists which also makes them less tolerable of less then perfect situations. Due to their attachment to perfection, pittas can get angry very quickly and be critical on themselves and others.

Kapha Constitution
The kapha constitution is associated with water and earth. Like earth kapha body types are solid, thick and heavy. Like water it is cool and well lubricated. A balanced Kapha body will have a larger bone frame and soft and smooth skin. This body type is naturally prone to gain excess fat and high water retention. Emotionally, the kapha folks are hospitable, nurturing, and affectionate. Imbalanced, they can be emotionally attached or clingy, lethargic, and unmotivated.

I’m sure you can see yourself as one of the three doshas (or more) – vata, pitta or kapha. Keep in mind, your physical dosha might be different from your emotional dosha but in general, both of them are pretty synchronized.

Through the ages, the prime example of beauty keeps changing. If you notice, in today’s society the perception of the perfect woman will have a pitta body frame (strong and muscular), vata weight (no fat and under weight) and kapha skin, breasts, and buttocks (big and voluptuous). Is it only me who think is a pretty tall order? I’m thinking, instead of changing our natural make up why not change our minds about perfection. Instead of a Kapha woman’s goal to look like a Vata woman, let her goal be to look and feel like a Kapha women who is totally balanced, healthy and beautiful! And same goes for Vata and Pitta ladies.

How to Maintain Balance
Vata is associated with air, which is the most mobile and easiest to influence of doshas. They call it the king of the dosha’s, since it’s the easiest and first to go off balance and to go into balance. Pitta comes in second in terms of balancing it. Kapha is associated with the heavy and immovable force of earth; it takes a lot to move Kapha once it’s off balance. But it’s also the easiest to maintain if you keep it in balance. But regardless of what your dosha is, if you work on balancing your Vata, all the rest of the doshas will fall into balance. That is why, almost all the ayurvedic body work or treatments address balancing the Vata. There are many ways to keep your dosha and yourself balanced, through diet, exercise, spiritual practices, sleeping habits, life style habits but one of the most pleasurable and satisfying ways to regain balance or to maintain balance is through the unique ayurvedic treatments. The ayurvedic treatments have an effect on us at many different levels. It’s used to treat ailments, for preventative care, for dosha balancing, emotional and mental benefits and as simple as for relaxation. The ayurvedic treatments are probably the most relaxing and enjoyable of all “medical” treatments out there.

Appropriate Exercise according to Dosha
Vata folks don’t need intensive physical exercise. In fact, too much physical exertion can leave them energy deprived. Energy comes like gusts of wind for Vata folks, it comes in a great surge where they feel great and can get a lot done. Soon after though, they are wiped out. So, the recommended exercise for Vata is Yoga, Pilates and light cardio and weight exercises.

Pitta folks are pretty competitive, so competitive sports will be highly satisfying for them. Building muscle and staying is shaped shouldn't’t be too hard for these body types but they need to pay attention to their flexibility as well. Remember to do stretches and yoga to keep that body flexible. Otherwise, a good workout is great place to focus that extra energy to. Pitta folks have a more challenging time managing the mind rather then the body, so I would highly recommend learning pranayams and meditation to be part of your daily routine. Of course, I would recommend this for all body types since it balanced all three doshas perfectly.

Due to the heaviness of the earth element, Kapha people need to be regular and rigorous in their exercise, which can include cardio, hiking, running, jump roping, jumping on trampolines, and etc. The irony is that’s the last thing Kapha types want to do. You have to be really careful in keeping your kapha balanced, since once the imbalance brings on the inertia, it takes a great act of will to break away from it to bring you back to balance. All the things that you need to do, to come back to balance will be counter acted by the imbalances. So, Kapha folks, you need to take special care to eat right, exercise right, and keep your self engaged in different ways then sedentary activities to keep balanced.

Remember to listen to your body. Ayurveda has a slightly different approach to exercise. If you know you’ve done 50% of your capability in a particular exercise session, stop for the day. This way, your exercise routine is not depleting you and being the reason for your imbalance. Rather, it should support and be a tool to get back into balance. But remember, as you start exercising regularly your capacity will keep increasing. So, stay honest and aware of your body is telling you.

Appropriate Food
In ayurveda, food is your medicine and your poison. Proper diet is of great essential to keep yourself balanced and healthy. The ayurveda diet is such a vast topic in itself, that I will just touch the very basics of it. There are numerous great books and resources available on how to balance your dosha through food.

Some general rules of eating is, don’t stuff yourself! The appropriate portion for each meal should be the size of their two hands coming together. For prime digestion, absorption and assimilation of each meal, you should have 1/3 of your stomach filled with solids, 1/3 filled with liquids (mostly soupy liquids from food rather then all water), and 1/3 air. Look at your digestion like a blender; a blender needs a little liquid and a little air to break down the solids finely. Otherwise, the solids will just sit there in the blender. Another very important point is to eat your dinner early; before 8pm to be specific. So, many diseases, indigestion, imbalances, toxin accumulation, weight gain, and etc are caused by this one thing – eating really late and then going to bed. So, eat before 8pm and do a light walk around the house or neighborhood before going to bed. Also, according to Ayurveda your heaviest meal should during lunch, since that’s when your digestive fire is at its prime.

Dosha Specific Diet
Remember Vata is associated with Air, which is cold and dry, so to mitigate that aspect of Vata, eating warm liquid dishes like soups and stews are great. Too much dry and especially cold foods will aggravate Vata and further dampen the digestion. Pitta is fire, so cool foods like salads are great. Cooked and warmth in temperature foods is fine for pitta but spicy foods will further aggravate them. Kapha have a sluggish digestion, so spicy and hot foods are great for them. A lot of dairy and mucus inducing foods will definitely aggravate Kapha.

In conclusion, there are so many healthy choices you can make regarding your body that’s healthy for your mind, spirit and your self image. If you have any questions about ayurveda or about the ayurvedic treatments we offer at La'Vanya Ayurveda Spa, let me know.