Feeling a little off balance with the start of a new year? Well, it’s about time you learned about the 5,000-year-old wisdom of Ayurvedic Doshas to even things out in your life. Not sure what that is exactly? We bet you probably do. Even if you’re not an expert yogi, if you’ve ever practiced yoga, you know more than you think, and if you’ve come across the ancient tradition of Ayurveda, you’re ahead of the game.
One of the world’s oldest holistic healing systems, originating in the Vedic culture of India, Ayurvedia or the ‘science of life’ teaches that holistic well-being is achieved through the balance of mind, body, and spirit. Ayurveda practitioners believe that everything in the universe—living or not—is connected and that to achieve good health and your greatest potential, your mind, body, and spirit need to be in harmony. And here’s some news to help you get there: you can drink your way into balance—with Tetley’s new herbal Ayurvedic Balance teas. Talk about soothing.
Now how can you make sure you stay in balance? Here’s everything you need to know.
AYURVEDA BASICS: THE ELEMENTS AND DOSHAS
According to Ayurveda practice, we’re each made up of 5 basic elements that combine in the body and mind to form 3 life forces or energies called Doshas.
The Elements:
- Space
- Air
- Fire
- Water
- Earth
The Doshas:
- Vata dosha (space and air)
- Pitta dosha (fire and water)
- Kapha dosha (water and earth)
Even though we’re all a mixed bag of doshas, one is usually dominant. Now when we can get our doshas to their natural proportions, we are said to be in balance. But as we know all too well, nothing in life stays even all the time. That means our sense of balance can be thrown off by many outside influences, like season changes, your age, even interpersonal relationships.
No matter what’s going on for us, though, it’s our job to tend to our doshas. If we don’t at least try to keep them in balance, we risk affecting our health and well-being. As you can imagine, we’re having none of that.
WHICH DOSHA ARE YOU?
Despite the fact that we all possess all the doshas, one usually stands out. Which sounds most like you?
VATA: Air/Space
Vata governs movement in the body, the activities of the nervous system, and the process of elimination.
You’re balanced when you’re:
- Energetic
- Adaptable
- A strong communicator
- A Positive Spirit
- Creative
You’re imbalanced when you’re:
- Anxious
- Indecisive
- Agitated
- Secretive
- Unreliable
PITTA: Fire/Water
Pitta’s primary function is transformation. It controls digestion, metabolism, and energy production. You have a fiery nature that manifests in both body and mind.
You’re balanced when you’re:
- Organized
- Intelligent
- Friendly
- Courageous
- Good leader
- Perceptive
You’re imbalanced when you’re:
- Aggressive
- Vain
- Manipulating
- Vindictive
- Reckless
KAPHA: Earth/Water
Kapha’s primary function is protection. It governs the structure of the body and holds the cells together and forms the muscle, fat, bone, and sinew.
You’re balanced when you’re:
- Loving
- Nurturing
- Patient
- Stable
- Loyal
You’re imbalanced when you’re:
- Controlling
- Insecure
- Materialistic
- Lethargic
- Insensitive
HOW TO KEEP YOUR AYURVEDIC DOSHAS IN BALANCE
You can do all kinds of things to maintain Ayurvedic balance, such as:
- yoga
- meditation
- regular exercise
- a good diet
- herbal teas like Tetley Ayurvedic Balance Teas
Tetley Ayurvedic Balance Teas
Working closely with Ayurvedic experts, Tetley has created three new herbal teas to help you find your balance. The teas—caffeine-free and all-natural—are each formulated to address a common situation or need arising from one of the doshas. They come in three formulations, depending how you’re feeling. PASS THE TEA, PLEASE.
POISE – VATA Tea for when you’re feeling scattered or worried
Poise Vata tea, featuring a warming spicy cinnamon and refreshing orange, will provide clarity and help you focus. Poise Vata tea features tulsi, also known as “holy basil”, an ingredient that is revered in Hindu tradition. Its peppery flavour is known to fight off ailments like stress, the common cold and even heart disease.
COOL – PITTA Tea for when you’re feeling overheated
Made of cooling ingredients like mint and lemon balm, that will help restore a sense of calm to balance emotional or physical heat, this tea is made with coriander, which is often used in the practice of Ayurveda to help restore circulation and support the elimination of toxins from the surface of the body.
VIGOUR – KAPHA Tea for when you’re feeling sluggish
Get a boost with this invigorating tea that features a warming ginger blend with a hint of mint. Vigour includes turmeric, which is well-known for a multitude of health benefits, including its anti-inflammatory properties and cloves, which are often used in Ayurveda to stimulate digestion and boost immunity.
Where to buy: retailers across Canada. For more info, visit Tetley.ca
Price: $3.49-$3.99/20 tea bags.
Want to learn more about Ayurveda and your doshas and how to find balance in your life? Win one of 5 pairs of exclusive tickets to Tetley’s TEA Talks.
What: For 1 day only, join Tetley and leading Ayurvedic experts and Keynote Speaker Yogi Cameron for a series of engaging workshops and discussions.
When: Saturday, January 14, 2017, 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
After a successful career as a fashion model, Yogi Cameron started practicing yoga at the Shivananda center in Paris 1987. His studies at institutes such as the Integral Yoga Institute in New York City and the Arsha Vidya Peetam in South India have helped him become one of North America’s foremost Ayurvedic experts.
Yogi Cameron has been featured on The Dr. Oz Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Today Show, Extra and Martha, and has appeared in The New York Times, Men’s Journal, Wall Street Journal, The London Times and ELLE magazine. He is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post and the SiriusXM radio show Conversations with Maria Menounos and is the author of The Guru In You and The One Plan.
This post was generously sponsored by Tetley. All opinions are our own.