Ayurveda is a nature-based, holistic approach to health, that comes from ancient India. It explains there are different body types; with each needing slightly different approaches to food and life. Our body type defines our biological constitution.
Nutrition, for Ayurveda, is more than the food we eat, it includes what we are taking in through all of our senses; how we live our life. This is why an Ayurvedic nutritional plan includes exercise, sleep and lifestyle protocols, for your particular constitution.
Our constitution is made up of bio-energies. We have all the bio-energies within our constitution, but in varying amounts, and this allows for 7 different types of constitution (body types). To stay in good health on all levels we need to keep the balance we were born with, in balance. That’s Ayurveda in a nutshell. The different types lead to different temperaments, strengths and stress responses, and require different approaches for managing stress and wellbeing.
To keep it simple I am explaining the 3 main types, you will probably recognise yourself in more than one, but with one type feeling more like you. And so, in no particular order…
Body type 1 will have a light body and find it hard to put on weight. Their appetite can be erratic. They will dislike the cold hugely. They have creative minds, lots of ideas and love starting or learning new things. When out of balance with their body’s needs their mind becomes restless and spaced out, they become ungrounded and scattered, fearful, nervous and have trouble sleeping. This can lead to an anxious type of depression – they will be prone to low serotonin levels when living out of balance. If stressed their immediate thought is, “What did I do wrong?” When this type doesn’t take care of their constitutional needs, they will become exhausted and their nervous system will suffer.
Body type 2 has a medium frame with good muscles. There body’s are usually warm and dislike too much heat. Their appetite is strong. Their mind is sharp with a good memory and great at debating or focusing on study. They often love sports especially when they are competing. They are usually ambitious and make great leaders when in balance, but when they live out of balance with their body’s needs, their nature becomes driven – they burn themselves and those around them out. As their constitution becomes increasingly unbalanced, what begins as impatience and frustration, can become outright aggressive and judgemental. When stress builds at this point their immediate thought is, “What did you do wrong?”. They are prone to agitated depression at this point, involving too much norepinephrine/dopamine, if they don’t bring the balance back to their constitution.
Body type 3 will have a larger body, bigger bones and be prone to putting on weight. They have thick hair and their skin is less likely to wrinkle as they age. They think in a slower more methodical manner compared to types 1 and 2, move with grace, have a calm and loving manor. They are very tolerant, loyal, loving and forgiving. They are great at seeing things through in a steady way. When they live out of balance with their needs they become flat, sluggish, comfort eat lots of sweet things, put on weight they can’t seem to shift, become despondent, and start to sleep more. If the balance isn’t regained this will lead to a type of depression that involves low levels of dopamine and norepinephrine. When stressed with an imbalance their immediate thought is, “I don’t want to think about it?”.
It’s all about balance. When these bio-energies move out of balance, this causes the ground for dis-ease and illness. A consultation will unpick the balance you were born with along with any imbalances you have accumulated and give you a plan, to come back into balance. It is then a journey of understanding how to recognise when imbalance is occurring and what to do about that. These are all things I address when I work with clients.
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