Vata Management

I am now in full-time Vata management mode. The forecast in Boston for the next few days is "Vata" (English translation: cold, dry and windy). Combine the fast-paced, multi-tasking, constantly-texting society in which we live with a Vata-provoking weather front and you've got a recipe for imbalance. Whether or not you are a Vata-predominant individual like myself, now is the time to soothe and pamper yourself to prevent your doshas from going totally out of whack this winter. Vata is the instigator for many diseases and has this really annoying knack for aggravating Pitta and Kapha.

OK, maybe the situation is not as dire as I make it seem. But for me, I can't take the change of seasons and drastic drop in temperature lightly given my delicate constitution. So what is my strategy for staying balanced? I slow down and ground myself with several Ayurvedic tools and tactics.

Ayurveda views the microcosm (the human body) within the context of the macrocosm (the surrounding environment) and therefore makes accomodations for climate and season. While many of the treatments it employs may seem weird to the average Westerner (self-administered oil enema anyone?), Ayurveda is actually an allopathic system. Ayurveda definitely does not use pharmaceuticals and other strategies which work against the natural order like Western medicine does. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "allopathic" as "relating to or being a system of medicine that aims to combat disease by using remedies which produce effects that are different from or incompatible with those of the disease being treated."

The principle that forms the basis of most treatments in Ayurveda (there are a few exceptions which I can't discuss here), and makes them "allopathic" by definition, is the utilization of qualities that are opposite to those of the renegade dosha. Ayurveda is a holistic system which addresses "aggravated doshas" before and after they have spread and unfortunately manifested themselves in the form of diseases which have Western diagnoses. So even if a person waits until they have been diagnosed with a chronic condition which has been developing for years, the Ayurvedic practitioner will prescribe a protocol which targets the underlying doshic cause.

Since Vata, which is mostly governed by the air element, is cold, light, dry, rough and mobile, Vata-pacifying treatments rely on substances and actions with heavy, warm, smooth, stable and grounding qualities. For instance, suitable foods for Vata include root vegetables, fats & oils (especially sesame oil which is heating), dairy products, wheat and rice. In addition to heavy foods, bodies that are very "airy" can be brought back down to earth with meditative practices and routine. Sesame oil massage is also grounding and helps to counter excess dryness. Self-massage (abhyanga) with organic, unrefined sesame oil (yeah, it smells really yummy) is a great remedy for all sorts of Vata conditions (for more info, check out my tips for getting into the habit).

This past week, I made a kick-ass Vata-pacifying soup that was too good not to share!

Five Spice Japanese Sweet Potato Soup

2 - 3 tablespoons unrefined sesame oil (yes, you can use the same bottle for your abhyanga)

1 small onion, chopped

1" piece fresh gingerroot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 pounds Japanese sweet potato*, peeled and cut into 1 1/2" pieces

1 teaspoon five spice powder

1 small can (about 5 oz.) coconut milk

2 1/2 - 3 cups filtered water

1/2 teaspoon sea salt, to taste

1/2 cup rice milk, as much as needed

1. Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat and saute onion, gingerroot and garlic for about 5 minutes, until onion is soft and translucent.

2. Add sweet potato and five spice powder. Toss to coat potato with seasonings and cook 2 minutes. Then add coconut milk, water and salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes until sweet potato is tender.

3. Puree soup with an immersion blender (or in a conventional blender) until silky smooth, adding enough rice milk to achieve desired consistency. Season, to taste, with salt.

*I used a purple-skinned "Japanese sweet potato" which was sweeter than candy! But you could probably substitute any kind of sweet potato such as "Garnet" or "Jewel yam."