What's Your Dosha? Using Essential Oils for Balance

Aryuveda is an ancient approach to healing, disease prevention and physical/emotional balance. The term Aryuveda means the "science or knowledge of life" and comes from the Vedas , which are the divine Hindu texts of knowledge in India. Treating their bodies like temples, the Indian monks believed that preserving their health would help them in their meditation and spiritual development. These monks collected information over many thousands of years of observations and preserved it for future generations. This approach is based on religion and culture as well as science.

 The key to the Aryuvedic method is balance. Balance of our mind, our body, and our spirit are essential to optimal wellness. In Ayurveda, every individual is unique and there is no diet or lifestyle routine that works for everyone. Ayurvedic practitioners focus on providing specific advice and guidance on how to maintain physical and emotional health. The only “medicine” in Aryuveda is food and lifestyle routines. An Aryuvedic practitioner will prescribe for you a recipe for change rather than “pills.”

The roots of Aryuveda are the five elements: air, fire, earth, water and space. All humans have some of the five elements within them. As we are all individuals, so are our Aryuvedic make-ups. These make-ups are called Doshas. There are three of them, and they are called vata (space and air), pitta (fire) and kapha (earth and water).
                                                                              

                                                                       



 Vāta is the impulse principle needed to mobilize the function of the nervous system. It affects flatulence, gout, rheumatism. • Pitta is the bile that is secreted between the stomach and bowels and flowing through the liver and going to the spleen, heart, eyes, and skin. It is the energy principle which uses bile to direct digestion and rev metabolism. Kapha relates to mucus, lubrication and the carrier of nutrients throughout the body. There are several questionnaires available to help you to discover your Primary Dosha. I recommend Deepak Chopra's here.  Once you know your dosha,  you can develop a plan of essential oils, food, habits and exercises that will help to maintain a balance within you.

Briefly, these are some of the physical and emotional characteristics associated with each dosha:
 • Vata: slim (thin), difficulty concentrating, gets cold easily, talkative, creative, quick thinking.
 • Kapha: corpulent, slow, thoughtful and loving, sleeps a lot.
 • Pitta: well-balanced figure, intelligent, organized, likes action and can be hot tempered.

So, where do Essential Oils fit in? Essences are often used to correct imbalances in the body.

Therefore it would make sense to use them when working to balance our doshas. Using the right Essences can not only balance one's dosha, but also reduce stress, and promote overall healing. As each dosha is associated with a different element, there are different Essences for each one.

Here are some recommendations:

Vata Dosha – (Space and Air)   Because Vatas tend to be cold and have dry skin and hair, they can be balanced using Essential Oils with sweet, warming and grounding scents such as amber, laurel (bay) leaf, bergamot, camphor, cardamom, chamomile, cinnamon, clary sage, eucalyptus, frankincense, ginger, jasmine, lavender, lemongrass, myrrh, neroli, patchouli, rosewood, sandalwood, sweet orange, tangerine, thyme, vanilla, vetiver, and ylang ylang. Vatas are also emotional and can get over excited, so calming oils like rose and geranium, are great and also may help with insomnia, a common problem for vatas. A sweet citrus scent like orange may also help balance energy.

Pitta Dosha – (Fire and Water)   The Pitta’s nature is hot, sharp and intense and therefore needs to be balanced with these cooling, soothing and calming Essences: birch, champa, coriander, fennel, lavender, lemon balm, lime, mandarin, myrtle, peppermint, pettigrain, spearmint, tangerine, tea tree, wintergreen, and yarrow. Since Pittas are passionate and intense, they can be subject to anger and jealousy when out of balance. In order to cool, clarify, and ease the mind, the best Essential Oils are sweet, bitter, or astringent like chamomile, lily, honeysuckle, iris, or jasmine.          

 Kapha Dosha – (Water and Earth)   The Kapha’s nature is cool, heavy and slow, balanced by using stimulating, warming and cleansing Essences such as angelica, anise, basil, laurel (bay) leaf, bergamot, birch, camphor, cardamom, cinnamon, clary sage, clove, cypress, ginger, grapefruit, hyssop, jasmine, juniper, lavender, lemon, lemongrass, lime, marjoram, neroli, myrrh, myrtle, petitgrain, rose, rosemary, sweet orange, tea tree, wintergreen, and yarrow. When kaphas are out of balance, they tend to be sluggish and more susceptible to depression. Therefore, more pungent and uplifting oils are the best recommendation for them such as eucalyptus, cedar, and pine. Also, peppermint is a stimulating odor that increases motivation to be physical.

 For a more in depth look at your dosha make up and a personal consultation, please visit us and inquire here.

 Disclaimer: This article was written for educational purposes only and is based on the tradition of Ayurveda. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, prescribe or heal any health condition or to replace standard medical treatment or advice.