For them warm, cooked foods are grounding & nourishing, with element of fire increasing pitta, water & earth elements increasing kapha.

Avoid becoming chilled. Wear adequate clothing appropriate for season, keep head covered when cold.

Do daily message using warmer, heavier oils like sesame, almond.

Stick with light exercise that enhances balance & flexibility. Don’t push yourself too far, exceed limits of your energy.

Beneficial activities: Yoga Qi gong, tai chi, walking, short hikes, light bicycling, light tennis, golf, dance, aerobics.

Drink fresh ginger tea frequently. When cool, throughout day.

Be certain that bowels move regularly on a daily basis.

Favor soothing, calming music.

Touch & be touched regularly by people you love.

Favor warm colors in your clothing & environment such as earth colors, pastels, browns, warm yellows.

Favor aromas that are sweet, heavy,  warm- spices, lavender, pine, sage, vanilla, citrus, basil.

Eat larger quantities, but don’t overeat. This helps to balance lightness of Vata.

Ayurveda regards raw foods as cold, dry, light, rough, rajasic, so strain digestive fire, decrease digestive capacity, leads to poor absorption of nutrients & nourishment to tissues & imbalances in body, ultimately, illness/disease.

Take sweeteners in moderation. They all help to pacify Vata.

Fats and oils are beneficial in the digestive system and help reduce Vata. Use up to 3t daily of ghee or extra virgin olive oil.

All low-fat dairy products are recommended. Milk is easier to digest when warm or heated.

Rice, wheat are best grains for balancing Vata. Reduce the rest of grains.

Favor sweet, heavy fruits such as bananas, avocados, mangoes, apricots, plums, berries, c.nut, figs, grapefruit, oranges, lemons, melons, papaya, peaches, p.apples, rhubarb, kiwi, dates, nectarines, dr’d fruits.

Eat fewer dry or light fruits such as apples, cranberries, pears, p.nates. To ease dig, fruits are best eaten lightly c’d or sautéed, or eaten alone.

Cooked vegetables are best. Favor  beets, carrots. Other vegs may be taken in moderation if cooked in ghee or evoo, including peas, broccoli, c.fl, zucchini, sw.potatoes. Sprouts, cabbage tend to produce gas, should be minimized.

Use spices that pacify Vata- cumin, gin, cinn, salt, clove, cardamom, mustard seed, basil, hing, cilantro, fennel, oregano, sage, tarragon, thyme, black pepper.

All nuts are recommended.

Beans can aggravate Vata. Minimize, with exception of tofu, mung bean.

Kitchari: In 2t ghee fry mustard seeds, cumin, hing, 1″gin grate, 11/2c vegs, washed 1c mung+1/2c rice, 6c water, 1/2t each salt, pepper, jeera powder, coriander powder, last cilantro.

Kitchari is excellent for detoxification, de-aging of cells. Kitchari mono-diet can lead to constipation if taken exclusively for several days as low in fiber.

To ensure proper elimination, take once a day, psyllium husks/seeds with water OR oat bran OR prune juice.

Vata Tea — equal parts ground ginger, cumin, coriander.

Vata Dosha has direct connection with air. Air element is a component of Vata Dosha. They both have lot in common. There is a famous simile – like Air moves the clouds around the sky, Vata Dosha moves Kapha and Pitta in the body. Kapha and Pitta are basically immobile. It is Vata that takes them allover the body

Vata & arthritis – Vata is situated in all the joints. Movement is a quality of Vata and hence, Vata dosha is directly responsible for joints and all the other movements of body parts and fluids. So, osteo arthritis, which is a degenerative disease of the joint is directly related with Vata Dosha.

Vata & pain, skin dryness – Both are characteristic symptoms of Vata. In any disease, if pain, skin dryness is a symptom, then there is definite involvement of Vata.

Imagine a pond. Constantly blowing wind takes away all the water from the pond, leaves it high and dry. Vata has characteristics of wind and dryness is one of its key qualities.

In case of Vata imbalance, it is better to keep the affected part of the body covered with cloth. This is the principle behind bandaging the limb to reduce pain.

This principle also puts light on another fact that travelling increases Vata. Hence, people who travel a lot should undergo oil massage at least once a week to keep Vata in balanced condition.

Ayurveda explains that the herbal medicinal contents of the oil enters through the pores of the skin, becomes available to the absorption at the Srotas (end part of blood vessels) and gets absorbed into blood, reach the target area and exhibit its action.

This theory is quite apt because, the cell membrane is made of lipo proteins (combination of lipids and proteins), oils being a form of lipids, it is easy for the massaged oil to pass through the skin to the targeted area.

Vata is balanced by a diet of freshly cooked, whole foods that are soft or mushy in texture, rich in protein and fat, seasoned with a variety of warming spices, and served warm or hot.

These foods calm vata by lubricating and nourishing the tissues, preserving moisture, and maintaining warmth, all while supporting proper digestion and elimination.

Avoid foods with a cooling energetic, cold and frozen foods or drinks, carbonated drinks, large quantities of raw fruits and vegetables, and even leftovers that have been kept in the refrigerator or freezer. The cold quality is inherently increased in these foods, even if they are served hot.

Vata’s dryness is offset by eating cooked rather than raw foods, by cooking and garnishing foods with generous amounts of high-quality oils or ghee, and by staying hydrated.

Drink plenty of fluids, ideally warm or hot – but no cooler than room-temperature.

In addition, moist foods like berries, melons, summer squash, zucchini, and yogurt help offset vata’s dry quality, as can hydrating preparations such as soups or stews.

Oily foods like avocado, coconut, olives, buttermilk, cheese, eggs, whole milk (preferably non homogenized), wheat, nuts and seeds are generally supportive as well.

Avoid exceptionally dry foods like popcorn, crackers, beans, dried fruits.

Very heavy foods like deep-fried choices can easily overtax vata’s delicate digestion.

Eating too much in one sitting can also be overly heavy, so it’s important not to overeat.

It’s better to think in terms of grounding vata’s lightness with sustenance – eating foods that offer solid, stabilizing sources of energy and deep nourishment to the physical body.

Generally, these foods will naturally taste sweet.

Cooked grains, spiced milk, root vegetables, stewed fruits, nuts, and seeds are good examples.

Highly processed foods are often quite heavy, lack prana (vital life force) and are generally quite detrimental to vata.

Similarly, stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine, and hard alcohol, as they are generally not supportive of vata’s need to stay grounded and stable.

Favor smooth over rough: Raw fruits & vegetables are sometimes called roughage; their fibrous structure gives them a very rough quality.

Even when cooked, some foods like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, dark leafy greens, and many beans are exceptionally rough and should be avoided.

Conversely, eating foods and preparations that are smooth in texture – things like bananas, rice pudding, hot cereal, hot spiced milk, puréed soups, and the like – can really help to soothe vata’s roughness.

Vata is pacified by sweet, sour, salty tastes, aggravated by bitter, pungent and astringent tastes.

Understanding these tastes allows us to better navigate a vata pacifying diet without having to constantly refer to extensive lists of foods to favor and avoid.

Favor naturally sweet foods like fruits, most grains, root vegetables, milk, ghee, fresh yogurt, eggs, nuts, seeds, most oils. Sweet foods tend to be grounding, nourishing, strength building, and satisfying.

Favor sour additions like lime juice,  vinegar, a side of kimchi or sauerkraut, a bowl of miso, a slice of cheese, or a dollop of sour cream.

Sour fruits like green grapes, oranges, pineapple,  grapefruit are also appropriate when eaten alone, and in moderation.

Sour taste awakens mind & senses, improves digestion, promotes energy, moistens other foods, eliminates excess wind.

Salt stimulates the appetite and digestion, helps retain moisture, supports proper elimination, and improves the flavor of many foods.

Minimize pungent- spicy, hot flavor like that found in chilies, radishes, turnips, raw onions, many spices. In moderation, most spices are actually vata pacifying.

Bitter taste predominates bitter greens (like kale, dandelion greens, collard greens, etc.), and is also found in foods like bitter melon, artichokes, eggplant, chocolate. It is cooling, rough, drying, light, generally reducing – all qualities that tend to aggravate vata.

Legumes are classically astringent in taste – beans, peas, etc. Also some fruits, vegetables, grains, and baked goods – like apples, cranberries, pomegranate, artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, rye, rice cakes, crackers.

Astringent taste is dry, cold, heavy, rough, so understandably aggravates vata.

Vata is deeply soothed when we choose to eat in peaceful environment where we can offer full attention to the act of being nourished.

Routine itself balances vata, so the practice of eating 3square meals per day (at about the same time each day) further reduces vata & helps strengthen delicate digestion.

Sometimes, it is impossible to avoid all vata-aggravating foods. Detrimental potential of these foods can be minimized by making sure that they are well cooked, served warm, garnished generously with oil or ghee.

Because vata requires regular nourishment, best to avoid fasting.

If you feel the need to do a cleanse of some sort, a mono diet of kitchari is much less vata-provoking than a fruit or juice cleanse, and is certainly better than an all-out fast.

Breakfast is a critical meal when vata is elevated. After an overnight fast, vata needs real nourishment and a hearty breakfast is generally very stabilizing.

Hot cereal: oatmeal, rice pudding, cream of rice, cream of wheat are also excellent choices.

For a richer, creamier breakfast, grains can be cooked in milk (or a substitute), or can add a bit of hot milk after cooking.

To make this meal even more vata friendly, garnish with ghee, sliced almonds, flax seeds, sweeten with honey or maple syrup, add warming spices.

Another delectable breakfast is date & almond shake, made from soaked dates, soaked & peeled almonds, boiled milk (or a substitute) blended with warming spices like cinnamon & nutmeg.

Hearty grains, steamed & sautéed vegetables, appropriate breads, soups & stews are excellent building blocks for lunch. This is also the best time to enjoy a small salad if needed.

Sautéed okra with shredded coconut, and naan, garnished with cilantro, cucumbers, dash of yogurt.

Rice pasta or gnocchi with pesto, black olives, pine nuts, cheese, a side of marinated beets.

Small green salad tossed with an oily but stimulating dressing – like lemon-ginger vinaigrette.

Dinner is ideally a bit smaller and lighter than lunch. But to soothe vata, it needs to offer adequate nourishment. Soups, stews good

Recurring pain occurs when:

1. Muscles and tendons becoming weak due to ageing and tissue degeneration.

2. Wrong body postures while sitting, sleeping etc, causing the twitching of muscles and tendons. This worsens the wear and tear of old injured muscles.

3. Tiny scar tissue formation in the muscles which make them stiff over a long period of time.

4. Provocative factors such as depression, junk foods, smoking, excess alcohol, aerated drinks, stress, anxiety and diabetes causing build up of free radicals. This leads to inflammation build up in the body, leading to resurfacing of pain.

5. An accident or repeat injury causing flaring up of old pains.