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CATABOLIC (VATA)
METABOLIC (PITTA)
ANABOLIC (KAPHA)

Are you Catabolic (Vata Dosha)?

Tell your friends your Ayurvedic body type. Help them discover you and your unique personality by sharing your Ayurvedic constitution on one of these sites below.

What is Vata?

Vata is characterized by using up too much energy or resources, and is therefore catabolic. Vata literally means "wind", but is defined by an imbalance of dry, light, cold, rough, subtle and mobile biocharacteristics. Vata is easily stimulated and governs all movement, including muscles, nerve impulses, and thoughts. Vata is a subtle dosha that goes out of balance easily. Vata people often suffer from depletion of nutrients. Vata types may crave sweet, sour and salty taste as these are building and nourishing. Vata is best soothed by routine, warmth, good quality oils in their diet and on their skin. The Vata diet should consist of grounding foods like root vegetables, whole grains and animal products to ground their airy nature.

What is Vata Like?

When in balance, Vata is creative, imaginative, vivacious, and outgoing. Vata folks are always up for an adventure and easily adapt to change. They enjoy being on the go, but need to be sure to take time to slow down and rest, as they tire easily and are prone to overstimulation. When Vata qualities are out of balance, individuals become anxious, scatterbrained, dehydrated, constipated, and exhausted. A Vata imbalance can leave you feeling and acting erratic and dispersed. According to Ayurveda, Vata is the element of ether and air in the body. Ether has a spacey quality and air has movement. Vata senses are hearing and touch.

In the Ayurvedic clock, Vata comes at the end of digestion, the end of the day, the end of the year, and the end of a person's life. Vata naturally increases during the following times:

Note that someone may be Vata in nature but not fit into this exact description. Whether a person is Vata Pitta dosha, or Vata Kapha dosha influences the way these traits prevail.

How to Balance Vata

Avoid These Foods

Avoid Food With These Vata Qualities

Vata Lifestyle Favor this Vata Pacifying lifestyle. Routine sleeping and eating schedule Keep warm, comfortable, and hydrated Avoid raw foods and too much cleansing Increase sweet, sour, salty, and pungent taste Massage yourself daily with Vata oil Keep the colon clean with herbs like triphala More About Vata Lifestyle Vata Diet Favor these Vata pacifying foods. Increase oils, warm food, and liquids Increase sweet, sour, salty, and pungent taste View Vata Pacifying Ingredients View Vata Pacifying Recipes More About Vata Diet Learn About Vata Digestion

Vata Herbs Favor these Vata pacifying herbs. Triphala - Keeps the colon clean Haritaki - Keep the colon clean Ashwagandha - Strengthen your body Hingvastak Churna - Warm Digestion Ghee - Nourish Tissues Dashamoola - Relax, Reduce Anxiety Licorice root - Moisten Tissues All Vata Pacifying Products

Vata Times of Day

Vata comes at the end of digestion, the end of the day, the end of the year, and the end of a person's life. Vata naturally increases during the following times:

Autumn - Vata gets high in the autumn due to cold, dry, and mobile qualities. Autumn is mobile because the weather is irregular and windy.

Before sunrise and sunset - In the late afternoon, before sunset, Vata is high because the body is weary and deficient from a long day's work. In the early morning before sunrise, Vata is high because the nervous system stimulates the body to wake up.

5-6 hours after a meal - Five to six hours after a meal, Vata rises when blood sugar levels dip and the body gets hungry.

After 50 - Vata is deficiency and the body becomes deficient in later years of life.

Vata Sites of the Body

Colon - The body reabsorbs moisture from feces before elimination in the colon. When the body is dry it struggles to absorb more water, leading to dryness in the colon. The signs of dryness are gas and constipation.

Waist & Lower Half of the Body - When Vata is high, the body becomes more mobile and the mind more active. We tend to forget about the lower half of the body.

Bones - In Ayurveda, the colon is the site of mineral re-absorption. Mineral deficiencies show up as white spots on the nails, hair loss, or arthritis. Problems with bones, nails, and hair are due to high Vata.

Skin - When ama from the colon vitiates the blood, the kidneys try to eliminate the toxins through the urinary tract. The result is excess loss of fluids leading to dry skin. Vata is also the dosha of touch.

Ears - Ringing in the ears is due to high Vata. When the quality of the blood is poor due to ama, the sense organs get stimulated. The ears are especially sensitive. Many Vata people are musicians.

Mind - When Vata is high, the mind becomes stimulated, anxious, or afraid. Vata people often experience racing, disjointed thoughts. They are highly imaginative and quick to understand, but are also quick to forget.