The Vata Energy Pattern of Movement
Today l'd like to spend some time discussing the physiologic energy pattern of Vata that are observable in Nature and energetically make up our energy mindbodies It's a different way of thinking of our bodies We are so accustomed to thinking about them in molecular terms it's a bit of a stretch to see the body in energy terms But that's the model I talk about at this blog
In the medical energy science of Ayurveda, there are three identifiable energy patterns in Nature, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha There is the energy of movement, that of transformation and the energy of stability All three are necessary for Nature to function and for us as well as a bodymind
Vata The Energy of Movement
Any activity in the physiology that has to do with movement is under the guise of the energy pattern Vata The movement of blood, nerve impulses, food through the GI tract, movement of the mindbody through space are all gross or subtle movements But as I have discussed in a previous blog, mind is a participatory field of energy inclusive of the body's energy field So movement of thought is also part of the energy movement of Vata Energy patterns have specific qualities and Vata has seven qualities which are cold, light, mobile,dry, rough,subtle,and clear And this is how we can understand the workings of the energy patterns in our body The qualities are our window of observation of what the energy pattern is doing at any point in time
For example, if we observe none of these qualities at work then we can say that this energy pattern is in balance That's a good thing! But what happens if we notice the cold quality because we're outside and it's cold, then we could say that there's a possibility that the cold quality outside our body is being stimulated Another way of saying this is that the energy pattern of Vata is being provoked
But more than likely if we stay warm and pay attention to getting warm food when we get inside that no imbalance is created, that is, we stay in balance But what were to happen if we got inside and had ice tea, and a cold salad then went outside again without a coat or wrap Then over time with this kind of behavior, this cold quality would build and the result would be constipation, believe the unbelievable or not!
Examples of the Vata energy pattern
What famous people do we know who exhibit the tendency to predominant Vata energy pattern? President Obama, Mick Jagger and Johnny Depp come to mind. They are thin, move a lot and are creative in their profession
There is a tendency for people with a great deal of Vata energy pattern controlling their physiology to have dry, rough skin and large intestine linings which predispose them to constipation They may have trouble being warm due to the cold quality. Vata tends to predispose to lots of activity due to the mobile quality With the mobile quality they may have a lot of mental activity which can lead to distraction and lack of clarity Those of us with cardiac rhythm disturbances happen to have too much Vata energy pattern People with osteoporosis have too much Vata energy pattern in the bone tissue layer Popping joints do so because they have dryness in their joints
Nutrition and Vata
So how can we relate this to nutrition? If Vata people have the dry quality then adding more dry nutritionally would produce imbalance. So cooked foods would be preferable over dry and cold foods. Raw vegetables would bring about imbalance for Vata because they are rough Vata finds it difficult to gain weight due to the light and mobile qualities. As a matter of fact, Vata does best with heavy foods such as dairy, meat and root vegetables to balance the qualities of light and mobile To counter the dry quality using oily foods would be best
By understanding the imbalancing nature of foods through their tastes and effects on our physiologies we can begin to nourish ourselves from an energetic standpoint
To Health as a Skill Dr Bill
In the next two weeks I'll discuss the other energy patterns of Pitta and Kapha and how they relate to nutrition For more info go to foodsheal.com
