We all know Vatas: they are slim, moving faster than a speeding bullet and often lose their keys. With piercing eyes and an intellect to match, Vatas learn quickly and forget just as fast. They tend towards dry skin, dry hair, brittle nails and constipation from irregular eating patterns.Vata represents ether and space elements in Ayurveda, a science that dates back 5,000 years to India. Ayurveda, or "science of life" provides guidelines on diet and treat different diseases and illnesses. Vata aggravation manifests as feeling scattered, unable to focus mentally, feeling cold in the hands and feet, restlessness and insomnia.
Instructions
1. Start by covering the body: Vatas tend to be thin so that even in summer they may feel cold. Cover the head with a light hat or scarf and cover the belly and feet with a thin blanket or appropriate clothing. Trapping body heat will help Vatas to sit during meditation comfortably with less fidgeting.
2. Use pranayama (breathing exercises) to help ground the anxiety or worry that plague Vatas. Inhale through the nose to a count of four and pause. Exhale through the nose for another count of four. Repeat five to seven rounds without hurry. Do not force the breath. Rest. Do just one round at any time you feel anxiety as a stress management strategy.
3. Set up for meditation. Sit in a chair that will keep your spine tall but not rigid. If this is not comfortable, sit cross-legged on the floor, with a cushion or folded blanket underneath you. Use a small timer or set your watch for 15 minutes so you will not be distracted and check the time constantly while you meditate.
4. Close your eyes and repeat the breath work from Step 1. Do not have any expectations of what meditation should or should not feel or look like. Keep your awareness lightly on the quality of your inhalations and exhalations.
5. Use visualization to help ground nervous energy. In your mind’s eye, go to a place in nature that is soothing and restful for you. It might be a grassy meadow dotted with flowers by a rushing creek or sandy dunes near a quiet, deserted lighthouse. Choose a place where you can anchor yourself.
6. Add details for your other senses to engage. Do the flowers give off a perfume? Is the grass warm or cool under your feet? Remain in this place for at least 10 minutes, 15 to 20 minutes if possible.
7. Notice the quality of your breathing at the end of your meditation. It should have deepened and slowed down. This is a sign that your heart rate and perhaps your blood pressure has also dropped. Activating the alpha relaxation response in this way is therapeutic for jittery Vatas.
8. Ending your meditation, make your inhalations deeper. Stretch your arms overhead and flex the feet to wake up the body. Open your eyes and sense your awareness is fully back. Return slowly to the rest of your day.
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