How to fix Vata Dosha or "Wind Imbalance" in your body

According to Ayurveda or Indian Herbology, the typical symptoms of vata dosha or wind imbalance are as follows:

1. External Dryness - Skin, hair, lips, etc.
2. Internal Dryness - Bloat, gas, constipation, etc.
3. Dryness of Mind - Restlessness, lack of focus, lethargy, procrastination, insomnia, etc.
4. Dryness of Spirit - Too much craving for material gains, less inclination towards spirituality.

If you are having too many of these symptoms at once, it almost certainly means that you're suffering from wind imbalance or vata dosha.

Why does this happen?

The most prevalent theory in Ayurveda is that that the Pancha Prana or the five essential areal pathways that sustain your bodily functions (like breathing, blood circulation, digestion, etc.) get aggravated due to things like bad diet (junk and fast food, irregular eating schedule, borewell water containing high magnesium, etc.) and bad lifestyle choices (irregular sleeping cycle, lack of exercising, undue stress, etc.)

What's the fix?

The advice I'm about to provide in the next paragraph worked wonders for me personally but since each individual is different, you're advised to consult your own Ayurveda health expert or doctor and/or perform your own research before trying it.

Daily Turmeric Water Detox

Haldi (Turmeric powder) is a wonder herb and one of its functions is to balance your tri-doshas (vata, pitta and kapha). It typically works wonders in reducing your vata dosha when half-teaspoon is mixed in a cup of warm water and consumed daily in the morning.

You can also optionally add a little bit (1/4 teaspoon) of lemon juice so that you also get the anti-oxidant and other benefits of lemon but it's solely up to you. In my case, I felt most vata dosha symptoms diminish just after 3-4 days of having turmeric water detox.

Daily Vajrasana (Diamond Pose)

The benefits of Vajrasana are many in number but when combined with the Turmeric water detox above, it's an especially effective remedy for the Vata dosha problem. How come? Referring to the theory part above, the pancha-prana or the five essential pathways were designed to perform specific bodily functions. Now, the nature of wind or air is chaotic, it wanders everywhere. The most ideal place for this wanderer is the top portion of human body where it simulates creative ideas and inspiration, makes you active and feel like doing something (or even going some place!). Another ideal place for wind is your belly or abdomen where it aids digestion. However, the not so ideal place for the wind is the sub-abdomen regions like thighs, calf muscles, knee joints, etc. The same wind, when aggravated in these regions, creates the exact opposite and negative results - laziness or lethargy, sleeplessness, etc. It's as if dead weight is holding you back and preventing you from doing things. Want to fix this situation for good? Then start doing Vajrasana daily!

Needless to say, both the turmeric detox and Vajrasana have its own set of contra-indications, so research them thoroughly and consult your own qualified physician before experimenting with them. It's also understandable that if your legs and knees are already stiff with too much aggravated vata, it'll be difficult for you to even sit corss-legged, let alone be able to perform Vajrasana. In that case, it's advisable to perform these preparatory exercises for about 10-15 days first in order to make your legs flexible and prepare them for Vajrasana.

Vajrasana is probably the only yoga asana which can be performed both on empty stomach and after having meals. There is a popular anecdote that Japanese people (at least the traditional or Samurai types, not sure about the modernists) sit in the Vajrasana pose on floor while eating their food which is served on a short table. The reason is that apart from the various health benefits it provides, Vajrasana pose ensures that you eat only as much as needed. The Japs do fret a lot about food wastage and efficiency!

Dietary Changes

Rationality and common sense suggests that we avoid the vata increasing foods and consume more of vata reducing foods as far as possible.

The ones to avoid here are pungent and astringent, cold and frozen foods, sour fruits like apples and pomegranates, raw vegetables like potatoes and raw onions.

The ones to consume more are sweet and salty foods, ghee (clarified butter), kadva/bitter foods (like mango pickle, for example).

Abhyanga (Oil Massage)

Last but not the least, the arch nemesis of Dryness is Oil, and a regular weekly oil massage ensures that your Vata stays in check. Oil massage is also called Aromatherapy sometimes depending on the various oil qualities or fragrances. There are many kinds of oils available, I prefer normal coconut oil and sometimes almond oil for a weekly massage. However, sesame oil is generally recommended for vata dosha specifically.