Vata energy

The first step, I told Jeff, is to understand what can throw vata energies off balance. There were two ways to look at vata disturbances. One is to remember that all of us possess all three types of energy— vata, pitta, and kapha—and that our vata systems are the most prone to imbalance. Just as air is less stable than fire or earth, so are vata energies more easily disturbed than pitta or kapha energies. 

Interestingly, the instability of vata energies in Ayurveda corresponds with the Western scientific notion that a serotonin deficiency is the most common problem associated with depression. Just as vata energies can become unbalanced even in pitta and kapha types, so can serotonin become deficient even in people with other types of brain chemical imbalances, such as norepinephrine/dopamine excess or deficiency. So when people have either vata imbalances or serotonin deficiencies, I usually try to treat those first, no matter what other problems they re experiencing. 

Because vata energies are the easiest to disrupt, they are also the easiest to rebalance. So if any of us has a vata imbalance—whether we re a vata type or some other type—sometimes all we need is a little patience, a casual attempt to avoid the stressors mentioned on the list above, and an effort not to aggravate matters any further. Just as a storm often blows over, vata imbalances often pass by themselves. 

Eat dinner by 6 p.m. or 7 p.m., preferably with friends or family— relaxed social time and creating connection are very helpful at balancing vata energies. 

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