More Fire!

I took an Ayurvedic survey and I’m definitely Kapha (water & earth), though I seem to have Vāta (air & space) qualities as well. This means that I am slow and steady, bordering on lazy, love to sleep. I need more fire, so I thrive in warm climates, warm food, spicy food, exercise, etc.

Interestingly, this was the same thing the fortune teller told me last year. He said I was a wood type, but since I was born in the winter, I am like a tree waiting for the sun to warm me up to bloom. So heat would be good for me, red colored stuff, sleeping toward the sun, etc.

All the Ayurvedic stuff makes sense, too: eat raw veggies because it’s energetic and light; eat cooked and spicy food for the fire; don’t eat too much or I’ll feel sluggish. Having battled oversleeping all my life, the sticky muddy feeling is all too familiar. Becoming a raw vegan was such a boon to my body at first, but eventually my Ashtanga practice consumed all the fat on my thin, Vāta frame.

As Sara said, it’s tricky trying to balance these opposites, water and earth versus air and space.

Some more general Ayurvedic tips: eat light food to ease digestion, eat when the right nostril is open, lunch should be the biggest meal, eat when hungry rather than on a schedule, be cheerful, eat heated food to ease digestion, present food nicely, and be grateful.