The Doshas ! I am not about to talk about dosas, an Indian breakfast recipe made out of rice.
Well, in Ayurveda, (Indian medicine) the word Doshas stands for regulating forces of nature connected with the three elements of health. They are, Vata which means Air energy, Pitta meaning Fire energy and Kapha points to Water energy. In a way the three Doshas are the energetic forces of nature that help regulate the functional properties of the human body. The three Doshas need to collaborate with each other to give the right output, a minor imbalance of the three can cause major problems to our system.
Vata is mainly found below the navel, Pitta between navel and heart, and Kapha above the heart. In Ayurveda there are combinations of the two elements and doshas like air with Ether(space), Fire with water and water with earth. If you see the construction or combination of the doshas in their respective quantity, they produce or form the being we are in our full natural form.
There’s one common saying that opposite magnetic poles attract and vice versa. So does the same applies to these aryuvedic doshas, hot will attract cold, heavy – light, smooth – rough, oily – dry and so on. You can think of endless pairs. The Doshas have certain functions which they perform during the day, each dosha naturally governs specific physiological functions. How?
Let’s see further. Read on.
Vata has its job to move the different parts of our body in the most synchronized possible manner. It controls the flow of breath, contractions of muscles, flexibility of tissues, cellular mobility and communication between the mind and nervous system.
Pitta takes the control on water or liquids as it is directly connected with this element. Pitta in every living organism governs nutrition and metabolism, body temperature and light of understanding. It is closely related to intelligence, understanding, digestion of food, thoughts and control of emotions.
Kapha is associated with earth and water, so it lends structure, solidity and cohesiveness to all living beings. It brings out the qualities of water regulating the feelings of love and compassion, lubricating the joints, moisturizing the skin, maintains immunity and repairs the tissues.
What causes the imbalance in the Doshas?
No proper diet, modern lifestyle, hurry, stress, panic, trauma, no proper rest or sleep and above a hectic routine. All these factors and many more tend to de-motivate the doshas to function in their original manner, their functional balance is disturbed. There’s no equilibrium, they get aggravated and create chaos in the body.
Imbalance of Doshas
Imbalance of Vata causes loneliness, isolation, anxiety, exhaustion and fear. It can lead to both physical and energetic depletion, disrupt proper communication, and cause all sorts of abnormal movements in the body, such as tics, tremors, and muscle spasms.
Pitta causes anger, jealousy, criticism, fiery and frustration. It’s the root cause of inflammatory disorders affecting organs and tissues all over the body.
Kapha triggers emotions of attachments, greed, possessiveness and stubbornness, one gets lethargic and resists to changes. In state of imbalance kapha tends to invite stagnation and congestion in organs and tissues throughout the body.
Creating Balance
Creating a friendly relationship with the doshas can change the impact on our overall health and wellbeing. Recognizing, understanding and correcting all the imbalances at work in our system can shed light on our personal nuances and guide us to support our system in a more balanced manner.
A balanced Vata dosha expresses itself as enthusiasm, smooth functioning tissue metabolism and balanced elimination.
A balanced Pitta dosha is expressed as good digestion and eyesight, a balanced body temperature, balanced hunger and thirst and abundant charisma, happiness and intelligence. A balanced Kapha is described as expressing strength, forbearance, patience, and the absence of greed.
What exactly happens when you store water in a copper vessel?
When water is stored in a copper vessel overnight or for over eight hours, a very small amount of copper ions gets dissolved into the water. This process is called Oligodynamic effect which has the ability to destroy a wide range of harmful microbes, molds, fungi etc.
What does Ayurveda say?
Ayurveda states that when you drink water stored in a copper vessel, it has the ability to balance all the three doshas in our body Vata, Pitta and Kapha and also has many health benefits.
The right way to drink water from a copper vessel:
1.It is very important to buy vessels that are made of Pure Copper. Do not buy the ones that have other metals mixed in it.
2. Once you have bought it, rinse it out thoroughly with water. Then fill it with water and cover it. Let the water rest for 6 hours (minimum) to 8 hours (maximum) and then drink it.
3. You can follow this ancient Ayurvedic practice:
Keep water in a copper vessel overnight by your bedside and drink this water first thing in the morning when you wake up. This particular practice is very useful in stimulating your bowel movements in the morning. This practice will keep your digestive system very healthy and set your metabolism for rest of the day. You will feel very refreshed and light every day.
Precautions for using Copper vessels.
Drinking water stored in the copper vessel once in the early morning and then in the evening is more than enough to get the required amount of copper for our body. You must not drink this water all day long. You should not drink this copper vessel water all year long. You can continue this practice for three months and then take a break for one month. Continue the cycle as mentioned above.