Yoga and Ayurveda are 'sister sciences' that stem from the same branch of Vedic knowledge which originated in India. But how they similar...or different?
While most of us are familiar with yoga, Ayurveda is its lesser known relative (at least here in the West) which is often perceived as an esoteric, new age alternative healing practice that categorises people based on their constitution (more on that later). You may have come across teas or beauty products that are targeted towards vatas, pittas or kaphas - because, you know...capitalism *shrug emoji*.
However, Ayurveda has been practiced for thousands of years and stems from 'Vedic' knowledge. The 'Vedas' are considered the earliest literary record of the Indo-Aryan civilisation and central scriptures relating to the inner workings of our own consciousness and the universe. We will have to do a separate blog post about the Vedas and the Upanishads because it's a vast topic that can't be briefly covered here, but for now let's just say that Yoga and Ayurveda are part of Vedic teachings that aim to lead us to self-realisation and mind-body-connection.
To understand the difference between the two, it might be worth thinking about why we do each practice. What is the aim of yoga? Well, this is a tricky question that everyone might answer differently, but hopefully we can agree that one of the main aims of practicing yoga is the liberation from suffering, in the form of the kleshas, which creates blockages in our minds and bodies. Hence, yoga is a spiritual practice that can lead us to overcome the kleshas and help us reach Samadhi. Ayurveda, on the other hand, is specifically focused on healing and preventing disease, although yoga can be part of Ayurveda in terms of providing therapeutic benefits.
One of the big things that Ayurveda is concerned with is balancing the doshas. What are doshas, you may ask. Before we get into it, let me throw another term at you: the Pancha Mahabhutas.
Pancha-what, you may ask? The Pancha Mahabhutas are the five elements, or cosmic principles, which according to Ayurveda, are the source of all creation. These five elements include akash (ether/space), vayu (air), agni (fire), jala (water) and prithvi (earth). Each of these elements has different qualities. Ether/space is said to be the first element to come into existence and is therefore the medium in which everything 'happens'. The other elements have distinct qualities: Air is said to be cold, dry and fast-moving; Fire is hot (duh), light and creates friction; Water is cold, heavy and dense; and Earth is cold, heavy and steady.
According to Ayurveda, the five elements are the structural elements that make up our world and our bodies. Sounds logical, right? But Ayurveda says that these 5 elements occur in each of us in different proportions. And this is where the doshas come in. Doshas are a way to categorise the proportions of the elements into constitutions. These constitutions are vata, pitta and kapha.
The vata constitution is predominantly made up of air. People who are predominantly 'vata' may be highly communicative, creative and fast-moving like air. The pitta constitution is characterised by fire and water, so people with this constitution tend to be be fiery, ambitious and sharp-witted. Kapha is made of water and fire and therefore people of this constitution tend to be calm, steady and grounded.
It is important to understand that everyone has all three doshas in them. We are all born with a constitution (prakruti) which is determined at the moment of conception - it determines our physiological and psychological tendencies. But most of us are influenced by emotional and environmental factors that can influence our constitution and imbalance doshas (vikruti). It is therefore possible that we feel more like one or the other dosha over our course of lives (or even over the course of our day). It should also be noted most of us fall into a spectrum between different constitutions, so most of us are a mix of doshas (vata-pitta, pitta-kapha, kapha-vata, etc).
So, what does imbalance look like? People that may have an unbalanced vata dosha may feel anxious, overwhelmed or scatter-brained on an emotional level, and may feel weak, have cracking joints or constipation on a physiological level. Pitta imbalances are characterised by the inner fire getting out of control, so people with pitta imbalance may become very irritable, angry or suffer from heartburn, acid reflux or loose stools. Kapha imbalance on the other hand may manifest itself in sluggishness, depression or respiratory issues.
In simple terms, Ayurveda helps us to prevent imbalances and live a balanced life.
So, where does yoga come in here?
Yoga can support Ayurvedic practitioners in preventing or managing imbalances. Some asanas, for example, may support or counteract certain qualities of doshas. For example, vatas who have airy qualities may benefit from grounding practices that make them feel firmly supported by the mat or the earth (think Balasana, Uttanasana, Paschimottanasana). Pittas, who may enjoy fast-paced, sweaty asanas, may benefit from slow, steady and sequences that require them hold a pose for a while (particulary utkatasana or bhujangasana). Kaphas who may gravitate towards slow and steady sequences, may benefit from a fast-paced sequence that makes use of their excellent stamina (think fast-paced surya namaskar).
There are plenty of dosha tests online if you'd like to know more, although it is recommended to see an Ayurvedic practitioner to understand your prakruti and vikruti.
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