Ayurveda and Exercise: A Personalized Approach to Fitness

Written by Dr Naresh Perumbuduri with inputs from Dr Sreelal Sankar, Senior Ayurvedic Physicians at Ananda in the Himalayas.

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What is Ayurveda’s perspective on physical activities?

?As Charaka Acharya, an ancient physician and the author of the Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita describes, ‘the effort which produces stability and strength in the body is known as vyayama or exercise.’

Vyayama helps in maintaining the balance between the three circulatory forces or Doshas i.e., Vata, Pitta and Kapha. As per Ayurveda exercising stimulates Agni - the digestive fire and metabolic capacity and enhances Ojas – the mental and physical capacity to resist diseases or stress. Ayurveda has also graded exercise based on energy consumption, or the cardiovascular and respiratory system responses during and after physical activity.

?Hence Ayurveda recommends performing physical activities till one exhibits symptoms of sweating (sveda agamah), increased respiratory rate (svasha vriddhi), increased heart rate or pulse rate (hridayoparodhaccha), feeling of lightness in body (gatranam laghavam), dryness of mouth (mukha sosha) and exertion (Aayasa).

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The many benefits of movement

?Ayurveda recommends regular daily exercise for a shorter duration. Exercise is meant to warm you up and not drain you, so use half of your capacity and restore the rest, unless you are working for endurance through athletic sports.

?The other overlooked benefit of exercise is its role in lymphatic circulation. Lymphatics are considered as the cargo ships of the body as they carry most of the essential supplies to tissues and a key player in our immune system. A balanced approach is important here, overusing the body can have an adverse effect on lymphatic drainage. The lymph system requires a conducive and calm inner environment to work efficiently.

But, if in disease or under a cleansing detox routine, the physical activity has to slow down or stop completely. For the same reason, a guest under an Ayurvedic detoxification process at Ananda or a Yogic detox involving shatkarmas (the cleansing procedures laid down by ancient yogic texts), will be recommended gentle hatha yoga practices only. A heavy exercise regime is to be avoided during this time, as it might confuse the flow of prana or life force within, therefore interfering in the elimination process of toxins.

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Are our bodies inherently designed for fitness activities?

We are fundamentally designed for physical activity, to develop strength and prepare our bodies for real life situations.

At Ananda we educate guests to understand the delicate balance between movement and stillness. The human body is meant to stay in a state of balance and equilibrium. An overdrive in any direction isn’t ideal, whether too sedentary or too active. Adapting an exercise routine should be done after analyzing the time of the year, outside weather, one’s physical state of strength, and age.

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How should physical activities be tailored to each dosha?

Understanding one's Ayurvedic Prakriti serves as a guiding compass in making lifestyle choices, selecting appropriate exercises, and embracing mindfulness practices that align with individual requirements.

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The routine for Vatas

People dominated by Vata need extra rest, pampering, and gentler movements. They are prone to dryness in general, and therefore indulge in quick, extreme movements too soon at the start of a physical routine, which may create internal friction. This often results in weak joints, anxiety or agitation. The vata force is ruled by air and space, so a slow, concentrated practice that allows time to rest in the postures is recommended, like hatha yoga or restorative yoga practices.

?Due to their mental capacities that allow them to move and think quickly, a vata person leans towards vigorous exercise. They use more energy and exhaust themselves easily. The rebound effect of the mind can increase thoughts afterwards, resulting in internal chaos. A 20-minute daily meditation practice can create a lot of relief to the vata’s overactive mind and help to gain control in their life. Vata doesn’t require any additional stimulation or activities, which can easily result in a burn out. A deep rest of minimum 10 to 12 minutes in shavasana or the corpse pose after a workout or sport is of great help to keep the vata in order.

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Pittas and exercise

Dominated by fire and earth, the Pitta nature is ‘play to win’, hence competitive sports excite their natural competitive side. Since strength and endurance is naturally inbuilt in them, a pitta loves dynamic exercises like weightlifting, rock climbing and endurance sports because it feeds their aggressiveness. A pitta must train themselves to cool down!

Activities that are cooling to the body and yet exciting like river rafting and swimming or non-competitive sports like water-skiing, surfing or windsurfing, are better suited for a pitta. A good memory and mental capacity to stay focused makes pitta enjoy repetitive vinyasa flows in yoga. Breathable clothing, walking in shaded gardens and parks, and cool moonlit strolls are great for ensuring the Pitta dosha does not aggravate.

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Physical activity as a Kapha

Kapha loves slow crafts like gardening and baking, however they must keep physically active and socially engaged to avoid falling into lethargy, obesity, and depression. Powerful aerobic exercise and a regular exercise regimen help to keep them from falling into their default state of lethargy.

Physical activity that requires endurance, co-ordination and human interaction is ideal. Dancing, kickboxing, cross fit, and tennis are far superior to solitary, repetitive movements like swimming or jogging.

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What is the right amount of physical activity?

It’s best to know oneself to make the right choice. While picking a new workout, an Ayurvedic physician can be consulted on dos and don’ts based on body constitution, and a recommended diet based on the Ayurvedic food philosophy. This will help build up muscle strength, heal the joints and other connective tissues. An Ayurvedic diet and exercise regime suitable to body constitution will give the desired results of a workout without pushing the body into an inflammatory state.

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What Ayurveda recommends keeping in mind when planning to exercise:?

• Rest after consuming a meal or snack before starting exercise.
• Exercising between early morning to 11 AM gives the best results. An overactivated pitta or vata in the evening might disrupt sleep at night.
• The afternoon time is pitta dominant while vata rises during evenings. If one exercises during these hours it leads to an imbalance of these doshas or bio-chemical circulatory force.

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The form of movement and exercise must be carefully selected on the prakriti or constitution, age, gender, health status and other lifestyle factors.