Ayurveda: the sister science that compliments yoga. Many think of this ancient medicinal science as the “yoga diet,” however, there are many more aspects to this practice. With its healing properties, it may lead to the question: if yoga can benefit trauma survivors, what about Ayurveda for trauma healing? I welcome you to join me in this post to explore this question.
What Is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is an ancient, holistic healing practice (over 5,000 years old) that encompasses the whole body to cure and prevent disease by balancing your mind and body.
In Sanskrit, Ayur translates to life, and veda translates to science. Ayurveda is the science of life. Everything from diet, self-care practices, and exercise plays a role in Ayurveda.
It’s often known as a sister science to yoga because the end goal is the same: to achieve inner peace, or known in Sanskrit, Samadhi. They aren’t exactly the same, though. Yoga’s goal is spiritual enlightenment, and Ayurveda prepares your body to be healthy enough to perform yoga without disease.
Related Post: A Simple Guide To Yoga Philosophy: A Trauma-Informed Yoga Perspective
Key aspects of Ayurveda:
- Digestion is the cornerstone of health. Healthy digestion = healthy mind and body
- Your mind-body type (dosha) determines your care plan for balance
- Food is medicine
The Doshas
Your doshas, or mind-body type, is your unique constitution. There are three doshas, which I’ll briefly explain below. We are all a unique mix of the doshas, and the rarest combination is called tridoshic, which means you are an even combination of all three.
Ayurveda’s goal is to keep you balanced, because too much of any dosha leads to complications in health and wellbeing. Each yoga pose actually influences your doshas. Example: savasana increases kapha, and reduces vata and pitta. These two are truly interconnected practices.
Three Doshas
Vata (Air) – People with vata constitutions follow the elements of air. They are thin, tend to live in their heads, love being creative, but might have a hard time focusing. Too much vata leads to anxiety, bloating, and IBS.
Pitta (Fire) – People with pitta constitutions are natural leaders, may easily become overheated or always feel warm, and easily gain muscle. Too much leads to angry outbursts, ulcers, and heartburn.
Kapha (Earth and Water) – People with kapha constitutions are calm, grounded and have the steadiest energy of the doshas. Too much kapha leads to weight gain, fatigue, and depression.
How do you know your constitution?
Best way:
The best way to know your constitution is to visit an Ayurvedic practitioner. They ask you a series of questions, examine your body, and provide the best feedback for tailored care plans.
Alternative method:
To get a basic understanding and to narrow down your constitution, I encourage you to explore quizzes and resources. This may provide deeper insight to encourage further research and lead to deeper self study.
So, Can You Use Ayurveda For Trauma Healing?
You may wonder how something like Ayurveda could support trauma healing. There isn’t much research into Ayurveda’s impact on trauma, but there is a key component that supports survivors: self-care.
Self-care is how you show yourself that you’re worthy of health and wellbeing. Many Ayurvedic practices encourage self-care through Dinacharya. This means daily routine and includes a variety of self-care practices. Below are a few examples:
Dinacharya examples:
- Daily skin brushing
- Eating a healthy diet
- Tongue scraping
- Oil pulling
- Encouraging daily physical activity (through yoga) and stress reduction (through mindfulness)
- Self-massage
- Healing through specific herbal recipes based on doshas
Your unique dosha constitution will determine which practices you include, but they’re all self-care, which is beneficial for survivors healing from trauma.
Related Post: 8 Areas of Self-Care For Trauma Survivors
Related Post: Self-Care vs Self-Indulgence: Which Are You Practicing?
When Survivors May Wish To Exercise Caution With Ayurveda
Ayurveda is a wonderful holistic healing avenue and fits perfectly with the philosophy of yoga. There are a few considerations I welcome you to review before including this practice if you’re exploring it as a trauma survivor:
- Nutrition. Ayurveda includes nutrition and specific practices that may not be for everyone. Some programs include strict, low calorie meals, or even fasting. Many trauma survivors experience eating disorders (Source: Pub Med), so this may not be suitable for all students.
- Herbal remedies. Ayurveda includes many teas, milks, and recipes that include herbs. I invite you to speak with your medical team to see if any of these interact with medications you may be taking.
- Strict care plans. Ayurvedic is a holistic healing avenue that includes care plans that may ask for rigid, strict compliance. Trauma survivors may find this overwhelming and demanding, which can lead to judgment if they can’t follow everything perfectly.
Bottom line: If you’re a trauma survivor, I invite you to speak with a member of your support or medical care team prior to changing your diet or exploring any holistic avenues.
My Experience As A Trauma Survivor With Ayurveda
Sometimes, it’s nice to hear someone else’s story to reflect on their experiences. This is just my personal experience and not meant to sway your opinion. You always have a final say in what you include or exclude from your healing practice, and what works for one person may not for another.
As a survivor of sexual trauma, I’ve used yoga to navigate my symptoms, work through difficult emotions, and reconnect with my body. As a lover and teacher of yoga, Ayurveda fit nicely into my routine. Although I haven’t been officially treated by an Ayurvedic practitioner (something on my to do list), I’ve explored new recipes and self-care practices.
Here are my pros and cons list since exploring Ayurveda:
Pros:
- Softer skin and hair. I include Ayurvedic recipes, dry skin brushing, and tongue scraping into my routine. Since starting, skin’s texture has been more even, and my hair is so soft. I contribute this to eating more anti-inflammatory foods with vitamins and antioxidants.
- More energy. I’m a mix of Vata and Kapha, meaning my mind goes a million miles a minute, but I can also sleep for 12 straight hours. I’ve struggled with maintaining natural energy for most of my life, and even more so after trauma. Since including Ayurveda, I have noticeable more energy and don’t feel the mid afternoon nap craving as strongly as I used to.
- Better digestion. Normally, this might be TMI, but Ayurveda is all about digestion and your agni, digestive fire. Many trauma survivors experience poor digestion, which Ayurveda believes leads to further ama (toxins) and health complications.
Cons
- I’ve been too strict with food in the past, and I find I need to set boundaries with how strictly I follow the guidelines. It’s also frustrating because I find multiple sources say to include certain foods, while other sources say to avoid them (which is it?) It’s teaching me to listen to my body and use sources and recipes as a guideline for experimenting.
- Cooking is a challenge if you cook for more than just yourself. Since everyone’s dosha is different, it’s a challenge to cook original food for me and my partner without doubling my grocery list. I’ve started to call my method of cooking, “Ayurvedic fusion.” I use Ayurvedic recipes as inspiration and include or substitute foods my partner and I both love. It’s not perfect and some may argue that Ayurevda needs to be done perfectly to be effective, but I’m noticing changes without being strict.
- Time. I love self-care, but I can’t spend my entire morning doing self-care practices. By the time I finish my routine and can do what I love (like writing this blog post) I’m already spent. I’m learning how to find balance here, but it’s been challenging.
Overall thoughts:
Ayurveda reminds me during my more difficult days that there’s always room for healthy, compassionate care. Just because I don’t feel great doesn’t mean I can’t show my body love through a healthy lifestyle.
Of course, I have moments when I eat an entire bag of dark chocolate chips meant for turmeric chocolate cups (oops), but that’s when yoga reminds me to send myself grace, and I can try again tomorrow.
Overview
Ayurveda is a self-care, holistic practice to create wellbeing and a healthy lifestyle. If you’re looking for self-care inspiration on your trauma healing journey, I welcome you to explore it and see if any practices speak to you.
If Ayurveda doesn’t sound like something for you right now, it’s all good. The important take away is that you deserve to take good care of yourself and you’re one step closer to finding what sound like a good fit for you. Take care on your journey, and thank you for joining me.
