Yoga and Ayurveda

Sister Sciences of Wellbeing

Yoga and Ayurveda are traditionally considered sister sciences - branches of the same Vedic tree. Where Ayurveda focuses primarily on the body and its health, Yoga addresses the mind and its liberation. Together, they form a complete system for human wellbeing at every level.

Complementary Purposes

Ayurveda aims to maintain and restore health in the body, creating the foundation for spiritual practice:

• Balance the doshas
• Optimize digestion
• Clear the channels
• Build ojas
• Prevent and treat disease

Yoga aims to still the mind and liberate consciousness:

• Quiet the vrittis
• Develop discrimination
• Cultivate dispassion
• Realize the Self
• Attain kaivalya

Neither is complete without the other. A diseased body cannot sit for meditation. A disturbed mind cannot maintain health.

Constitutional Yoga

Just as Ayurveda prescribes according to constitution, yoga practice should be modified for prakriti:

Vata Types

Challenges: Restlessness, anxiety, difficulty grounding, irregular practice

Recommended practices:

• Slow, steady asana with long holds
• Grounding, calming sequences
• Extended savasana
• Gentle, regular pranayama (avoid breath retention initially)
• Mantra and chanting
• Meditation with visualization or mantra (not empty focus)

Cautions:

• Avoid overly vigorous practice
• Don’t practice when depleted
• Maintain routine and consistency
• Keep warm during practice

Pitta Types

Challenges: Competitiveness, intensity, overheating, pushing too hard

Recommended practices:

• Cooling, lunar sequences
• Moderate pace, not competitive
• Forward folds and twists (cooling)
• Moon salutations rather than sun
• Sitali/sitkari pranayama (cooling breaths)
• Meditation on surrender and devotion

Cautions:

• Avoid overheating (hot rooms, midday practice)
• Let go of achievement orientation
• Practice with ease, not intensity
• Include restorative poses

Kapha Types

Challenges: Lethargy, resistance to practice, heaviness, attachment to comfort

Recommended practices:

• Vigorous, heating sequences
• Dynamic flow practices
• Chest openers, backbends (stimulating)
• Sun salutations
• Bhastrika, kapalabhati pranayama (activating)
• Active meditation (walking, mantra with movement)

Cautions:

• Don’t give in to inertia
• Practice in the morning (kapha time of day requires balancing)
• Include challenge and variety
• Keep practice stimulating

Addressing Imbalances

When a dosha is aggravated (vikriti differs from prakriti), practice can be therapeutic:

Vata Aggravation

Symptoms: Anxiety, scattered mind, insomnia, dryness, pain

Therapeutic yoga:

• Abhyanga (self-massage) before practice
• Very slow, gentle movement
• Long holds in supported poses
• Extended, slow pranayama
• Yoga nidra
• Warm, quiet environment

Pitta Aggravation

Symptoms: Irritability, inflammation, criticism, burning sensations

Therapeutic yoga:

• Cooling, calming practice
• Avoid midday sun and heat
• Forward folds, supported inversions
• Extended exhalation practices
• Meditation on peace and compassion
• Letting go of goals in practice

Kapha Aggravation

Symptoms: Depression, congestion, lethargy, weight gain

Therapeutic yoga:

• Vigorous, stimulating practice
• Early morning practice
• Chest-opening poses
• Inversions (stimulate thyroid)
• Activating pranayama
• Dynamic meditation

Seasonal Practice

Just as Ayurveda recommends seasonal routines (ritucharya), yoga practice should adapt:

Winter (Vata/Kapha Season)

• Practice indoors, warm room
• Vigorous practice to counter heaviness
• Warming pranayama
• Build practice gradually; don’t start cold

Spring (Kapha Season)

• Morning practice especially important
• Emphasize twists, backbends, chest openers
• Kapalabhati, bhastrika pranayama
• Detoxifying sequences

Summer (Pitta Season)

• Practice in morning or evening, avoid midday
• Gentler, cooling practices
• Moon salutations
• Sitali, sitkari pranayama
• Avoid overheating

Autumn (Vata Season)

• Establish consistent routine
• Grounding, stabilizing practices
• Oil massage before practice
• Warming but not depleting

Agni and Practice

Ayurveda emphasizes digestive fire; this has implications for yoga:

Practice timing:

• Practice before eating (empty stomach)
• Allow 2-4 hours after meals before practice
• Light eating after morning practice

Practice effects on agni:

• Moderate practice stimulates agni
• Excessive practice can exhaust it
• Twists and forward folds particularly support digestion
• Pranayama regulates metabolic fire

Prana: The Common Ground

Both sciences work with prana - the vital energy:

Ayurveda addresses prana through:

• Food (prasad, prana-rich food)
• Herbs (pranic medicine)
• Lifestyle (proper rest, right action)
• Treatment (massage, panchakarma)

Yoga addresses prana through:

• Pranayama (direct work with breath/prana)
• Asana (removes pranic blocks)
• Bandhas and mudras (direct pranic locks and seals)
• Meditation (refines pranic awareness)

When prana flows freely, both body and mind function optimally.

Integration in Practice

A truly Ayurvedic approach to yoga:

1. Know your constitution: Understand your prakriti and current vikriti

2. Adapt practice accordingly: Modify asana, pranayama, and meditation to address your needs

3. Consider timing: Practice at times that balance your constitution and the season

4. Observe effects: Notice how practice affects your doshas; adjust accordingly

5. Maintain balance: Don’t let yoga practice create imbalance (too vigorous, too heating, too depleting)

6. Support with diet and lifestyle: Yoga practice works best when supported by appropriate Ayurvedic living

The Complete System

Together, Yoga and Ayurveda address the whole person:

• Body: Ayurveda heals and maintains
• Energy: Both work with prana
• Mind: Yoga addresses mental fluctuations; Ayurveda supports mental health through body
• Spirit: Yoga leads to liberation; Ayurveda creates the vessel capable of that journey

When practiced together, these sister sciences form one of humanity’s most complete systems for living well and awakening fully.