A Simple Ayurvedic Case Study:
Pitta Woman with Anartava and Vata Vikruti
Diseases & Conditions
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So, just the other
day, a 24 year old woman comes to me complaining that she has not had a
menstrual period in 5 months and that she does not feel as though she
has as much energy as she used to. Prior to the last 5 months of her
periods were regular and light with minimal discomfort. She has
recently noticed a crusty grayish discharge from her vagina. She enjoys
sex, however intercourse has recently become painful as she does not
lubricate as much as she used to. She has also noticed that her hair
appears to be thinning. Prior to five months ago she recalls having nice
ordinary hair. Her history reveals that there have been no major
illnesses or traumatic events that she can recall during her life. She
is taking no medications.
Further history
reveals that she has excessive gas and occasional constipation have been
present for about two years. She has always slept well, and her appetite
is always regular. She eats three meals a day consistently and
occasionally snacks.
The
emotional/psychological history reveals a person who makes quick
decisions, finishes what she begins and enjoys a challenge. In
observing her responses to questions about her social history I find
her critical of the men she has been, and is, in relationship with. She
also has an apparent anger toward her parents and one sibling.
Additionally, she appears to be equally hard on herself as she accepts
only her best and gets angry when she makes mistakes. Lately she has
been making more mistakes than usual. "Its like I've become a ditz" she
says. "Sometimes I feel like I'm dysfunctional where I can't
concentrate."
Upon examination of
her routines, I find that she enjoys long distance running and in fact
runs about 5 miles, 4 times per week. She has been doing this for the
past year. In addition she wakes up around 7 and goes to bed around 1.
This always been her adult pattern of waking/sleeping.
Physical exam
reveals a very slim woman with moderate bone density. She is 5'7" and
weighs just 107 pounds. She has lost 15 pounds in the last 18 months
and enjoys her petite figure. Her skin is moderately thick. Her hair
is dry, fine, scanty. Her face is angular and her eyes are deep set and
penetrating. She has excellent musculature. Her tongue is moderate in
size and it has a thick grey coating. She has no cracks or scallops.
So assuming this is
all the information we have to go on, let's see how we can move her
toward balance. First we have to determine her
Prakruti and
Vikruti.
There is a very key piece of information that is left out: IS she
pregnant? Assuming she is five months and still losing weight, we can
safely assume that she is not. If she was, the healing protocol would
be significantly different. Also, remember this is a simple case showing
just a few aspects of Ayurvedic diagnosis and healing. There are many
more levels I would attend to in an actual case.
Determining her
Prakruti Natal Constitution
The first step is
to determine her Prakruti, her basic constitution. To do this we look
at those aspects of her that are slow to change, like her body, bones,
face, and tendencies she has carried her whole life. The following
table lists the clues along with notes: The columns for Vata / Pitta / Kapha indicate it
is a clue for Vata, Pitta, and Kapha dosha. Big X means more likely than
little x.
Clues |
V |
P |
K |
Notes |
Moderate Bone Density |
|
x |
|
Pitta gives moderate bone density |
5'7" and 122# |
|
x |
|
Average size |
Skin is moderately thick. |
|
X |
|
Pitta gives moderate skin thickness |
Sleeps Well |
|
x |
x |
Both Pitta or
Kapha people can sleep well |
Regular Appetite |
|
x |
x |
Both Pitta or
Kapha people can have regular appetites |
Eats three meals a day consistently |
|
x |
x |
Kapha is consistent, Pitta needs a lot of
fuel |
Occasionally snacks. |
|
X |
|
Pitta people need to snack |
Regular Periods, Light |
|
x |
x |
Could be either, but more a
Kapha tendency |
Quick decisions |
|
x |
|
Pitta gives a quick sharp mind |
Critical of others |
|
x |
|
Pitta tends to make you critical |
Enjoys Sex |
|
x |
|
Pitta gives passion, though all can enjoy Sex |
Enjoys a Challenge |
|
x |
|
Pitta gives the passion to overcome
challenges |
Anger toward parents |
|
x |
|
Anyone can be angry, but Pitta is angrier
faster |
Finishes what she begins |
|
x |
x |
Pitta and
Kapha can finish things |
Nice ordinary hair |
|
x |
x |
Kapha tends to have the nicest hair, but
Pitta as well |
Her face is angular |
|
x |
|
A classic Pitta sign |
Eyes are deep set and penetrating |
|
x |
|
A classic Pitta sign |
She has excellent musculature |
|
x |
|
Pitta gives good muscle tone |
Her tongue is moderate in size |
|
x |
|
A Pitta sign |
Rises at 7, sleeps at 1 |
|
x |
|
Both signs of Pitta, who do well at Midnight. |
So obvious to the most causal observer, this women has a Pitta Natal
constitution. I would estimate that
Her
Prakruti is 80%
Pitta, 10% Kapha, and 10% Vata
Determining her
Vikruti Transient constitution
Next we have to
find her transient constitution, her
Vikruti. To do this we look many
of the aspects of her being that are in flux over the last few months or
years. The following table list these.
Clues |
V |
P |
K |
Notes |
A 24 year old |
|
x |
x |
Pitta is the dosha of mid-life, may drive a
Vikruti |
Complaining |
|
x |
|
Complaining is often a Pitta event, likely is
Prakruti |
No Period for 5 months (Anartava) |
x |
|
|
Amenorrhea is usually caused by Apana Vayu |
Low energy |
x |
|
|
Usually caused by low Prana |
Thinning Hair |
x |
x |
|
Can be Vata or excessive heat in head |
Excessive Gas
and gas pains |
x |
|
|
Too much Vata |
Occasional
constipation |
x |
|
|
Deranged Vata constipated |
Crusty grayish vaginal discharge |
x |
|
|
Crusty (dry) and gray are both classic
indicators of Vata |
Painful intercourse |
x |
|
|
Vata brings pain |
Dry vagina |
x |
|
|
Excessive Vata tends to dry |
Becoming a 'ditz' |
x |
|
|
Excessive Vata can make you forgetful |
Lack of Concentration |
x |
|
|
Vata can move your mind disabling
concentration |
Very Slim, 107# Loosing weight |
x |
|
|
She is loosing weight, a sign of
Vata |
Enjoys her petite figure |
x |
|
|
Could be normal, could be Vata induced
insecurity |
Dry, fine, scanty hair |
x |
x |
|
All signs of High Vata |
Thick Grey coating on tongue |
x |
|
|
The Grey indicate Vata type toxins and Ama |
No cracks |
|
x |
|
Indicates Vata may not be deep, doesn't make
sense |
No Scallops on tongue |
|
x |
|
Indicates good digestion, really an
indication of Prakruti |
Excessive running |
x |
x |
|
Could be Vata or
Pitta provoking |
So again, clearly this woman has a Vata imbalance it seems.
Veritably, she has a
Very Vata
Vikruti
But we must
remember that it is likely Pitta emotions that are driving this, so one
can say that she a Vata Pitta Vikruti.
The first thing
with Anartava, is that you have to rule out pregnancy. If she was overweight, she could be hiding a child, however, she is apparently not
pregnant as she is thin and not showing. Having said that, I start
intuiting that her Pitta dosha has burned up her water element, thereby
leaving her air element, her Vata unchecked to wreak havoc, further
drying her up. She has been physically and mentally hot and
exhausting
herself, literally burning and drying up her Kapha. So given the clues
and intuition we have been given, I would say
Her
Vikruti is
excessive Pitta leading to excess Vata and deficient
Kapha So we must calm her Vata, cool her Pitta and build her Ojas, which is the essence of Kapha. Note that you don't want to build
doshas themselves, but minimize them. You do want to build the subtle
doshas of Prana, Tejas, and Ojas, which are the purified and stable
aspects of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, respectively. So in this case we want
to build Ojas, not Kapha.
Determining which Subdoshas are affected
Each of the
doshas
are divided into 5 sub-doshas, and actually there are minor
doshas not
included in these divisions. Since she has a Vata Vikruti, we will only
look at Vata subdoshas. The table below lists these
subdoshas and the
clues as to which ones are out of balance. Definitely have to treat
Apana soon.
Prana Vayu |
Low energy, loss of concentration, ditzy |
Udana Vayu |
By association with the other vayu's Udana
must be affected. |
Samana Vayu |
Coating on tongue, poor digestion |
Vyana Vayu |
Excessive running |
Apana Vayu |
Amenorrhea, excessive Gas
and gas pains, dry vagina, constipation thinning hair (via asthi dhatu mala
connection), gray vaginal discharge, excessive running |
Determining
which Dhatus are affected
Dhatus are the
tissues of the body. To treat this woman we must know which tissues are
affected. The following table lists the seven dhatus and the clues that
indicate which dhatus are affected by her
Vikruti.
Rasa Dhatu |
Dry Vagina, Amenorrhea, gray leucorrhea, gray
tongue |
Rakta Dhatu |
Coating on tongue indicates blood is toxic |
Mamsa Dhatu |
Excessive running, weight loss |
Medas Dhatu |
Weight loss |
Asthi Dhatu |
Dry brittle thinning hair indicates her bones
are not in great shape |
Majja Dhatu |
All her anger and criticism likely has made
her nerves thin |
Shukra Dhatu |
Both her amenorrhea and the fact that her
other dhatus are compromised indicate her shukra is
compromised. Also she seems to have low ojas, which can
result from low shukra. |
Determining
which Srota are affected
The Srotas are the channels within the body.
There are 16 of them in women, and 14 in men. The following table lists
these srotas and the clues which indicate that the srota is affected by
her Vikruti.
Pranavaha srota |
Excessive Flow: She is feeling ditzy and
can't concentrate |
Annavaha srota |
She has a coated tongue, something is wrong
in there |
Ambuvaha srota |
Blocked Flow: Her Rasa is depleted, could
possible be from an obstruction in the water channel |
Rasavaha srota |
Her rasa is depleted |
Raktavaha srota |
Thwarted: She has a lot of toxins trying to
be released. She is not menstruating |
Mamsavaha srota |
She has good muscles, but is loosing mass |
Medovaha srota |
Deficient Flow: She has too little fat on her |
Majjavaha srota |
Too much uncontrolled Vata in the system.
Vata and majja are always related |
Asthivaha srota |
Thwarted:Hair is in trouble which indicts
problems with the flow in the bone channel, could be the agni. |
Shukravaha srota |
Low concentration, low energy |
Mutrivaha srota |
no indication here |
Purishavaha srota |
Blocked: Lot of Gas
and gas pains, and constipation brittle hair, ama on tongue |
Svedavaha srota |
No indication here except that she seems dry
overall |
Manovaha srota |
Feeling like a ditz, mind is spacy, she is
loosing it, she is angry. |
lactation srota |
no indication |
menstruation srota |
Big indication, likely some sort of block in
this channel caused by vitiated Apana vayu |
Determining the
State of her Agni
Agni is very important. It is the digestive
power of the body, how well it can transform food and thought and
sensory input and everything else that approaches it into something pure
and usable for the Being. With a good agni you can
cure and prevent
most things. There are four states of agni as listed in the table
below, along with...you guessed it, clues which indicate her state of
agni.
Balanced |
no indication |
Slow |
The fact that she has toxic grey discharges
on her tongue and vagina indicates her agni is low. |
Sharp |
The fact that she has a good appetite and
eats three meals a day and snacks indicates she has a sharp
agni. If she really had sharp
agni, no ama could
generate. |
Variable |
The fact that it shows signs of slow and
sharp indicates it is likely variable |
Determining the
State of her Subtle doshas
The three subtle doshas are Prana, Tejas, and
Ojas. The table below lists these three with my take on their state.
Prana |
Her Prana is vitiated, nothing is holding
it. It is out of control, which is not to say that it is
high, it has just lost its buddy ojas, which is usually
there to embrace it and calm it. So now instead of
controlled in a good way, Prana is excited in a sad way and
races around the body drying up her colon and her
menstruation. |
Tejas |
Tejas is the source of trouble with her, or
should I say the child of Tejas, Pitta. It got too hot and
burned out the Ojas and now Prana is a wild group of women,
especially that earthy sister Apana. Tejas once worked
wonders for her allowing her to focus and overcome any
challenge, but now it is being swayed left and right by
Prana vayu, making her not able to see straight, causing her
to be a ditz that can't concentrate enough to even choose
which cereal to buy. |
Ojas |
Poor Ojas. It needs to get into some
air-conditioning and definitely needs a nice bath and a
massage. And then some good sleep and rest. |
Determining the
State of her Gunas
The three gunas are Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas.
The table below lists these three with my take on their state.
Sattva |
Not quite yet, but maybe this lifetime if she
really turns around. Talk about a challenge to face: Let's
she if she can break through her Rajas and move into Sattva. |
Rajas |
You got it! She is so active. Running all the
time. Judging people and situations constantly. Wanting an
active mind and life. Working so hard to be perfect and
then working so hard to make sure she beats herself up for
not being perfect. Hmmm! Enough said. |
Tamas |
Not yet, but if she burns herself out
anymore, she just may land in a dark couch potato land, or
worse. The fact that she seemingly is holding a grudge
against men is tamas. |
Determining the Disease Pathways
The three pathways of disease are Inner,
Outer, and Central. The table below lists these three with my take on
their state. I feel like I am repeating myself here.
Inner |
The fact that she has Ama and is constipated
is enough indication to show that the maha vaha srota, the
inner channel is getting blocked. |
Outer |
Her outer two doshas, rasa and rakta are
definitely affected. |
Central |
Her imbalance is likely involving her inner 5
dhatus in a big enough way to be concerned. For instance,
the fact that her hair is affected indicates her bones are
involved. and Her shukra is likely not so hot, no pun
intended. |
Determining the
Prognosis
The prognosis is good. Though all three
pathways are affected, the Vikruti and
prakruti are not the same, and
her Ojas still is in reasonable shape though I over dramatized its
down-&-outness earlier. She is young and very strong and loves a
challenge, so if we can get her into therapy to deal with her anger
issues against men and her family, we will be able to stop her from
running away from the issues that are burning her up. I would say that
12 therapy sessions over three months should do it. In the mean time we
will work with body and energy ayurvedically and in the same three
months, maybe four, bring her into a stabilized place. Then another two
months to stabilize her inner dhatus. This all assumes, of course,
stellar patient compliance. Now, since she is Pitta with Vata imbalance, we can't expect that, it can go either way. She may be way
reactive and toss everything out. But it is possible if we can convince
her of the beauty and necessity of the challenge at hand.
What kind of
Diet is recommended
Since she has a Vata
Vikruti and Pitta Prakruti, and seemingly low Ojas, we would want her to take foods that
increase Ojas, which would naturally increase Kapha and decrease Pitta and Vata. The following tables lists the six tastes and the foods that
would support her best.
Tastes
Bitter |
No bitters, too cold, though it would help
clear the anger in her liver and purify her blood. |
Astringent |
No Astringents, she is already too contracted |
Pungent |
Maybe a little pungent just to get the blood
flowing and to move the blocks |
Sour |
A little to deal with the Vata, but not so
much to throw her Pitta off |
Salty |
Ditto |
Sweet |
Here we work for now, using complex carbos
and dravya that has the prabhava to increase Ojas |
Foods
Grains |
Organic: Basmati Rice, Oats, Wheat berries |
Fruits |
In season and organic: Apricots, Avocado,
Bananas, Berries, Coconut, Dates, Figs, Grapefruit, Kiwi,
Lemons, limes, Mango, Melons, Papayas, Peaches, Pineapple,
Plums, Rhubarb, Tamarind, Tangerines. |
Vegetables |
In Season and organic: Artichoke, asparagus,
carrots, Daikon, Leeks, pumpkin, Sweet potatoes, Summer
squash, Winter squash, Watercress |
Nuts |
Organic: Almond, Brazil, Cashews, Chestnuts,
Filberts, Macadamia, Peanuts, Pecans, Pine Nuts, Pistachios,
Pumpkin seeds, Sesame Seeds, Sunflower, Walnuts |
Oils |
Organic: Ghee: Increase
agni while
decreasing Vata and stabilizing
Pitta, Almond, Sesame,
Canola, Sunflower |
Legumes |
Organic: Aduki, Mung, Tofu, Toor Dhal |
Dairy |
Organic: Buttermilk, Cottage Cheese, Raw
Cow's milk, Yogurt |
Sweeteners |
Organic: Amasake, Brown rice Syrup, Dates,
unheated Honey, Maple Syrup, sucanat, Sugarcane (Gur,
Jaggery) |
Herbs/Spices |
Organic: Anise, Hing, Basil, Bay Leaf, Black
Cumin, Black Pepper, Caraway, Coriander, Dill, Fennel, Garam
Masala, Kudzu, Mint, Orange Peel, Peppermint, Saffron,
Sandalwood Chips, Spearmint, Tamarind, turmeric, Vanilla |
Seaweeds |
Wildcrafted: Arame, Dulse, Hijiki, Kelp,
Kombhu, Seaware, Wakame |
Beverages |
Organic: Apricot Juices, Chicory Blends,
Coconut Milk, warm Cow's milk, Date or fig shkes, Lassi,
Sweet fruit juices |
Teas |
Organic: Bancha, Cardamom, Chamomile, Elder
Flower, Fennel, Hops, Lavendar, Lemon Balm, Lemon Grass,
Peppermint, Rose Flowers, Rosehips, Spearmint |
What changes in
her lifestyle are recommended
Like I said before I would change the tendency
to be angry and critical first. This is taxing her system and growing
her old too quickly and seemingly shutting down her natural systems. Her body probably believes it is in a fight situation and thus knows
that it is no time to get pregnant so isn't even allowing the option by
shutting down her ovulation/menstruation. She needs to put her self in a
situation where her body believes it is the perfect time to have a
child, which isn't to say she must get pregnant, but that is the 'bhav'
that she must envelope herself in. She needs to replenish her
'juice'.
So
she must be juicier, more loving and open hearted, cooler, less fighting
and anger and much more ease. She must move from rajas toward sattva,
from activity toward balance and peace. From criticism she must move to
contentment in her life and her mind. She can replace judgment with
acceptance, hate with love, anger with forgiveness. Moving her mind in
this direction will cure her by itself, no doubt, no doubt, no doubt. For healing her anger she can read Ayurveda and the Mind: The Healing of Consciousness * by Dr. David Frawley or Healing
Anger: The Power of Patience * His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Replace her running on the streets with splendid walks in forests and
beaches. In fact, just her running could be the cause of her Anartava,
so just stopping the running could bring her periods back. This kind of
exercise is infamous for stopping menstruation. So many athletic women
lose their period for this reason. She should minimize sweating as to
not sweat out all her juice, all her rasa dhatu.
Her
Sex is likely an aggressive horizontal bop, she can replace this with
meditative union in the balanced Yabyum position. Instead of sleeping 1
to 7, she should sleep 10 to 6. This will be more sattvic and also give
her liver a rest at midnight and help ease her Pitta emotions that are
aggravated by staying up through liver regeneration time around
midnight.
I would also start
her moving toward a wholesome Dinacharya, an Ayurvedic Daily Routine, as
outlined at this linked page.
What kind of Herbs/Formulas are recommended
First of all she should take Triphala for at least a year, every night as she goes to bed at 10, one to two
grams with warm water. This will gently normalize her Apana, remove the constipation clean the blood and liver, build the Ojas, activate her
period, nourish her heart, and balance all three of her
doshas. Of
course, it will have other great effects, but these are the main ones
for her. Triphala alone may be able to totally
cure her if she has a
change of emotional heart, and in fact will support her changing
emotions. But to make the process faster, the following herbs are also
advised. For treating her Anartava
(Amenorrhea) the classic formulas are:
Anartava Formulas
Formula |
Dosage |
Anupan
(vehicle) |
Rajah Pravartini Vati |
2-4 tablets TDS |
Warm water or
Decoction of fenugreek or
Decoction of Das Mool |
Boladi Vati |
1-2 tablets TDS |
Warm water |
Hingvadi Vati |
1-2 tablets BDS |
Warm water |
Nashat Pushpantak Ras |
1-2 Tablets BDS |
Warm water |
For
treating her Anartava (Amenorrhea) the herbs are:
Anartava Herbs
Herb
Class |
Herb |
Dosage |
Anupan |
|
Carrot seed |
20 ml BDS |
Its own Decoction |
|
Powder of Krishan Til |
5-10 gm BDS |
5-10 gm Jaggery |
For treating her Vata Vikruti we want to nourish her with
warming, soothing unctuous demulcent tonic herbs and tone her
agni
without increasing her Pitta, and we want to feed her Ojas. The
following formula can be taken for at least one month before we would
re-evaluate her situation. Then it could change, or she could continue
it depending on her response and compliance. One can make the formula
and take it as a powder or in capsules with the anupan, the vehicle, as
described:
A Vata
Balancing/Kapha-Ojas building/Anartava Herb Formula
Herb
Class/Activity |
Herb |
Dosage/Ratio |
Anupan |
Emmenagogue, clears channels, carminative,
dispells Vata, warms uterus |
Pennyroyal powder |
1 part in formula |
Aloe Juice, 2 ounces in 2 ounces of warm rose
water and 20 drops of myrrh tincture made with the mantra 'Sitaram"
and the Sri Yantra. |
Tridoshic, sattvic, emmenagogue, nervine,
induce Love, Feed Ojas |
Rose petals |
Use as rose water in anupan |
As above |
Tridoshic, sattvic, induce Love, tone her
system, feed Ojas |
Saffron |
1/2 part in formula |
As above |
Sattvic, Vata Tonic, demulcent, rejuvanative,
harmonize formula, feed Ojas |
Sesame seed powder |
2 parts in formula |
As above |
Blood mover and cleaner, normalize colon,
cleanse chakras and subtle body, improve
metabolism,
activate ovulation, purify liver emotions, activate
agnis. |
Turmeric powder |
1 part in formula |
As above |
Rejuvenate bodymind, emmenagogue,
antispasmodic, dispel old blood, dispell old emotions,
purify subtle body |
Myrrh tincture |
Use as tincture in anupan |
As above |
Emmenogogue, alterative, purify liver
emotions, remove anartava |
Manjishta powder |
1/2 part in formula |
As above |
Demulcent, Female Vata Tonic, Calming, feed
Ojas |
Shatavari powder |
1 part in formula |
As above |
Harmonize formula, demulcent, balance
hormones, feed Ojas |
Licorice powder |
1 part in formula |
As above |
Activate formula, assimilate formula,
increase agni, Universal tonic, Vata tonic, move blood,
activate ovulation |
Ginger powder |
1/2 part in formula |
As above |
A sattvic, tridoshic, slightly cooling blood
purifier, alterative, nervine stimulant, to remove her 'ditzyness'
and rebuild and purify her nerves. |
Gotu Kola (Brahmi) |
1 part in formula |
As above |
Sattvic, tridoshic, emmenagogue, alterative,
tonify agni without increasing Pitta, nutritive,
rejuvenative, feed Ojas |
Aloe Juice |
Two ounces in Anupan |
As above |
For more information on these herbs see The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine *
by Dr.Vasant Lad and Dr. David Frawley.
For
more information on treating Amenorrhea and many other women's issues,
see Ayurvedic Healing for Women by Atreya. This formula above is my own and Atreya has several
others in his fine newly released book.
Regarding nutraceuticals, I would encourage her to take Vitamin E oil and CoQ10 oil with flax seed oil to build her nerves,
her Ojas, calm her Vata and strengthen her heart.
What kind of
Essential oils/Aromas are recommended
I would recommend Aldehydes for their sedative
anti-Vata effects, Esters for their equilibrating effects, ketones for
cell regeneration, lactones for mucolytic activity, and sesquiterpene alcohols for their grounding calming quality.
Chemo-type |
Essential Oil |
Notes |
Aldehydes |
Melissa |
|
Esters |
Lavendar, Clary sage, Geranium, Roman
Chamomile |
Clary sage has large C-20 molecules similar
to estrogen and thus is effective for amenorrhea |
Ketones |
Yarrow, Thuja, Anise |
Anise has a special quality for curing
amenorrhea |
Lactones |
Inula |
|
Sesquiterpene alcohols |
Carrot seed,
Cedar, Ginger, Vetiver, Frankincense |
Interesting that Carrot seed oil is high in
Sesquiterpene alcohols and is also a classic ayurvedic
remedy for amenorrhea. |
These oils she could take internally as guided, or apply them directly
to her abdomen or on the marma points as directed by the experienced
practitioner. For more information on the Science of Aromatherapy see
Advanced Aromatherapy: The Science of Essential Oil Therapy
by Kurt Schnaubelt
What colors are
recommended
I would recommend for Vata- not too bright but
warm like gold, orange, yellow, light green, deep blue, to warm and
soothe her Pitta Vata, and nourish her sense of being.
What Pranayama
are recommended
I would recommend Nadi shodana and Ujjai for
general balancing, centering, cleansing and toning. Two or three
sessions of Nadi Shodana per day and Ujjai whenever she can think of
it. She can even do Kegels (Moolabandha) syncronized with the pranayama
to activate her grounding force of her first chakra.
What kind of
Yoga Asanas are recommended
I would recommend yoga asanas for Vata at
first, then for keeping her Pitta in balance. For Vata:
- Vata asanas: poses that compress pelvis, use lower back, thighs or pelvis
all relieve excess Vata
- slow
w/ great focus on detail & body sensations
- some Vata relieving poses: uttanasana, paschimottanasana, janu sirsasana,
- meditative poses: virasana (supta virasana-fixed firm), padmasana
(lotus), yoga mudra, dhanurasana (bow), savasana
- avoid for Vata: surya namaskar (sun salut.), sarvangasana (shoulder
stands), halasana (plow) and rapid flows
For more information on Ayurveda and Yoga see Ayurveda and
Yoga by Vamadeva Dr David Frawley, OMD
How much
exercise should she get and why
She should get exercise, but calming
exercise as to not excite her Pitta or move her Vata to more
imbalance. So instead of running and racing against others and the
clock and stressing over whether she is going to get hit by that car or
twist her ankle on that curb, she can be calm and hike in nature with
calm loving friends, taking in good prana. or she can do yoga in a calm
cool friendly loving environment.
What Mantras are
recommended
I would definitely recommend "SitaRam".
- First, it is only beneficent, she won't hurt herself
- It
is balanced: Sita is cooling and Ram is warming
- It
is extremely sattvic
- It
can grant great meditation and even liberation
- It
promotes the peaceful union of the feminine with the masculine,
something she needs
- It
is balancing
- It
can be sung to invoke Love of Love within and merge you with that
Love
For grounding, she can also chant the seed syllable of
the first earth chakra, "Lm" or of the second water chakra, "Vm".
Is
Panchakarma
recommended
I would recommend Panchakarma in about 4
months, after she builds herself. She seems that she is on a downward
spiral toward emaciation, so until she builds a little, we would use the
Triphala to cleanse her instead of full on Panchakarma.

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