Length: about 50 minutes
Vata/Pitta imbalances are characterised by increased dryness: Vata is dry, light and cold in nature while Pitta is fire, therefore hot, oily, quick and light. Their relationship is profound, intricate and subtle: if one is cold (Sita), the other one is hot (Ushna), but both are drying and while the right amount of Vata will feed the fire (Pitta) -our transformative energy- in excess, Pitta will promote inflammations of all sorts: urinary (UTI), joints and bones related (Arthritis) or digestive (gastritis for example), lower back and/or neck pains, constipation and/or diarrhoea, skin related inflammations, among others.
The solution lies in counterbalancing the fire and dryness with Kapha attributes (Kapha's attributes are heavy, cooling, nurturing).
Who is it for?
Anyone who's looking for peace and quieting the mind! If you suffer from menopausal symptoms, lower back and joints issues. If you are prone to inflammations (tendinitis, colitis, arthritis, stiffness of the joints, UTI) are overly stressed and/or anxious, this series is a good one to practice. (if you are injured or exhausted, listen to your body and rest instead!)
Your diet
Remove raw food -raw veg and salads- juicing, high water content foods such as courgettes/cucumbers/melon - and and prefer cooked meals (it will hep restore the digestive fire and avoid bloating) Do not eat fruits after meals but away from them. Avoid bananas, tropical fruits, high water content fruits such watermelon and all citrus fruits (except green lime)
Remove or limit spicy & acidic foods, such as alcohols, pepper, coffee, green tea, macha, yellow lemon, vinegar, mustard and tomatoes (remove tomatoes really!!! there are extremely inflammatory), curcuma, ground ginger (fresh is ok). Instead have fennel, camomile teas for example, use cumin and ground coriander spices, Himalayan salts.
Avoid eating drying foods such as millet/porridge (instead have rice coconut porridge), crackers, crisps, quinoa. Instead, have more natural slow releasing sugars in the form of pulses, beans, lentils (make sure you always soak the beans overnight before cooking them)
Have more unctuous foods such as fresh goat cheese (avoiding hard cheeses which are too fatty and Pitta in nature), almond or coco milk, honey, brown sugar. (Add 1/2 tea spoon of honey in your teas for example).
Sugars are your friends: sugar is one of the 6 tastes in Ayurveda and removing sugar from your diet is a mistake. Instead, favour those natural sugars (potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice vermicelli, basmati, Mung beans, black beans and the like).
Your Yoga Sequence
Yoga-wise, we want to ground, concentrate on the root chakra, relieve and balance the pelvis area (which is the site of Vata), the lower back & open the hips.
This sequence is a Yin sequence. Yin has cooling properties, it's associated to Kapha, the moon and is a feminine energy of conservation and preservation.
You will stay about 3 minutes in each asana (except for those transition asanas). This is a hard task to Vata/Pitta individuals who strive for excitement and action. But where there is discomfort, there is growth. Stay in it and breathe. Do not push yourself, strain or try to control. Learn your limits by preventing yourself to perform and go too deep. Enjoy!
Warning: you shouldn't practice Yoga without an instructor if you are injured. Read the cues to avoid hurting yourself. And remind yourself, it's about connecting to your inner pains or sensations rather than to perform.