You Are Not a Problem to Fix: Honoring Your Unique Ayurvedic Recipe
This world can be harsh. Each year brings a new trend, a new standard, a new expectation that demands we shape-shift our bodies, personalities, and lifestyles to fit it. We're told to shrink, tone, lift, or smooth ourselves to match ideals crafted in boardrooms, not born from wisdom. We’re sold fixes for problems we never knew we had until someone told us we were broken.
But you are not broken.
And you were never meant to fit a mold.
In Ayurveda, we see each person as a unique combination of the three doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. These are the building blocks of life—the elemental forces that govern everything from your digestion to your thoughts. Your specific blend, or Prakriti, is your original nature, the cosmic recipe that shaped you before you were born.
Prakriti: Your Sacred Recipe
Prakriti (pronounced PRAH-krit-tee) isn't made from life experiences. It’s the subtle, intelligent design of your body, mind, and spirit. It’s a combination of genetics and ancient cosmic intelligence that formed your constitution when you were stardust. While it can influence personality, it goes deeper—it is how you are built.
Each of us has all three doshas, but in different proportions. Think of them like ingredients in a recipe. One person may be more fiery (Pitta), another more airy (Vata), and another more earthy (Kapha). Most of us are a blend. Your goal isn't to become like someone else or reach some generic balance. Your goal is to honor your recipe.
Nature isn’t beautiful because it conforms. It’s beautiful because of its wild, radiant diversity. You don’t look at a forest and wish the oak trees were more like the pine. You don’t ask the rose to bloom like the sunflower. And yet, we often ask ourselves to fit into narrow ideals, shaped by trends, media, and impossible wellness standards that were never meant to hold the full truth of who you are.
Manufactured Beauty vs. Authentic Nature
Part of what pulls us away from our true nature is a carefully crafted illusion.
We are surrounded by images of beauty that have been engineered. Layered in makeup, filtered through lenses, Photoshopped, and now increasingly altered by AI. These images are often supported by teams of estheticians, trainers, stylists, and surgeons. They don’t represent reality. They represent an industry designed to profit from our insecurities.
When we compare ourselves to these polished projections, we begin to think that we are the problem. That our skin, our body, our pace, our temperament need fixing.
But nature doesn’t work that way.
A daisy doesn’t apologize for not being a rose. The moon doesn’t try to glow like the sun. You, too, were never meant to look, act, or live like anyone else. The wisdom of Ayurveda doesn’t ask you to chase a beauty trend. It asks you to remember who you are.
You are most radiant not when you fit in, but when you align with your original design.
Many of Us Are Living in Our Imbalance
Here’s the tricky part: many of us have become so accustomed to living in a state of imbalance that we think it's just who we are. The anxious Vata may think, "I’ve always been this way." The irritable Pitta may say, "I just have a temper." The sluggish Kapha may believe, "I'm just lazy."
But these aren't personality flaws. They are signs that your current state, your Vikriti (Vih-krit-tee), has drifted from your true nature. Vikriti is your current imbalance. It can change based on stress, diet, season, trauma, or habits. And it can be rebalanced.
Each dosha has its radiant, balanced qualities:
Vata is not scatterbrained and anxious. Vata, in balance, is creative, intuitive, and filled with imagination.
Pitta is not angry or aggressive. Pitta, in balance, is a passionate leader, discerning, focused, and courageous.
Kapha is not lazy or stuck. Kapha, in balance, is nurturing, calm, stable, and deeply compassionate.
These are the aspects of yourself that feel natural and fulfilling. When you are living from a place of balance, you feel like you. When you're disconnected, it's often because you're living in your imbalance, not your truth.
You Are Not a Problem to Fix
If you've ever looked at a dosha chart and thought, "I'm doing everything wrong," please pause.
You are not wrong.
You are not a problem to fix.
You are simply a person with a beautiful original design who may be temporarily out of sync.
The solution is not punishment or discipline.
It's curiosity. It's kindness. It's learning the language of your body and honoring its messages.
Begin with Compassionate Curiosity
So how do you begin?
Not with a cleanse. Not with rules. But with observation.
When do I feel most like myself?
What foods or environments make me feel ungrounded, agitated, or heavy?
When did I start feeling off-balance?
These questions help you move from judgment into inquiry. From reaction into relationship.
Ayurveda isn't a prescriptive set of rules. It's a conversation with your own nature. One that invites you to soften, listen, and return to yourself.
Let Your Healing Be an Act of Love
This week, try treating yourself as someone worth listening to. Not fixing. Not improving. Just listening.
Return to your breath.
Eat slowly and warmly.
Rest without guilt.
Speak kindly to the parts of you that feel overwhelmed or exhausted.
You are not a project.
You are a person, crafted by stardust, remembered through rhythm, and worthy of deep compassion.
You are not here to fit into a mold.
You are here to honor your nature.
And your unique Ayurvedic recipe is not a flaw. It's your path home.
A Final Word: Don't Shrink to Fit, Expand to Thrive
As you explore Ayurveda, be mindful not to box yourself into a single dosha identity. While one dosha may be predominant, your care must reflect all of who you are. A person with 80% Pitta, 10% Vata, and 10% Kapha will have different needs than someone with 70% Pitta, 20% Kapha, and 10% Vata.
You are a full recipe, not a single ingredient.
If you want support in uncovering your Prakriti and learning how to align your life with your unique nature, consider scheduling a Prakriti assessment with me. Let's discover your natural design together, with love, respect, and empowerment.
Honoring the Kapha Within: Balancing Earth and Water in the Physiology
Kapha is the dosha of structure and cohesion, composed of the elements earth (prithvi) and water (jala). It is the force that grounds, stabilizes, nourishes, and connects. Heavy, slow, soft, cool, and steady, Kapha governs the body's physical form, immune strength, and emotional resilience.
When in balance, Kapha gives us deep calm, compassion, patience, endurance, and a sense of loyalty and love that anchors our relationships and purpose. We feel content, emotionally steady, physically strong, and spiritually rooted. But when Kapha is out of balance, it becomes stagnant. We may feel sluggish, attached, overindulgent, greedy, or emotionally withdrawn.
Kapha is most easily provoked by excess heaviness, too much food, sleep, routine, or emotional clinging. It accumulates in late winter and early spring, during cold damp weather, and in times of emotional holding or inertia. Honoring the Kapha in us all means learning how to appreciate its sacred stillness without becoming stuck. It means knowing when to rest, and when to rise.
Understanding Kapha means understanding its five subdoshas, the internal waters and weight that govern nourishment, lubrication, memory, and immunity. When these are in balance, Kapha offers profound strength and peace. When imbalanced, it may leave us heavy, withdrawn, or immobilized.
The Five Kapha Subdoshas: The Waters Within
Like dew on five petals, Kapha’s subdoshas moisten and stabilize essential functions throughout the mind and body.
Kledaka Kapha (Klay-dah-kuh): The Moisture Manager
Located in the stomach, Kledaka protects the stomach lining, moistens food, and supports the early stages of digestion. It prevents ulcers by maintaining a healthy mucosal layer and helps to transform nourishment into something the body can truly absorb.
When in balance: digestion feels smooth and steady, with a sense of satisfaction after meals.
When imbalanced: heaviness after eating, mucus in the stool, or the formation of ama (toxins). When decreased, ulcers and burning may appear.
Kledaka shows us how we receive nourishment. When digestion is bogged down, we often feel sluggish in more ways than one.
Avalambaka Kapha (Ah-vah-lum-bah-kuh): The Chest's Support
Residing in the thoracic cavity, heart, and lumbar spine, Avalambaka Kapha provides structure and stability to the lungs and heart. It helps us breathe deeply and feel supported physically and emotionally.
When in balance: clear breath, steady posture, emotional resilience.
When imbalanced: lung congestion, chest tightness, asthma, low back pain.
Avalambaka reminds us what it feels like to be held. When life feels too heavy, we often feel the burden in our chest and spine.
Bodhaka Kapha (Bo-dah-kuh): The Sensory Gateway
Found in the mouth, tongue, and salivary glands, Bodhaka helps us experience taste and begins the digestive process by liquefying food.
When in balance: saliva flows easily, food is enjoyable and satisfying.
When imbalanced: dry mouth, plaque buildup, dull taste perception, or excessive salivation.
Bodhaka teaches us how we begin to take in life. If we’re over-saturated or disconnected, the joy of the senses begins to fade.
Tarpaka Kapha (Tar-pah-kuh): The Mind’s Moisture
Present in the brain, spinal cord, nasal passages, and sinus cavities, Tarpaka Kapha cushions and protects the nervous system and supports emotional security.
When in balance: clear thinking, emotional calm, a sense of protection.
When imbalanced: mental dullness, depression, sinus congestion, emotional withdrawal.
Tarpaka is the emotional blanket that allows us to feel safe in our own minds. When it’s imbalanced, life can feel foggy and emotionally distant.
Shleshaka Kapha (Shlay-sha-kuh): The Lubricator
Located in the joints, Shleshaka Kapha lubricates and cushions movement, nourishing bones and connective tissue.
When in balance: easeful movement, fluidity, and comfort in the body.
When imbalanced: stiffness, joint swelling, arthritis, or fluid retention.
Shleshaka is the graceful glide of movement in body and spirit. When it diminishes, we feel stuck, physically and emotionally.
When Kapha Goes Off Balance: The Stillness That Stagnates
Kapha becomes disturbed through excess: too much sleep, food, inactivity, emotional clinging, or repetition. The very qualities that give Kapha its grounding power can also weigh it down.
When Kapha is imbalanced, we may experience:
Physically: weight gain, congestion, fatigue, water retention, slow metabolism.
Mentally: lethargy, brain fog, slow thinking, resistance to change.
Emotionally: attachment, depression, stubbornness, emotional overeating.
Imbalance may begin in one subdosha or spread across many. If Kledaka is disturbed, digestion becomes sluggish. If Tarpaka is imbalanced, emotional heaviness may cloud clarity and dampen joy.
Kapha in Nature: Seasons and Life Stages
Kapha is everywhere that form, stability, and connection are required in nature, in the body, in time. Recognizing where and when Kapha accumulates helps us prevent stagnation and support its strength.
The Kapha Season
Kapha season is spring (March through June). Cold, damp, and heavy, this is when snow melts, soil softens, and water collects. These qualities mirror Kapha's elemental makeup, making it the time when Kapha most often goes out of balance.
During this season, respiratory issues, lethargy, and emotional withdrawal may rise. Lightening the diet, increasing movement, and embracing change help balance this energy.
The Kapha Time of Life
From conception through early adulthood (birth to age 30), Kapha predominates. This is the time of growth, bonding, and forming foundational resilience both physical and emotional.
Children often display Kapha's qualities: strong immunity, soft features, emotional tenderness, and deep sleep. Awareness of Kapha’s influence helps parents support healthy development.
Kapha Times of Day and Week
Times of Day: 6am–10am and 6pm–10pm
Days of the Week: Monday, Thursday, and Friday
Kapha is strongest during the early morning and evening, inviting us to ease into wakefulness and settle into rest. These are times of stillness, but also the best times to break inertia with movement.
Kapha and the Planets
The Moon, Jupiter, and Venus are most associated with Kapha. They represent nurturing, love, stability, fertility, and emotional grounding.
Why It Matters
Knowing how and when Kapha arises in you allows you to bring warmth and motion to moments of heaviness. Instead of labeling yourself lazy, unmotivated, or overly sensitive, you begin to understand that your body and mind may simply be carrying too much.
Kapha asks us to move, not to force. To let go, not to detach. To energize, not to agitate.
When you embrace Kapha's gifts of love, loyalty, and patience without letting them harden into inertia or overattachment. You embody true groundedness. In that steadiness, life can bloom.
Supporting Kapha: Lifestyle, Diet & Daily Routine
Kapha needs lightness, stimulation, warmth, and variety. It benefits from inspiration and change, and it thrives with consistency that includes healthy challenge.
Lifestyle Tips for Energizing Kapha
Wake before sunrise and avoid daytime napping.
Start the day with movement: brisk walks, energizing yoga, or invigorating breathwork.
Break routine periodically. Explore new ideas, places, or hobbies.
Use invigorating scents like eucalyptus or rosemary.
Keep your spaces clean and uncluttered to promote clarity.
Kapha-Pacifying Diet
Favor:
Light, dry, and warm foods
Spices: ginger, black pepper, turmeric, cinnamon
Astringent, bitter, and pungent tastes
Legumes, leafy greens, apples, and berries
Avoid:
Dairy, heavy oils, and fried foods
Cold or creamy dishes
Excess salt and sugar
Herbs & Practices
Allspice, Anise, Basil, Cardamom, Clove and basically anything you can find in pumpkin spice decrease Kapha
Breathwork: Bhastrika
Sun salutations, early morning walks, and dynamic movement
Daily dry brushing and light self-massage with sesame oil
Honoring the Kapha Within: A Gentle Reflection
Kapha is the embrace that holds the world, the steady rhythm of a heartbeat, the gravity that anchors us to the earth.
But even the earth must shift.
If you feel stuck, heavy, or numb, try this:
"I let go of what no longer serves me. I welcome movement. I welcome joy."
Then:
Open the windows.
Dance for five minutes.
Drink warm lemon water and step outside.
Let this be your invitation to move again. To trust that stillness is sacred, but so is your becoming.
A Kapha-Balancing Practice:
In the morning, try this simple wake-up ritual:
Stand near a window and stretch your arms overhead
Breathe in deeply through your nose
Repeat the mantra: “I rise with energy, I move with purpose.”
Shake out your arms, legs, and spine
When we honor the Kapha within, we don’t just find stability.
We find the strength to rise from it.
This blog is informed by years of formal study in Maharishi AyurVeda and Integrative Health at Maharishi International University.
Honoring the Pitta Within: Balancing Fire and Water in the Physiology
Pitta is the dosha of transformation, governed by the elements of fire (agni) and a touch of water (jala). It is the heat that digests, the light that illuminates, and the force that fuels drive, ambition, and clarity. Hot, sharp, light, mobile, and oily, Pitta governs our digestion, metabolism, intellect, and emotional intensity.
When in balance, Pitta grants us courage, focus, discernment, and a radiant vitality that moves through both body and mind. We feel motivated, clear, purposeful, and passionate. But when Pitta is out of balance, it can overheat the system. We may find ourselves irritated, inflamed, overly critical, or burnt out. The fire that once gave us direction begins to scorch everything in its path.
Pitta is most easily provoked by hea, whether in the form of spicy foods, hot weather, fast-paced environments, or emotional tension. It rises during summer, at high noon, and during periods of overwork or competition. Honoring the Pitta in us all means learning how to harness its brilliance while protecting ourselves from its excess. It means knowing when to push, and when to pause.
Understanding Pitta means understanding its subdoshas, the flames within that regulate specific systems and responses. These inner firekeepers manage digestion, perception, clarity, and radiance. When in balance, they empower us to process and transform. When imbalanced, they may leave us reactive, rigid, or inflamed.
The Five Pitta Subdoshas: The Flames Within
Like the sun shining through five windows, Pitta expresses itself uniquely through each subdosha. These are the specific functions and expressions of Pitta throughout the mind-body system.
Pachaka Pitta (Pa-cha-kuh): The Digestive Alchemist Located in the small intestine and lower stomach, Pachaka is the primary site of Agni, the main digestive fire. It governs the breakdown, absorption, and assimilation of food. It nourishes all the other fires in the body.
When in balance: strong digestion, vitality, contentment, clear mind. When imbalanced: heartburn, hyperacidity, nausea, inflammation, fatigue.
Pachaka shows us how well we can digest life, both food and experience. When digestion is clear, so is perception.
Ranjaka Pitta (Rawn-juh-kuh): The Blood Purifier Residing in the liver, spleen, and blood, Ranjaka gives color to the body and purifies the blood. It also aids in detoxifying emotional residue, especially anger or resentment stored in the liver (Frawley, 2001).
When in balance: healthy liver function, steady emotions. When imbalanced: jaundice, blood disorders, toxic overload, emotional volatility.
Ranjaka teaches us how to filter intensity. When it flows well, we feel energized and emotionally clear.
Sadhaka Pitta (Sah-dah-kuh): The Heart-Mind Flame Found in the brain and heart, Sadhaka governs emotional processing, clarity of thought, memory, learning, motivation, and the connection between desire and purpose.
When in balance: inspiration, inner drive, compassion, healthy ego. When imbalanced: burnout, mood disorders, cynicism, ego rigidity, disconnection from purpose.
Sadhaka is the inner spark that asks, "Why do I care?" and leads us toward fulfillment.
Alochaka Pitta (Ah-low-cha-kuh): The Seer Located in the eyes and the mind’s eye, Alochaka governs both physical sight and insight. It supports perception, discernment, and intuitive vision.
When in balance: strong vision, good judgment, clarity. When imbalanced: eye strain, visual problems, harsh judgment, limited perspective.
Alochaka helps us see the world and ourselves clearly, without distortion.
Bhrajaka Pitta (Bhrah-jah-kuh): The Skin Radiance Present in the skin, Bhrajaka controls the absorption of heat, light, and substances. It gives glow to the skin and regulates our sense of touch and external boundaries.
When in balance: glowing skin, healthy boundaries. When imbalanced: acne, rashes, inflammation, hypersensitivity.
Bhrajaka reflects how safe we feel in our skin, literally and emotionally.
When Pitta Goes Off Balance: The Overheating Within
Because Pitta governs digestion and transformation, it can be easily provoked by excessive heat, overstimulation, or relentless ambition. It doesn’t take much for a spark to become a wildfire.
When Pitta is imbalanced, we may experience:
Physically: acid reflux, skin rashes, hot flashes, inflammation, diarrhea, burning sensations, excessive sweating.
Mentally: irritability, perfectionism, impatience, obsessiveness, over-analyzing, difficulty relaxing.
Emotionally: anger, resentment, jealousy, self-judgment, burnout.
We may push too hard, speak too sharply, or hold ourselves to impossible standards. Our fire is no longer warming, it’s burning.
Imbalance can occur in one subdosha or ripple across all five. If Pachaka is disturbed, digestion and clarity suffer. If Sadhaka is out of sync, burnout or disillusionment may set in. Understanding where the imbalance arises can help us focus our healing.
Pitta in Nature: Seasons and Life Stages
Just as Pitta lives within, it is also reflected in the rhythms of the natural world. Knowing when Pitta is likely to rise allows us to support ourselves with care and intention.
The Pitta Season
Pitta season is summer (roughly June through September). The days are hot, bright, and intense. The sun is high and unrelenting, mirroring Pitta’s qualities of heat, intensity, and transformation.
During this season, everyone is more susceptible to Pitta imbalance. Tempers may flare, digestion may become erratic, and skin conditions may arise. Cooling foods, time in water, and less screen time can help balance the excess heat.
The Pitta Time of Life
Pitta starts at age 30 and goes until age 60. It is the dosha of energy and action, motivating us to work, raise a family, and engage in day to day life.
From puberty to middle age (approximately ages 30–60), Pitta rules. This is when our ambition is strongest, our metabolism is most active, and our minds are sharp and engaged.
It is a time of building, striving, expressing, and leading, but also a time when we are most prone to burnout, stress, and inflammation.
Pitta Times of Day and Week
Times of Day: 10am–2pm and 10pm–2am Days of the Week: Tuesday and Sunday
Pitta is strongest in the middle of the day and night, when digestion and metabolic processes are most active. It is also reflected in the assertive energy of Tuesday and the focused clarity of Sunday.
Pitta and the Planets
The Sun,Mars, and Ketu (the southern node of the moon) are the celestial bodies most associated with Pitta. They represent energy, discipline, strength, and assertiveness, all qualities of this fiery dosha.
What You Can Do With This Information
Understanding Pitta’s influence in nature and your life allows you to work with your fire rather than against it. You can learn when to stoke it and when to soothe it.
Here’s how to bring ease and balance to Pitta:
Time of Day Awareness (10–2): Midday and midnight amplify Pitta. → Eat your main meal at noon for optimal digestion. → Avoid late-night stimulation to protect your sleep and mind.
Seasonal Care (Summer): Focus on cooling, hydrating, and gentle activities. → Enjoy cooling herbs, moonlight walks, swims, and creative expression without competition.
Weekly Rhythms (Tuesday & Sunday): Lean into focus and leadership, but balance with rest. → Schedule high-energy tasks early in the week and make Sunday restorative.
Life Stage (30–60): Watch for signs of overdrive. → Build boundaries, nourish your body, and don’t let success cost your well-being.
Planetary Influence (Sun, Mars, Ketu): Astrological events involving these planets may intensify Pitta qualities. → Use these times to reflect, not react.
Why It Matters
Understanding how and when Pitta shows up in your body and your life helps you align with its strengths while softening its intensity. Rather than reacting to irritability, inflammation, or perfectionism, you learn to anticipate and respond with compassion. You begin to recognize when your inner fire is warming you and when it’s starting to burn.
By observing your rhythms, honoring your digestion, and tending your emotional flame with care, you return to a place of centered clarity. You become the steward of your spark, not the victim of your burnout. This is the beginning of true balance: living not from reaction, but from recognition.
When we live in rhythm with the elements, we don’t have to constantly fight for harmony.
We embody it.
Supporting Pitta: Lifestyle, Diet & Daily Routine
Pitta doesn’t need to be extinguished, just honored and cooled. It thrives with rhythm, hydration, and calm focus.
Lifestyle Tips for Calming Pitta
Create space in your day to breathe and reflect.
Prioritize cooling, non-competitive movement (like swimming or yin yoga).
Avoid overworking or overcommitting.
Spend time in nature, especially near water.
Surround yourself with beauty, art, and softness.
Pitta-Pacifying Diet
Favor:
Cooling foods: cucumbers, melons, leafy greens, basmati rice, coconut
Sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes
Herbs: coriander, mint, fennel, aloe vera
Ghee and small amounts of olive or coconut oil
Avoid:
Spicy, salty, sour foods
Caffeine and alcohol
Fried or fermented foods
Herbs & Practices
Mint, Turmeric, Cumin, Coriander,and Licorice* soothe Pitta
Breathwork: Sheetali
Meditation, especially in nature
Daily self-massage with coconut oil
*If you have any blood pressure issues please use caution when eating licorice or avoid it all together as it is known to increase blood pressure.
Honoring the Pitta Within: A Gentle Reflection
Pitta is the light that guides, the spark of transformation, the passion that births purpose. But even fire must rest.
If you find yourself pushing too hard, overheated with anger or perfectionism, place your hands over your heart and say:
"I am enough. I release the need to prove."
Then:
Sip cool mint tea.
Step outside and feel the breeze.
Watch the sky change.
Let this be your invitation to soften. To return to your center. To allow the fire within to warm rather than consume.
A Pitta-Balancing Practice:
Before bed, try this cooling ritual:
Sit in a quiet, darkened space
Close your eyes and breathe through a rolled tongue (Shitali pranayama)
Imagine a cool blue light entering your body with each inhale
Repeat the mantra: “I am light, I am ease, I am peace.”
When we honor the fire within, we don’t lose our spark. We simply learn to shine without burning out.
References
Frawley, D. (2001). Ayurvedic healing: A comprehensive guide (2nd ed.). Lotus Press.
This blog is informed by years of formal study in Maharishi AyurVeda and Integrative Health at Maharishi International University.
Honoring the Vata in Us All: Balancing Space & Air in the Physiology
Vata is the dosha of movement, governed by the elements of space (akasha) and air (vayu). It is the subtle current that animates the body and mind, the breath that flows, the thoughts that rise, the creativity that sparks from silence. Light, cold, dry, mobile, and irregular, Vata governs all motion in the body, from the beating of the heart to the firing of neurons to the circulation of ideas.
When in balance, Vata brings vitality, enthusiasm, inspiration, and adaptability. The mind is clear. The body moves freely. Words come easily. But when Vata is out of balance, we may find ourselves anxious, scattered, forgetful, or physically depleted. We may feel dry, brittle, cold, or overwhelmed, blown about by life with no anchor.
Vata is the first dosha to become imbalanced, especially during times of transition: seasonal shifts, travel, stress, grief, irregular routines, or overstimulation. Honoring the Vata in us all means learning how to recognize its gifts and its vulnerabilities. It means knowing how to support our nervous system with warmth, steadiness, nourishment, and routine.
Understanding Vata means understanding the subdoshas that govern specific functions throughout the body and mind. It is also about knowing how to bring them back into harmony when they drift out of alignment.
The Five Vata Subdoshas: The Winds Within
In Ayurveda, each dosha has five subtypes, or subdoshas, that direct its influence to different parts of the body. Think of Vata as the wind, and these subdoshas as the five directions in which it moves. When they are in balance, they orchestrate every aspect of motion and communication within us. When imbalanced, they can feel like an internal storm.
1. Prana Vata (Pra-nah): The inward-moving wind
Located in the head and found mainly in the nervous & respirator systems, Prana is the lightest of the subdoshas. It governs sensory perception, mental focus, and the movement of thoughts and breath. It’s responsible for inhalation, swallowing, and the intake of impressions, both physical and subtle.
When imbalanced: anxiety, racing thoughts, sensory overwhelm, shallow breathing, fear, dizziness.
2. Udana Vata (Oo-dah-nah): The upward-moving wind
Seated in the throat and chest, Udana controls speech, self-expression, memory recall, and upward movements like exhalation and belching.
When imbalanced: difficulty speaking or expressing, hoarseness, weak voice, forgetfulness, lack of direction or inspiration.
3. Samana Vata (Sa-mah-nah): The equalizing wind
Centered in the navel, Samana supports digestion and assimilation, both of food and experience. It balances upward and downward movement, making it crucial for processing.
When imbalanced: indigestion, loss of appetite, irregular digestion, difficulty integrating emotions or lessons.
4. Apana Vata (Ah-pah-nah): The downward-moving wind
Located in the colon and pelvic region, Apana governs elimination, menstruation, childbirth, and all forms of letting go. It’s the force that helps us release what no longer serves.
When imbalanced: constipation, irregular menstruation, urinary issues, holding onto emotional baggage, fear of release.
5. Vyana Vata (Vee-yah-nah): The circulating wind
Distributed throughout the entire body, Vyana moves blood, nutrients, impulses, and ideas. It supports circulation, movement, and coordination.
When imbalanced: poor circulation, muscle twitching, tics, scattered energy, overwhelm.
When Vata Goes Off Balance: The Storm Within
Because Vata governs movement, it is the most sensitive and the easiest to disturb. In Ayurveda, we often say that Vata leads the way in imbalance. When Vata is disturbed, it can disrupt the other doshas, leading to wide-ranging issues in body and mind.
When Vata becomes imbalanced, we may experience:
Physically: dry skin, cracking joints, gas and bloating, constipation, cold hands and feet, weight loss, irregular appetite, insomnia.
Mentally: anxiety, restlessness, forgetfulness, overthinking, difficulty focusing.
Emotionally: fear, overwhelm, a sense of being ungrounded or unsupported.
Just as the wind can quickly change direction and stir up chaos, imbalanced Vata can leave us feeling scattered, overstimulated, and depleted. The subtleties of thought, emotion, digestion, and sensation can become disjointed. This is especially true when we live life in a rushed, erratic, or over-stimulated way. In fact, modern life with its screens, schedules, and stimulation tends to provoke Vata on a daily basis.
Imbalance can occur in a single subdosha, or all five. For example, if Apana Vata is disturbed, elimination may become irregular. If Prana Vata is out of sync, anxiety may take hold or inspiration may dry up. Knowing where the imbalance originates can help us bring clarity and direction to our healing process.
Vata in Nature: Seasons and Life Stages
Just as doshas exist within us, they are also reflected in the world around us. Vata is present in the environment, in the cycles of the day, in the changing of seasons, and in the phases of life. Understanding seasons and times where we may encounter increased Vata can help us to plan accordingly! These are times when you will want to engage in Vata pacifying and balancing diets, routines, and lifestyle.
The Vata Season
In most climates, Vata season corresponds to winter (December through March). The air is dry, the wind begins to pick up, and temperatures drop. Leaves fall, nature quiets down, and the rhythm of life begins to shift inward. These qualities mirror Vata’s elemental makeup: cold, dry, mobile, light, and clear.
During Vata season, everyone, regardless of their primary dosha, can begin to feel the effects of increased Vata in the environment. It is during this time that we are more vulnerable to anxiety, poor sleep, and dryness in both body and mind. Staying warm, keeping a consistent routine, and nourishing ourselves deeply are key to staying balanced.
The Vata Time of Life
According to Ayurveda, our lives unfold in three main stages, each governed by a dosha. We will discuss the other 2 doshas in later weeks.
Vata starts at age 60 and rules elderhood. It is the dosha of wisdom, lightness, and increased sensitivity.
As we age, our bodies naturally become drier and more brittle. Sleep may be lighter, digestion more delicate, and the mind may wander more often. But with proper care, this phase can also be one of immense creativity, spiritual depth, and reflective insight.
The Vata Times of Day & Days of the Week
Times of the Day: 2am to 6am and 2pm to 6pm
Days of the Week:
Monday (Shared with Kapha)
Friday (Shared with Kapha)
Saturday
Vata and the Planets
The planets that are dominated by Vata are the Moon, Rahu (the North Node of the moon considered a Shadow Planet in Hindu astrology), Saturn, and Venus.
Understanding the doshic cycles of nature and life allows us to prepare, adapt, and align. Instead of resisting change, we learn to move with it.
What You Can Do With This Information
By understanding Vata’s presence in nature through the time of day, the rhythm of the week, the seasons, and even the cosmic alignments, you gain insight into when you are most likely to feel ungrounded, scattered, or overstimulated… and when to lean into practices that restore balance.
This doesn’t mean you need to track the planets obsessively or overhaul your entire schedule. Instead, consider this an invitation to become more attuned to the rhythms around you so you can respond with more grace, not more stress.
Here’s how to work with Vata’s influence in your life:
Time of Day Awareness (2–6 AM & 2–6 PM):
These windows carry Vata’s airy, mobile energy.
→ Morning tip: Rise gently, meditate, or do slow movement to anchor your day.
→ Afternoon tip: Take breaks, eat warm food, and avoid overstimulation to prevent burnout or overwhelm.Seasonal Care (Winter / Early Spring):
In Vata season, it's easier to feel anxious, cold, or dry.
→ Support yourself with heavier, moist foods (like soups and stews), sesame oil for self-massage, cozy routines, and early bedtimes.Weekly Rhythms (Monday, Friday, Saturday):
On these Vata-influenced days, you may feel a stronger pull toward reflection, creative expression, or emotional sensitivity.
→ Grounding rituals like journaling, nature walks, or warm baths can help stabilize your energy.Life Stage (60+):
As we enter the Vata phase of life, our tissues become lighter, and the mind often becomes more spacious.
→ Care deeply for your body and spirit with nourishing routines, spiritual practices, and connection with others to avoid loneliness or mental cloudiness.Cosmic Alignments (Moon, Saturn, Venus, Rahu):
When these planets are particularly active—like during a Saturn return or a Venus retrograde—Vata qualities may become amplified.
→ Stay rooted. Avoid over-scheduling, double down on rest, and trust your intuition over your impulse.
Why It Matters
Understanding how and when Vata is likely to rise isn’t about control, it’s about alignment. It’s about making room for your body and mind to move with the currents of nature, instead of resisting them.
When you can anticipate the winds of change, you’re better equipped to ride them with steadiness and grace.
Because space and air are not the enemies, they are the canvas for your creativity, your insights, and your expansion.
You don’t need to “fix” Vata.
You just need to honor it.
Supporting Vata: Lifestyle, Diet & Daily Routine
To bring Vata back into balance, we must offer it what it most needs: warmth, nourishment, rhythm, and grounding. Think of calming the wind not by stopping it, but by anchoring it gently to the earth.
Lifestyle Tips for Calming Vata
Create a stable daily routine. Vata thrives on consistency. Try to wake, eat, and sleep at the same times each day.
Slow down. Build in space between activities. Vata becomes agitated when the nervous system is overwhelmed.
Prioritize rest and sleep. Fatigue magnifies Vata imbalance. Aim for 7–9 hours of warm, uninterrupted rest each night.
Stay warm. Bundle up in cooler weather, sip warm water or teas, and take regular warm baths or oil massages (abhyanga) to soothe the body.
Vata-Pacifying Diet
Vata responds beautifully to food that is warm, moist, grounding, and gently spiced. I will be creating a comprehensive list of foods and herbs/spices that will be posted on the Vata page in the days to come this week.
Favor:
Cooked grains like oatmeal, rice, and quinoa
Stewed vegetables and soups
Healthy oils (ghee, sesame, avocado)
Sweet, sour, and salty tastes
Spices like ginger, cinnamon, cumin, and cardamom
Minimize:
Raw or cold foods (salads, smoothies, ice water)
Caffeine and stimulants
Dry, crunchy snacks
Bitter and astringent foods in excess
Herbs & Practices
Ashwagandha, Ginger, Cardamom, Haritaki, and Brahmi are calming herbs that help stabilize Vata’s mental energy.
Transcendental Meditation (TM) and breathwork practices like Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) calm the mind and anchor Prana Vata.
Daily abhyanga with warm sesame oil grounds the nervous system and supports circulation.
This is not about restriction, it’s about nourishment. Vata doesn't need punishment or correction. It needs gentleness, structure, and the invitation to feel safe again.
Honoring the Vata Within: A Gentle Reflection
Vata is the breath of creativity, the whisper of intuition, the breeze that carries ideas from one heart to another. It is wonder, movement, and magic. But even the wind needs to rest.
If you find yourself rushing through life, thoughts darting from one task to the next, pause. Place your hand on your chest. Breathe deep into the belly. Say quietly:
"I am here now, and that is enough."
Let this be your invitation to soften. To sip warm tea with both hands. To wrap yourself in a favorite sweater. To speak kindly to your nerves and your thoughts and your beautiful, spinning mind.
A Vata-Balancing Practice:
At the end of the day, try this short grounding ritual:
Rub warm sesame oil into your feet.
Put on cozy socks.
Sit quietly with a candle and breathe gently, noticing the rise and fall of your chest.
Repeat the mantra: “I am held, I am safe, I am home.”
Vata reminds us that the sky is not the limit, it’s the beginning.
When we honor the air and space within, we don’t have to chase the wind.
We become it.
Vata, Pitta, and Kapha in the Mind: Understanding Emotional Balance Through Ayurveda
Not all emotions feel the same, some flutter, some burn, some settle like fog. In Ayurveda, this isn’t a coincidence. Just as each of us has a unique mind-body constitution, our emotional patterns are also shaped by the doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. These elemental energies don’t just govern digestion or skin type. They influence how we think, feel, remember, and respond to life.
In this post, we’ll explore how each dosha expresses itself emotionally; both in balance and in imbalance. We’ll blend ancient Ayurvedic wisdom with modern psychological insight, showing how these patterns affect not only our moods but also our relationships, memory, and nervous system. Most importantly, we’ll explore how to work with the doshas, not against them, to support emotional freedom and inner peace.
Not sure what your dominant dosha is? Take the quiz here before you continue.
Because your feelings were never meant to be suppressed. They were meant to move. And through that movement, you return to the most powerful healing force of all:
your true self.
In Ayurveda, the mind is not separate from the body it is an extension of consciousness, moving and expressing through subtle channels called manovaha srotas. These channels weave throughout the entire body, carrying not blood or lymph, but thought, perception, imagination, memory, and intention.
The state of the mind is shaped by the three maha gunas:
Sattva: clarity, truth, light
Rajas: activity, agitation, desire
Tamas: heaviness, dullness, ignorance
Each guna colors our emotional reality. When Sattva predominates, we experience emotional balance: clear thinking, patience, compassion, and memory of the Self. But when Rajas or Tamas dominate, through overstimulation, trauma, poor diet, or irregular routine, we spiral into mental and emotional imbalance.
This understanding is at the heart of Sattva Vijaya Chikitsa, Ayurveda’s approach to mental health. The goal is not to eliminate emotion but to elevate the mind; to gain victory through Sattva. That means strengthening the qualities of wisdom, self-awareness, patience, and spiritual memory (Smriti), and restoring our connection to pure consciousness.
In modern terms, we might call this the original mind-body medicine. But it is far more holistic than any modern framework, it doesn’t stop at the brain or hormones. It includes all levels of experience, from the physical body to the subtle channels of thought to the unbounded field of awareness.
Ayurveda doesn’t ask, “What’s wrong with you?”
It asks, “What’s out of alignment?”
And perhaps most importantly, it reminds us: you are not your anxiety. You are not your depression. These are expressions of disconnection, not definitions of who you are.
Just as the body reflects our doshic balance, so does the mind. Each dosha expresses itself emotionally in unique ways. And just like the body, when the mind is out of balance, the symptoms are loud, often misunderstood, and deeply tied to how we’ve been living.
Vata in the Mind
When balanced: Vata brings creativity, quick insight, curiosity, and a childlike sense of wonder. The Vata mind dances between ideas with elegance, often catching truths others miss.
When imbalanced: That same mind becomes ungrounded. Overthinking, worry, fear, and restlessness become dominant. The nervous system is overstimulated, and sleep suffers. There's a tendency to dissociate or spiral into “what ifs.” This is when we say, “I just can’t turn my brain off.”
Pitta in the Mind
When balanced: Pitta offers clarity, focus, ambition, and courageous honesty. It allows us to discern truth and act on it with purpose.
When imbalanced: The fire turns inwards or outwards—becoming criticism, perfectionism, irritability, and at times, rage. There may be strong emotional outbursts followed by guilt, or a retreat into silent judgment and resentment.
Kapha in the Mind
When balanced: Kapha brings emotional steadiness, compassion, and the ability to hold space for others. It is nurturing, loyal, and deeply present.
When imbalanced: That beautiful stillness can become stagnation. The Kapha mind can sink into lethargy, sadness, withdrawal, and emotional heaviness that’s hard to move. There may be a tendency to numb or avoid, mistaking stillness for comfort even when it hurts.
Emotions Move Like the Doshas Do
Emotions are not the problem. They’re messengers of imbalance, guides to healing.
Each dosha has its own emotional rhythm and your job isn’t to suppress those rhythms, but to listen, move with them, and restore flow.
Your emotions were never meant to be swallowed.
They were meant to move.
Closing Reflection: Listening to the Mind's Whisper
Take a quiet moment today and ask yourself:
Which dosha feels most present in my mind right now?
How do I tend to respond when that dosha is out of balance?
What might it look like to honor my emotions instead of resisting them?
You don’t need to have all the answers. You just need to be curious.
Awareness is always the first medicine.
Supporting Emotional Balance Through the Doshas
When the emotional body is dysregulated, so too is the physical body. And vice versa. Here are some ways to gently bring balance back to both.
For Vata Minds (Anxious, Overthinking, Unsettled)
Create calm through routine: same wake and sleep time each day.
Eat warm, moist, grounding meals (like kitchari or root veggies).
Touch the body daily: warm oil self-massage (abhyanga) calms the nervous system.
Limit overstimulation: step away from screens and give yourself silence.
Breath practice: Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) soothes Vata beautifully.
For Pitta Minds (Irritable, Controlling, Critical)
Cool the system with coconut water, sweet fruits, and leafy greens.
Prioritize play and rest over productivity.
Practice self-compassion: perfection is not the goal, peace is.
Breath practice: Sheetali (Cooling Breath) can reduce inner heat.
Cultivate forgiveness, starting with yourself.
For Kapha Minds (Heavy, Stuck, Withdrawn)
Get moving: even a short, brisk walk clears emotional stagnation.
Lighten up the diet: favor spices, bitter greens, and lighter grains.
Seek connection: talk, express, share your heart with someone safe.
Avoid emotional hoarding: journaling or expressive arts can help emotions flow.
Breath practice: Bhastrika (Bellows Breath) stimulates energy and clarity.
Your emotional experiences are not mistakes.
They are intelligent signals from within. Part of your healing, not separate from it.
When you learn to recognize the doshic language of the mind, you gain access to deeper understanding and a more loving relationship with yourself.
And from that place… the real transformation begins.
Much of the understanding shared in this post comes from my graduate training in the MS in Maharishi Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine at Maharishi International University (MIU), particularly from the final course on mental health and Vedic psychiatry. These teachings have deeply shaped how I understand the mind, not as broken, but as a reflection of our inner and outer environments seeking balance. Click the picture below to see what degree programs MIU has to offer!
When We Swallow Our Feelings: How Suppressing Emotions Disrupts Vata
We talk a lot about emotions around here, especially big ones. How they rise up unexpectedly. How they hijack your ability to stay grounded. How they demand to be seen. But what about the opposite? What happens when we don’t express them at all?
What happens when we swallow our feelings whole?
In Ayurveda, there’s a concept known as pratishyaya, the suppression of natural urges. This includes urges like sneezing, yawning, sleeping, and eating, but also emotional urges. The urge to cry. The instinct to shout. The need to speak your truth. These are all considered natural movements of the physiology, and when we suppress them, especially repeatedly, we interrupt the natural flow of energy through the body.
We create imbalance.
Vata and the Flow of Emotion
Vata is the dosha that governs movement. It rules the nervous system, breath, circulation, and the movement of thoughts and feelings. When Vata is healthy and supported, our emotions flow freely. They rise, they are felt, and they move on. But when we suppress those emotions, we disturb the movement of Vata. Emotions become blocked, and Vata becomes irregular.
That’s when things get noisy. You may begin to feel scattered. Restless. Anxious. Or frozen in place. You might find your thoughts racing or completely shutting down. Over time, this suppression becomes a habit and as the Vata imbalance deepens, the symptoms settle deeper into the body and mind becoming chronic.
The suppression of emotional movement is not just a mental experience. It’s a full-body disruption that, when left unchecked, can manifest in physical dysfunctions across the body.
From the Mind to the Gut: What Research Now Shows
Modern science is finally catching up to what Ayurveda has known all along, that the body and mind are deeply connected. How we feel emotionally doesn’t just affect our mood. It affects how our body functions, especially our gut.
In Ayurveda, the gut is considered the foundation of all health. It's where we digest not just food, but experiences. And when we suppress emotions — when we swallow our truth or bottle up what we feel, it can disrupt digestion on every level.
Recent studies now show that our emotional state is directly linked to the balance of bacteria in our gut. One 2020 study by Lee et al. found that people who had more positive emotions tended to have more diverse and resilient gut bacteria, but only if they had a particular type of microbiome known as Prevotella-dominant. Those with a different gut profile (called Bacteroides-dominant) didn’t show the same benefit.
In other words, the type of bacteria in your gut may affect how your emotions shape your health and vice versa.
Another fascinating study from Ke et al (2023), focused specifically on women, looked at how different emotion regulation styles impact gut health. It found that women who habitually suppressed their emotions had less diverse microbiomes, and their gut bacteria were more likely to be associated with negative emotional states like sadness, stress, or anxiety.
It didn’t stop there. These women also had lower levels of activity in some key biological systems, like energy production and cellular repair. In short: emotional suppression wasn’t just impacting how they felt. It was affecting how their bodies healed, energized, and functioned at a foundational level.
Let’s pause here.
That means when you hold back tears, smile when you want to scream, or keep quiet about what hurts, your body listens. It adapts. It shifts. And if that becomes a pattern, it begins to rewire itself around the suppression.
All of this points back to what Ayurveda teaches: all health begins in the gut, and the gut is deeply influenced by the state of our mind and emotions. When we suppress what we feel, we weaken our agni, our digestive fire. Over time, that leads to confusion in the tissues (dhatus), depletion of our vital energy (ojas), and instability in the nervous system (vata).
The science confirms what the sages already knew: suppressing emotions isn’t just a bad habit, it’s a root cause of imbalance.
The Ayurvedic View: Where Emotions Settle in the Body
Ayurveda teaches us that unresolved emotions don’t just vanish — they accumulate. And depending on the doshic quality of the emotion, they settle in specific parts of the body.
Anxiety, being cold, mobile, and light, belongs to Vata. It builds up in the colon, where Vata resides.
Anger, with its sharp, hot nature, is linked to Pitta. It accumulates in the liver, small intestine, and spleen, the seat of Pitta.
Depression, being heavy, cool, and dull, reflects Kapha. It tends to settle in the lungs and chest, where Kapha governs stability and emotion.
When these areas become congested with unprocessed emotional residue, it disrupts the srotas, the subtle channels through which energy and nourishment flow. Especially affected is the manovaha srotas, the channel of the mind, which is rooted in the heart.
This isn’t just metaphor. In Ayurveda, the heart is seen as the central processing hub for emotional experience. It is home to the ten great vessels that connect mind and body. So when feelings become stuck and stagnant, the heart bears the burden. It’s why we use phrases like “with a heavy heart,” “heartache,” or “a change of heart.”
The language reflects the body’s truth.
Blocked channels in the heart center affect not only our emotional processing, but also circulation, hormonal balance, breath, and perception. If left unaddressed, emotional congestion here circulates throughout the entire body.
Returning to Flow: How to Heal Emotional Suppression
The first step to healing these imbalances is simple but not easy: end what is causing the imbalance and feel your feelings. Create space for emotional truth, not judgment. Honor what arises. Don’t run from it, don’t shame it, and don’t try to logic your way around it. Instead, let yourself move through it.
That might look like:
Crying without apology
Screaming into a pillow
Journaling what you wish you could say out loud
Speaking honestly to someone who hurt you or simply to yourself
After emotional expression comes the sacred work of restoring flow in the body.
Try:
Chetan Asana: A subtle, deeply grounding yoga sequence that reconnects body and mind
Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing): Soothes the nervous system and re-establishes Vata’s rhythm
Vata balancing diet: Warm, nourishing foods, spiced stews, ghee, and sweet, sour, and salty flavors
Soothing your environment: Use gentle lighting, natural textures, calming scents like lavender.
Transcendental Meditation: A reliable technique for integrating body and mind into a state of deep harmony and rest
These practices invite Vata back into rhythm. They tell the body it is safe to flow again.
A Reflection for You
Take a moment. Pause your scroll, your racing thoughts, your next task. Ask yourself gently:
What feelings have I been holding back?
Where do I feel tension in my body that I haven’t named?
What would it look like if I gave that emotion space to move?
Now imagine what might shift if you did.
You don’t have to scream in the forest or spill your secrets on social media. But you do have to listen to your body. To trust that your emotions are messengers, not mistakes. That they are part of your internal wisdom.
The next time you find yourself choking down a feeling or tensing your chest to keep the tears in, ask yourself: What would happen if I just let it move?
Coming Soon: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha in the Mind
In the next post, we’ll explore the unique emotional expressions of each dosha. What it looks like when Vata governs the mind in balance and out of it. How Pitta’s fire can become clarity or rage. How Kapha brings emotional steadiness or emotional heaviness.
We’ll also look at practices to restore emotional balance by working with the doshas, rather than against them.
Because your feelings were never meant to be suppressed. They were meant to move. And through that movement, you return to the most powerful healing force of all:
Our true self.
References
Ke, S., Guimond, A.-J., Tworoger, S. S., Huang, T., Chan, A. T., Liu, Y.-Y., & Kubzansky, L. D. (2023). Gut feelings: Associations of emotions and emotion regulation with the gut microbiome in women. Psychological Medicine, 53(15), 7151–7160. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291723000612
Lee, S.-H., Yoon, S.-H., Jung, Y., Kim, N., Min, U., Chun, J., & Choi, I. (2020). Emotional well-being and gut microbiome profiles by enterotype. Scientific Reports, 10, Article 20736. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77721-y
Chetan Asana
When Anxiety Hijacks Your Plans
I had plans. A full evening carved out for self-care: shower, hair mask, shaving, the lavender lotion I love, a long skincare routine. It was going to be my reset. But halfway through the shower, something hit.
Hard.
The water was still running down my back when my chest started to tighten. My heart raced. My thoughts blurred into a single overwhelming wave of fear and failure. I sat down right there in the shower and cried. Eventually, I crawled out, wrapping a towel around my head and one around my body, and managed to shuffle to the rug just outside the shower. That’s where I stayed for a while, just sitting, breathing, waiting for the weight of it all to lift.
Meet the Monster: Anxiety
Anxiety is a monster. not a snarling, fanged creature, but more like a worried companion who doesn’t know how to relax. He sits on the edge of your plans, fidgeting. He doesn’t scream or roar, but he hums with nervous energy. And when he feels like you aren’t listening, he climbs up and sits on your chest—heavy and tense, trying to make you pause.
He’s not here to hurt you. He’s here because he’s scared for you.
He whispers worst-case scenarios, not to torment you, but because he genuinely believes preparing for the worst is the only way to protect you.
What if you can’t handle this?
What if you mess up?
What if everything falls apart?
He doesn’t mean to paralyze you—he’s just a little too focused on survival, not peace. His nervous pacing and constant interruptions are his way of waving red flags. But the flags aren’t always about real danger. He gets confused. He thinks an unanswered email is a saber-toothed tiger.
He’s trying to help… he just doesn’t have the right tools.
Understanding Anxiety & Panic Attacks
Anxiety is a physiological and psychological response to perceived threats. Panic attacks are sudden, intense waves of fear and discomfort that often mimic life-threatening emergencies. Your heart pounds. Breathing becomes shallow. You might feel dizzy, detached from your body, or overwhelmed with the urge to escape.
But here’s the thing: anxiety is not wrong.
Your body is trying to protect you. It's trying to help you survive. The problem is, it gets confused. It doesn’t realize that an overdue bill, a mounting to-do list, or even just the pressure to keep everything together isn’t the same as a predator chasing you through the woods.
And when we ignore him, suppress him, or try to fight him down, he just gets louder.
What Is Anxiety Really?
Biologist and stress researcher Robert Sapolsky, in hisbook Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, explains the evolutionary mismatch that makes anxiety so prevalent and so persistent today. Our bodies are wired for short bursts of survival stress, like our ancestors outrunning predators on the African plains. When the danger passed, so did the stress. They returned to homeostasis.
But in modern life, the “danger” never really ends. It’s the bills, the notifications, the deadlines, the overwhelm, the 3AM thoughts. We are chased not by lions, but by expectations. And our bodies respond to it all the same way they did 100,000 years ago, with a flood of hormones, tight muscles, and an urgent demand to do something.
Now imagine that happening every day, multiple times a day. No wonder we end up crying on the bathroom floor.
The Emotional Truth
In Atlas of the Heart, Brene Brown explores emotional landscapes and maps out our emotions to bring a level of understanding and clarity. One quote she highlights, originally from Elizabeth Gilbert, cuts deep:
"You are afraid of surrender because you don't want to lose control. But you never had control; all you had was anxiety."
That hits. Hard.
Brown places anxiety, worry, and vulnerability in the very first chapter of her book, a clear sign that these are foundational experiences of being human. Especially now, when we are so often expected to smile, grind, and keep it all together, even as our inner world unravels.
We don’t talk enough about how common this is. About how exhausting it is to live like this. And about how the support we need is often absent, replaced with hustle culture, toxic positivity, or the dismissive advice to “just relax.”
Anxiety: A Valid, Exaggerated Response
Anxiety isn’t random.
Anxiety is valid.
It holds real concerns, our need for safety, stability, connection. But it’s like a smoke alarm that can’t tell the difference between a house fire and burnt toast. It’s trying to warn you, but the volume is too loud for the situation.
When we treat anxiety like an enemy, it digs in deeper. But if we approach it with curiosity, if we look at the monster and say, “I see you, but I’m in charge now”, something shifts. It becomes possible to hear what it’s really trying to say.
A Reflection Exercise
If you’re feeling anxious or panicked, ask yourself:
What triggered me today?
What am I afraid will happen?
Is this a pattern I've seen before?
What do I actually need right now?
Let your answers come without judgment. Treat your anxiety like a scared part of you, not something to conquer, but something to comfort.
This practice isn’t about fixing anything. It’s about understanding. It’s about reminding yourself that you are not your anxiety, and that you’re allowed to hold space for your fear without letting it drive the car.
Try This: Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana)
This Ayurvedic breathing technique calms the nervous system and balances the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
Sit comfortably. Use your right thumb to close your right nostril.
Inhale slowly through your left nostril.
Close your left nostril with your ring finger. Open your right nostril.
Exhale slowly through your right nostril.
Inhale through your right nostril.
Close your right nostril and exhale through the left.
Repeat for 5–10 rounds.
This breathwork invites your mind into presence and tells your body, “You are safe now.”
Closing Thoughts
Anxiety doesn’t make you broken.
It makes you human.
The goal isn’t to banish the monster. It’s to understand him. To say, “I hear you, but I get to decide what happens next.”
Sometimes that looks like lavender lotion and a skincare routine. Sometimes it looks like sobbing on the rug. Sometimes it looks like breathing deeply and reminding yourself that you are safe, even when your nervous system hasn’t gotten the memo yet.
You are not alone.
You are not weak.
And you are not your anxiety.
You are the one who listens. Who breathes. Who stands back up when you’re ready, and carries on, with compassion and courage.
References
Brown, B. (2021). Atlas of the heart: Mapping meaningful connection and the language of human experience. Random House.
Sapolsky, R. M. (2004). Why zebras don't get ulcers: The acclaimed guide to stress, stress-related diseases, and coping (3rd ed.). Holt Paperbacks.
The Monster in the Mirror: How Toxic Positivity Undermines Growth
We all know the voice:
“Just think happy thoughts.”
“Good vibes only.”
“Everything happens for a reason.”
These words might sound kind. Uplifting, even. But beneath the surface, there is something sinister growing, a monster we don’t see until it’s already under our bed, in our mirror, or riding on our back like a shadow we can’t shake.
This is the Toxic Positivity Monster.
And make no mistake, it’s smiling.
How the Monster Grows
The Toxic Positivity Monster doesn’t arrive as a threat. It shows up wearing a sunhat and carrying affirmation cards. It tells you to “be grateful,” even when your world is falling apart. It whispers, “Stay strong,” when all you want to do is crumble. It insists, “Everything is fine,” even when you are drowning inside.
And because you’ve been taught to be polite, to be pleasant, optimistic, and palatable, you believe it.
You invite the monster in.
You tidy up your pain. You shove fear in the closet. You tuck anger under the bed. You smile even when your chest feels hollow.
You push forward with positivity because the alternative, pausing and feeling, is too raw, too vulnerable, too “negative.”
But here’s the catch: the monster feeds on suppression.
It gorges on repressed grief, muffled rage, abandoned dreams, and unspoken truths. It grows stronger every time you dismiss your real emotions with a forced smile or a hollow affirmation.
And eventually, the monster doesn’t just lurk, it drives.
The Slow Death of Authenticity
This is where the monster becomes most dangerous. Toxic positivity may sound sweet, but it’s corrosive to your authenticity. It demands that you wear a mask, and the longer you wear it, the more disconnected you become from your truth.
This disconnection doesn’t just stunt personal growth, it derails it completely.
Because when you refuse to face what’s real, you can't build anything real. The voice that says “everything’s fine” when it’s not will eventually suffocate your goals, your transformation, and your sense of self.
You cannot evolve while pretending everything is already perfect.
You cannot become whole while denying your cracks.
And you certainly can’t chase meaningful change while a monster is whispering, “Stay positive,” every time your inner truth tries to speak.
So What Now? How Do We Tame the Monster?
-We stop pretending.
-We start listening.
-We drag the monster out, not to slay it, but to understand it.
Toxic positivity is not defeated with more light. It’s softened through shadow.
Shadow work is the act of meeting the parts of yourself that feel too hard, too painful, or too “unacceptable” to love. It’s not about fixing yourself, it’s about seeing yourself.
Here’s a practice to get you started:
🕯 Shadow Work Reflection: Sit with the Monster
Create a safe space. Light a candle, get out your journal, and close the door. Make this intentional.
Name the emotion you've been ignoring. Is it anger? Resentment? Shame? Name it without judgment.
Ask it open-questions*** like:
“Why are you here?”
“What do you want me to know?”
“What are you protecting me from?”
Listen. Let the emotion speak. Let the monster tell its story. Don’t interrupt. Don’t fix. Just be curious.
Write down what you hear. Let it all spill out, no edits.
End with this journal prompt:
💬 What part of me have I been denying in the name of being ‘okay’? What would happen if I gave it space to exist?
You can use this feelings wheel to help you identify the emotions that come up. Why is this important? Labeling our emotions is one of the most powerful tools we have for emotional regulation and self-awareness. When we give a name to what we’re feeling, whether it's frustration, grief, shame, joy, or confusion, we activate parts of the brain that help us process rather than react.
Here’s how it helps:
It brings clarity out of chaos.
Emotions can feel overwhelming, especially when they show up in complex or conflicting ways. By labeling them, “I feel disappointed,” “I feel anxious,” “I feel unseen”, we reduce their intensity. Neuroscience shows that naming an emotion engages the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for logic and decision-making, and quiets the amygdala, the brain's emotional alarm system (Tabac, 2022). In other words, labeling your feelings calms your nervous system.It shifts us out of judgment and into observation.
When we don’t name emotions, we often act them out or suppress them. Labeling turns the emotional experience into something we can witness rather than something we’re consumed by. It creates just enough distance to choose a conscious response.It gives us power.
Language is powerful. Naming a feeling gives us the ability to work with it. “I feel sad” is different from “I am sad.” The first implies a state we’re in; the second can feel like an identity. By labeling emotions, we shift from being the emotion to holding the emotion. That gives us room to move forward, to learn from it, and to heal.It helps us get to the root.
Sometimes what we think is anger is actually grief. What we label as apathy may be burnout. Precision in labeling allows us to address the real issue rather than just the surface reaction.It builds emotional intelligence.
The more nuanced our emotional vocabulary, the better we become at recognizing our inner landscape and the emotions of others. This fosters deeper empathy, communication, and connection in all relationships—especially with ourselves.
By learning to label what we feel, we create a map of our emotional world. We stop running from our feelings and start walking with them, with curiosity, compassion, and courage.
***Open questions cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”. It encourages deeper reflection and drives the conversation forward. So, when talking with your monster, ask it questions that will allow it speak with more than just a word or two.
Courage is the Antidote
Facing the monster doesn’t mean you’re weak, it means you’re brave. It means you’re done living a half-life under the illusion of perfection. It means you are reclaiming your power, piece by honest piece.
Growth doesn’t happen in the light alone. It happens in the dark, too.
So if you feel stuck, exhausted, or disconnected from your truth, consider this:
You don’t need more positivity.
You need more honesty.
You need more wholeness.
You need you.
All of you.
Even the parts you’ve hidden away.
Especially those.
Because when you listen to the monster, you learn this truth:
It never wanted to hurt you.
It just wanted to be heard.
And the moment you listen?
The monster becomes a mirror.
Not something to be feared…
But something to be integrated.
Reference
Tabac, M. (2022, January 15). Emotional regulation: The simple neuroscience behind “name it to tame it.” Medium. https://medium.com/clear-yo-mind/emotional-regulation-the-simple-neuroscience-behind-name-it-to-tame-it-b22924bb543d
🌿 The Courage to Be You: Facing Adversity in Authentic Living
✨ Why Is Authenticity So Hard?
In last week's post, we explored why some people resist authenticity, it challenges their carefully built rules and structures that make the world feel predictable.
But when people turn up their noses at you for daring to be yourself, it can wear you down.
You might start to wonder:
❓ Is it really worth it?
❓ Is living authentically always going to feel like a battle?
❓ Wouldn’t it be easier to just fit in and stop rocking the boat?
That’s the question I want you to sit with as we dive into today’s discussion.
💡 A Lesson in Authenticity: My Story
I always tell my students, "I tend to be my own best example," and today is no different.
👩🎓 High school. Small town. 32 classmates.
We had all known each other since kindergarten, and the social structures were set early. Your reputation was fixed, no reinvention allowed.
For years, I tried to fit in.
✔️ I wore the trendy clothes.
✔️ I listened to the popular music.
✔️ I laughed at the right jokes.
But no matter what I did, I was never truly accepted.
Then, during my senior year, something clicked.
🚀 I was leaving soon.
🚀 The people I had tried so hard to impress wouldn’t define my future.
🚀 I was free.
So, I took a deep breath and did something radical:
✨ I wore what I actually liked.
✨ I cut my hair how I wanted.
✨ I got a tattoo (don’t worry, I was 18).
And the most surprising thing happened…
The same people who had ignored me for years started talking to me!
I was invited to parties.
I made new connections.
❗ But the world around me hadn’t changed.
❗ I had.
When I finally stepped forward as my authentic self, I gained something I had been chasing all along, genuine connection.
💭 Sometimes, the walls we feel around us are the ones we’ve built ourselves.
🔥 Courage Is the First Step to Freedom
Many assume authenticity leads to rejection, but the energy you put into the world is what people respond to.
So how do we build that courage?
Not with a huge leap. Instead, with small, intentional acts of bravery, because courage is a practice, not a personality trait.
✍️ Reflection Exercise: Small Acts of Courage
Try this step-by-step exercise to begin stepping into your authentic self in a way that feels safe and powerful. You can stack this with last week’s exercise:
🔹 Step 1: Start Small
Think of one small way you can express yourself authentically today.
💡 Maybe it’s…
✅ Wearing an outfit that makes you feel good.
✅ Speaking up in a conversation.
✅ Sharing an opinion you usually keep quiet.
🔹 Step 2: Notice How It Feels
📝 Journal about your experience.
Did it bring relief? Excitement? Nervousness?
What emotions came up?
🔹 Step 3: Observe Reactions (Without Judgment)
👀 How did people respond?
Were your fears accurate, or were they based on assumptions?
🔹 Step 4: Challenge Your Beliefs
Ask yourself:
🤔 Was my fear of rejection real, or was it a story I told myself?
🔹 Step 5: Level Up
Once you feel comfortable, take a bigger step:
🔥 Set a boundary.
🔥 Pursue a passion unapologetically.
🔥 Openly share your beliefs.
💪 Each small step builds momentum.
And suddenly, the mask you once wore feels unnecessary—because you are finally living as you.
🏆 Final Thoughts: The Power of Courage
Living authentically in a world that tries to box you in is no easy feat.
But as Thucydides once said:
“The secret to happiness is freedom… And the secret to freedom is courage.”
So today, I challenge you:
✨ Take one small step toward authenticity.
✨ See how it feels.
✨ Come back and share, what did you discover?
🖤 Did this resonate with you?
📢 Share this post to inspire others to take their first courageous step.
📩 Subscribe to my newsletter for more insights on embracing authenticity.
Living Authentically: A Struggle Worth Fighting For
In today’s social and political climate, there is a relentless push to put people back into boxes, boxes that feel safe, predictable, and easy to categorize. We crave order. We want to believe that we understand the world, that everything fits neatly where it belongs.
But what happens when someone **maybe you** doesn’t fit?
What happens when who you are defies easy labels?
Why Authenticity Feels Like a Battle
Society rewards those who conform. When we follow the script, we are met with approval, validation, and a false sense of belonging. But at what cost?
When we contort ourselves to fit into someone else’s vision of what we “should” be, we pay in confidence, energy, and inner peace.
We become exhausted by the constant masking.
We feel disconnected from our true selves.
We experience internal conflict, a feeling that something just isn’t quite right.
This discomfort isn’t imagined. It’s your soul fighting against being caged.
So how do we live authentically while still being able to navigate this world?
Step 1: Define What Authenticity Means to You
Authenticity isn’t about rebellion for the sake of rebellion. It’s about honoring who you truly are without fear or apology. But to do that, you need to define what authenticity means to YOU.
🌿 Reflection Exercise: "Who Am I Without the Shoulds?"
Find a quiet moment, grab a journal, and write freely for 5-10 minutes on this question:
If no one told me what I "should" be, who would I become?
If I didn’t fear judgment, how would I express myself?
What parts of myself feel the most alive when I embrace them?
Don’t overthink.
Let the answers flow.
Your authenticity already exists within you, you just have to uncover it.
Step 2: Start Small—Reclaiming Yourself Bit by Bit
You don’t have to overhaul your life overnight. Authenticity is built through small, consistent acts of self-expression.
🎭 Think of it as removing a mask, one layer at a time.
🌕 Practical Steps to Embody Your True Self
Wear something that makes you feel empowered. Maybe it’s a ring with deep meaning, a shirt that makes you feel bold, or even a fragrance that connects you to your inner self.
Engage in creativity without censorship. Sketch, dance, write, play music, even if no one sees it. Create for YOU.
Speak your truth in small ways. Try sharing your real thoughts in conversations instead of defaulting to what’s expected. See how it feels.
Unfollow what drains you. Social media can be a breeding ground for comparison. Curate your space to include voices that inspire authenticity.
Make space for joy. Sing in the car. Laugh loudly. Move your body in ways that feel good. Reclaim your right to take up space.
Step 3: Track Your Authentic Moments
Authenticity is a practice, not a destination. The more you engage with your true self, the more natural it becomes.
🌙 Tracking Exercise: "Authenticity in Action"
For the next 7 days, keep a journal of your authentic moments, the small ways you expressed yourself, spoke your truth, or stepped outside of expectations.
Each day, write:
What did I do today that felt truly “me”?
How did it make me feel?
What resistance (if any) came up?
How can I expand this tomorrow?
This isn’t about forcing authenticity; it’s about welcoming it back into your daily life.
Step 4: Expand & Habit Stack
Once one act of authenticity feels natural, add another. This is called habit stacking, layering new behaviors onto ones that already exist.
If you started wearing a meaningful piece of jewelry, next, try speaking your truth in conversations.
If you’re singing in the car, next, try dancing to a song at home.
If you’re creating art privately, next, try sharing a piece with someone you trust.
Before you know it, you’ll be living as your authentic self, not just in moments, but always.
The Struggle Is Worth It
The world will always try to put people back into neat little boxes. But you weren’t meant to fit, you were meant to be free.
And that freedom?
It’s worth every battle. 💫
Are you ready to reclaim your authenticity? Click here to sign up for more content and updates! ✨
Welcome to The Wild and The Wise
There comes a moment in life when you realize that everything you do, every choice, every interaction, every passion, comes from a deeper place of purpose. For me, that moment arrived on a quiet weekend, a realization that wove itself through the fabric of my work, my advocacy, my business, and my community involvement.
At the heart of it all is integrity, purpose, and service, but most importantly, it is rooted in the unwavering commitment to being authentically me. Even when it ruffles feathers. Even when it challenges the status quo. Even when it means walking a path that isn't always understood by others.
Embracing Every Side of Who We Are
Too often, we’re told we must fit into a single box, professional or free spirit, structured or intuitive, traditional or rebellious. But what if we can be all of it? What if true transformation comes from embracing every part of ourselves, the polished professional, the wild dreamer, the shadow-walking mystic?
I have built my life around uplifting others, fostering meaningful connections, and creating spaces of excellence, fairness, and empowerment. Whether in the classroom, in leadership, or in the quiet moments of one-on-one guidance, my mission remains the same: to help others step fully into their power.
Wisdom, Structure, and Freedom
Through my deep study of Maharishi Ayurveda and Transcendental Meditation, I have found a foundation that allows me to see beyond momentary emotions and approach every situation with clarity and balance. This is not about rigid discipline, it’s about holding ourselves to high standards because we deserve them. My students, my clients, and my community deserve to step into their future prepared, aware, and ready to create change.
The world needs bold souls who are willing to lead with intention, not conformity. It needs those who understand that wisdom is not just found in books, but also in intuition, experience, and the willingness to challenge old systems.
This Space is for You
This blog, The Wild and The Wise, is not just about my journey. It’s about yours. It’s about giving you tools, insights, and inspiration to create a life that feels true to who you are.
Change does not have to be a struggle. It can be intentional, sustainable, and aligned with the deepest truth of who you are. I invite you to explore, question, and grow. To step into the fullness of your power. To embrace both the Wild and the Wise within you.
Welcome to this space. I see you. Now, let’s begin. ✨🌿🔥