Can understanding your dosha type change your life?
Ayurvedic Medicine and Dosha types for alternative healing, holistic health and wellbeing
Text: Livvie B
Ayurvedic medicine is one of the oldest healing sciences, having originated in India over 5,000 years ago. It places an emphasis on prevention — as opposed to treatment — and encourages people to maintain their own health and wellbeing through their diet and lifestyle. How to do this depends on determining and understanding your dosha type.
According to Ayurvedic medicine, things are built around five different elements: space, air, fire, water, and earth. These elements combine to determine dosha types — vata, pitta, and kapha — and people are thought to be born with a combination of them. There are usually one or two dominant doshas which determine our physical, mental, and emotional characteristics, and in order to maintain optimum holistic health and wellness, our doshas need to be kept in check.
One person whose life has changed considerably since discovering the power of Ayurvedic medicine is Sumit Nanda, the co-founder of EGA Juice Clinic. Having previously been reliant on modern medicine, Sumit visited an Ayurvedic doctor in 2011, who suggested a 30-day detox which changed his life forever. By following the advice of this doctor, Sumit now treats food as medicine, and hopes to raise awareness of the healing powers of Ayurveda in Singapore.
Here, we discover more about his story, as well as how important our dosha really is.
Please share a little about your own journey and how you found Ayurveda...
I thought I was a pretty healthy person. I exercised regularly and ate what I considered to be a good diet. But by the time I turned 40, my energy levels had depleted, I slept badly, weighed 100kg and was popping pills for diabetes, high blood pressure, allergies and sleep issues.
My brother told me to visit Dr Ratheesh in Kerala, India, and I have never looked back. Dr Ratheesh is an Ayurvedic doctor, who, after checking my pulse, told me that my body needed a detox, as the food I was eating was not being digested well — my cells were coated with toxins.
He put me on a 30-day detox, giving me supplements like turmeric, gudduchi, and amla. Since then, I have never taken a single medication. My weight is back to 70kg, all of my health parameters are within the normal ranges, and my sleep quality and energy levels have never been better. are very high, meaning I wake up full of energy each morning.
After witnessing these incredible results, I teamed up with Dr Ratheesh to create EGA Juice Clinic, with the goal of bringing this knowledge to more people, helping them to improve their health and lives.
What was your initial foray into following an Ayurvedic lifestyle?
Along with my initial 30-day detox, I started to make simple changes to all areas of my life. To get my sleep back on track I needed to make a habit of going to bed early and rising early. I started to only eat freshly cooked food, and stopped eating dairy products and on anything pre-packaged such as biscuits, breads and cereals. I also follow intermittent fasting, and between 2pm each afternoon and 8am the next morning, I only consume a liquid dinner of either soup or juice.
Explain more to us about our dosha type. Do we only have one?
Our bodies are made up of the five elements of nature, which are examined in Ayurvedic testing to determine which dosha is the strongest in us. Most of us have a combination of two doshas, however, one of them will be more dominant.
VATA (air and ether) dosha has the qualities of being light, dry, cold, mobile and subtle, so Vata people should engage in stable, grounding activities
PITTA (fire and water) dosha has the qualities of being hot, sharp, light, liquid, and mobile, meaning that these people require activities that are calming and softening
KAPHA (water and earth) dosha carries the qualities of being heavy, slow, dense and static, so Kapha people should engage in activities that are warm, stimulating and enlivening
How important is it for us to understand our dosha balance?
Our dosha is down to genetics and DNA, and it’s very important that we understand it in order to be able to keep it in balance. Disease and illness will result from an imbalanced dosha and as the dosha is unique to each individual, our diet and lifestyle must be tailored accordingly.
Can our dosha type change throughout our life?
No, the dosha balance is set at the time of inception. It cannot be changed, but it can become imbalanced because of our diet and lifestyle. Whenever we get imbalanced, we fall sick.
What does it mean for our doshas to be balanced or unbalanced?
We all have a certain percentage of each of the five elements of nature at birth, which determines our balance. For example, a person with high air in the body will have air-like characteristics, for example, they will be slim and slender. Any foods which are high in air, such as raw salads or lentils, can increase the air and cause an imbalance in this type of person. In turn, it can cause issues such as anxiety, indigestion and insomnia.
Likewise, a person with high elements of fire will be more aggressive and competitive. Hot and spicy foods can aggravate fire, causing skin rashes and acidity.
Meanwhile, a person with high water and earth elements will have a big structure and thick skin. Any oily or heavy foods may aggravate the earth dosha and can cause laziness or long term chronic disease such as obesity.
What other lifestyle changes should we make in order to live according to our dosha?
Every activity we undertake causes a change in our balance of dosha, so we must be mindful of our routine each day. Over-exercising can increase our levels of air, and can cause severe problems for people with air dosha. Spending time in hot weather or doing hot yoga can cause an imbalance in fire people. Sleeping until late in the morning, or sitting in one place for too long, can cause an imbalance of the earth element.
For more information on Ayurveda and Sumit’s journey, visit https://egajuiceclinic.com
How soon after waking up should we eat or drink?
Sonia: We should all drink water when we wake up, but when we eat is down to personal preference and needs. I guide my clients to aim for a gentle 12-hour fast. However, those with adrenal issues should eat a protein-rich breakfast within one hour of waking to support blood glucose levels. It’s very much down to the individual.
Sumit: I would recommend having breakfast one to two hours after waking up, following a light workout.
Amanda: When intermittent fasting, it’s important to avoid calorie-containing foods or beverages in the morning, so stick to one cup of black coffee or tea (if you need the caffeine kick) and water; you should get the majority of your water intake in prior to breaking fast. For those not fasting, try aiming to reach at least half of your daily hydration goal before 12pm. Also, remember that eating water-containing foods (such as melon, cucumber, and tomatoes) alongside a lean protein will kickstart hydration as well as keep you satiated and full.
Aside from what we consume, what else supports our health first thing?
Sumit: It’s the best time to exercise, and I’d recommend that everyone attempts to incorporate working out at the start of the day. The level of intensity should be guided by your dosha type.
Sonia: If we begin by checking social media and emails, overwhelming ourselves with our ‘to do’ list, this is likely to cause exhaustion and anxiety. Setting aside five minutes for deep breathing, meditation, stretching, or journaling helps prepare us mentally for a successful day.
Amanda: Establish a quiet ‘self-care’ ritual. Whether this means enjoying the newspaper, applying a five-minute facial treatment mask, or going for a walk around the block. It’s important to remind yourself that self-care is non-negotiable, and doing one simple self-care task in the morning can reinforce this. Besides, morning sunlight is scientifically proven to improve your mental health and increase productivity.
Amanda L. Lim (M.A., M.Ed.) is a certified personal trainer, nutritionist, and wellness coach and director of Singapore-based fitness consulting firm Peak Health. With 14 years of experience in the health and wellness industries, Amanda is a wellness expert in Southeast Asia and beyond, with expertise in weight loss, functional fitness, and nutrition planning.
Sonia Osborne is a Singapore-based Nutrition Consultant. She works alongside the Singapore medical community and specialises in women’s health. Sonia’s approach is holistic and practical; she believes that everyone’s needs are different, we should embrace real food vs counting calories, and that “lifestyle medicine” is now more important than ever.
Sumit Nanda is the Co-Founder of EGA Juice Clinic, which was born out of Sumit’s own experience of health transformation. Having previously been reliant on modern medicine, Sumit visited an Ayurvedic doctor in 2011, who suggested a 30-day detox which changed his life forever. By following the advice of this doctor, Sumit now treats food as medicine, and hopes to make more people aware of how effective Ayurveda can be.
