Let this season be the launch pad to a more harmonious year.
Here is a simple reality that launched me into a lifestyle that no longer justified feeling burned out or wiped out but instead one that prioritizes harmony.
Before I can pull more out of myself, I must learn to fill up!
Although it took me more than a moment to embrace this common sense, I eventually learned the essentials of its language — Ayurveda — a science that has withstood the test of time. This wisdom would point the way to a more intimate connection with myself and, in turn, help me see how to manage better ‘living my life.
This way of communicating would reveal how harmonious living is dependent on the dynamic relationship between the internal and external forces present in all things and in ourselves.
These forces are fundamental conditions in nature that serve as gateways for exploring, understanding, and ultimately managing our physical, mental, and emotional wellness. Known as The Doshas: Kapha, Pitta, and Vata, these forces organize the ultimate framework for relating with the world, one another, and ourselves.
From how we react when faced with a challenge to the season
of the year in which we are most likely to thrive, the Doshas are expressed in each of us in unique ways, depending on which is more predominant.
For example, some of us are pros at storing and gathering energy; we’re dependable, loving, and nurturing – you can call us Kapha Dosha.
Others transform and metabolize energy quite efficiently; we make things happen – you can call us Pitta Dosha. And then, there are those of us who thrive in expanding and moving energy; we’re creative, artistic, and inspiring – you can call us Vata Dosha.
The integrity of our unique combination of these three forces is constantly challenged by the Doshas predominant in our external world.
Yet, all three Doshas can be accessed by any one of us at any given time, as we are made up of all three.
All we need to do to access our most harmonious place is learn how to cultivate this dynamic relationship between the forces that reside inside and outside ourselves.
For a sneak preview into the key players’ dynamic in the ‘harmony game of life’ — The Doshas, let’s glance at the exchange between the Winter Season and the popular “New Year’s Resolution.”
Depending on where in the globe you currently stand at this first Season of the year, it may coincide with the ‘Kapha Dosha Season’—Winter, when our external world feels cold and heavy.
By letting the ‘water well’ fill up in this first phase of the next 365 days, you can ensure plenty more to give all year through.
Contemplate or experience a “Winter Wonderland” of sorts. Can you see why this cold and heavy season is a perfect time to follow the path of least resistance and simply BE?
At a time when creatures have gone into hibernation, it makes sense that a “New Year Resolution” built on sheer willpower tends to fizzle out as quickly as it comes in.
Like snowflakes that turn into ice and then melt into water, this season reminds us of the value of embodying a fluid and receptive power. One is so strong that it can dissolve even the sharpest edges of those inevitable ‘ rocks we encounter.
This quality, inherent to the water element, is the power of this time. A Season to yield, to flow, but not to be high-strung on sharp resolves.
Now, once the sun comes to warm things up, you know you’ve entered a new territory. The actual birth of a new year is loudly announced by daffodils and tulips poking their cute heads out of the soil. Spring is a brilliant Season for executing a master plan that has been marinating for a while. A plan that adjusts to the qualities of each season and is free from the jarring side effects of unrealistic expectations.
Speaking as both a Pitta and Vata, which happens to be the Doshas more predominant in me, settling into a time to store and gather energy feels anything but natural!
The only way I could dissolve resistance to this unfamiliar state of ‘simply BEing’ would be by addressing my nature, one by one.
For the Pitta in me, which oozes clarity, the strategy consists of a ‘reality check’ where I remind myself that no water can be pulled out of the well until it’s been refilled. Meanwhile, for the Vata in me, which oozes creativity, a nudge toward curiosity was the way to bring deeper understanding.
Where might you be in this spectrum?
If you have no issue hibernating, you will likely already have a good dose of the Kapha Dosha inherent in you. Yet, if you, like me, can use a nudge to help you settle with hot cocoa by the fire, consider bringing one of the following explorations into your lifestyle this season.
Take your five organs of perception on a nature walk.
Allow the fragrances you smell, the sounds you hear, the sights you see, the feeling of the wind on your skin, and the taste of fresh snow on your tongue to be fully experienced while walking. Observe the effects of deepening the connection and awareness of your senses. Does this help you slow down that excess moment of mind that otherwise makes you stressed, anxious, forgetful, and so on?
Enjoy an ‘Eating Meditation’
Bring your complete attention to a single cherry (or another small tasty piece of edible of your choice).
Place the cherry near your nose. Not much smell is there? How amazing that this light skin can conceal so much! Shake it around, close to your ear – can you hear anything? Let your sight help you receive its shape and color! Feel its texture (from hands to mouth). Take one small bite and pause; allow each bite that follows to reveal its flavors inside your mouth! Observe the effects of this experiment on your physiology and psychology. And if you choose to take it a step further and enjoy it as a complete meal, notice its effects on your digestion.
These are just two of the ancient tools you can experiment with to help tap into here and now. This is, after all, the only place where the dynamic interaction between Doshas inside and outside you can flow with ease.
So, if the dynamic dance of being in harmony appeals to you, let no hasty ‘New Resolution’ distract you. Take the time to restore a more profound and broader sense of balance.
After all, there is no better place to launch into our heartfelt aspirations than when standing on the solid foundation of your own common sense.
In kindness,
