The Perfect Workout for your Body Type (Dosha)

We all know exercise is good for our bodies, minds, and souls, but did you know the type of exercise that’s best for you actually depends on your mind-body type?

According to Ayurveda, the world’s oldest health system, there are three mind-body types: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. As an Ayurvedic Nutritionist and author of the upcoming book The Idiot’s Guide to Ayurveda, I focus on bringing this ancient healing system into our modern lives. While the Vedas didn’t write about whether CrossFit or Pure Barre is better for your physique, they had some pretty incredible insights into our physiology that we can truly benefit from today.

In this article, I’m going to give you pointers on the best type of exercise according to your unique mind-body type. If you don’t know your mind-body type, take my quiz  which will help you assess it.

Once you know, here are the best workouts for you:

Those with Vata bodies:

Vatas are energizer bunnies who love to move. They are most similar to the Ectomorph body type in Sports Nutrition. They love the feeling of a good cardio session. You can find them in Soul Cycle spinning up a storm, doing high kicks in kickboxing, shaking their booties in Zumba, or going HAM on the elliptical machine. They have a need for speed and love the types of workouts where you lose your breath, and yourself while doing them. They love the feeling of getting their heart rates up, which makes them feel free - something very important for Vatas.

However, all that movement is not recommended for Vatas. Ayurveda is all about seeking balance. Therefore you should counter-balance your natural energy with that which you lack. 

Because Vatas are drawn to quick, sweaty cardio sessions, it’s best to counter-balance that quickness with some slow, steady strength training. 

Vatas have a hard time gaining muscle mass and need to pay particular attention to building their bones and muscles to prevent bone-density issues in the future. I recommend scheduling two to three strength-training sessions in the week where you really isolate your individual muscles, without the cardio component of quickly trying to lift as fast as possible. Think slow, steady, and thorough. Proper form is more important than speed.

Balance is also very important to practice for Vatas, as they naturally can have a weak balance due to skeletal irregularities in their physiology. Try doing one-leg deadlifts, bicep curls on one leg, and walking lunging to improve your balance and agility.

Make sure you take your rest days. Vatas are naturally on the thin side and have a hard time preserving body fat so you want to make sure you don’t overdo it and give your muscles a chance to rest between sweat sessions.

Those with Pitta bodies:

Pittas are natural athletes. They are most similar to the Mesomorph body type in Sports Nutrition. They have a strong stamina and love to work their muscles to the max. They are drawn to boot camps, boxing, CrossFit, and anything else that pushes their body's limits. They put muscle on easily and love the results they get. Needless to say, they love to feel the burn.

However, all that intense exercise is not really the best thing for these already fiery Pittas. They must counter-balance their naturally competitive energy with some non-competitive, relaxing workouts. Don’t kill me, I know you want your boot camp in, but I swear that grounding down will really help.

Pilates is a great exercise for Pittas because it works their muscles, but at the same time is therapeutic and relaxing. I also recommend yin yoga, which is the practice of holding one stretch for two to three minutes without moving. If you do boot camps, be sure to meditate and ground down afterward so you don’t stay in that fight-or-flight mode for the rest of the day.

It’s super important for Pittas to avoid getting overheated. Pittas are hot by nature, so a humid room can really throw them off balance. Avoid working out in hot weather, such as in the middle of the day or outside in the summer. Steer clear of heated yoga practices, which will throw your Pitta energy way out of wack. Instead, focus on cooling down. 

Swimming is an excellent practice for Pittas because it allows you to move, strengthen and stretch your body while cooling down. Hit up your friend that has a pool to do some laps or take a run on the beach.

It’s also crucial for you to take your rest days. Pittas like to be on the go and often forget to schedule downtime in their busy agendas. Remember, your muscles cannot develop if you are always working them. Try to take two off-days during the week to just stretch your body out. Foam rolling is a really great way to knead out deep knots, which Pittas often have. And practice Abhyanga, self-massage with cooling coconut oil. I explain all about how to practice Abhyanga on my site.

Those with Kapha bodies:

Kaphas are naturally slow and steady and may actually hate to workout. Getting up to go to the gym may feel like physical torture for them. Does this sound like you?

Kaphas are most similar to the Endomorph body type in Sports Nutrition. They are more sedentary by nature and have a tough time getting into an exercise routine. However, once they start getting their sweat sessions in, they actually begin to love it because it stimulates their minds and bodies, counter-balancing their heavy energy. Kaphas actually have the highest endurance of all the Doshas and can tolerate the longest duration of exercise, so don’t be afraid to work it.

Kaphas medicine is sweat. In Ayurveda, sweat is fat's antidote. Therefore, by sweating every day you are inhibiting your body's fat storage. Kaphas naturally store fat more easily than the other Doshas, so sweat is really medicine for them. I always like to tell myself in a tough workout, “Sweat is fat crying.” You can try that little mantra for motivation the next time you find yourself on a treadmill.

Kaphas should avoid excess strength-training if they are trying to lose weight because it will actually make them heavier. Kaphas may be drawn to slow, steady weight-lifting and shy away from cardio but it’s really the opposite they need.

Kaphas should do HIIT (high-intensity interval training) classes where they are doing things like jump squats, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, and burpees throughout the class, with quick weight lifting in between. This is really going to speed up your metabolism and help trigger your body’s fat-burning potential. If your heart-rate isn’t increased you won’t be burning enough calories to target your fat cells. Check out your local gym for classes. Tabata, Plyometrics, Spinning, and Ropes & Rower classes are all great options and gyms often have their own variations of classes. If that sounds too intimidating for you start off with a type of cardio class you enjoy like Zumba or a barre class.

Even if you don’t have a gym membership there are so many workouts you can do at home. Try going for a run, jump roping or practicing lunges, squats, push-ups, and planks at home. That’s really all you need to get your body going. Don’t underestimate the power of walking. Walking 20 minutes a day can make significant differences in your weight over time. Do something that you enjoy and don’t be afraid of a challenge.

Exercise is one of the most medicinal things we can do. Physical stimulation creates mental stimulation. A stagnant body is a stagnant mind. By opening the channels of our bodies we open the channels of our minds. If people exercised more often most diseases and depression would cease to exist.

Which type of exercise is your favorite? What’s your Dosha? Let me know in the comments! And if you don’t know your mind-body type, take my quiz on my website eatfeelfresh.com.

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Sahara Rose is an Ayurvedic Practitioner, Sports Nutritionist and Holistic Health Coach, as well as upcoming author of The Idiot’s Guide to Ayurveda. She is passionate about bridging Eastern and Western health philosophies and leads a 12 Week Program on incorporating both into our everyday, busy lives. Learn more about Ayurvedic wisdom on her website eatfeelfresh.com and follow her on Instagram @EatFeelFresh.

Kymia Arts

Avery Hopkins, Alchemist and founder of Kymia Arts is truly a man of mystery. As Frank Gorshin would say, he is a man of few words but many riddles. He is a man of depth with a love of plant medicine, mystical 13th century poetry, and Greek mythology. He creates metallic, plant, and animal essence oils using a technique found in ancient Indian Ayurveda. The products within his apothecary are meant for healing on a conscious level to reunite the mind/body in harmonious spirit. Having had the privilege to sample some of his oils such as the oil of gold, we can confidently say these are products that can be life-changing in taking you to the next level of consciousness. These truly are next-level products and we are excited to have an opportunity to interview the maker himself:

1. What is Kymia Arts?

Kymia Arts is an online branding and a platform that I created to showcase my work in the alchemical realm. It also serves as a minor storehouse of alchemical wisdom. Since much of the content I work with and speak about is essentially unheard of by the public - and if researched rather hard to dig up – I sought to create a space where many of the harder questions pertaining to alchemy could be deposited and answered.

 2. What is alchemy?

If you asked a thousand recognized experts, you would get a thousand different answers. I may not be a recognized expert, but I know my answer is the right one. Alchemy is: the understanding of the relationship between consciousness and matter.

3. What inspired you to start Kymia Arts?

Many years ago, I had the privilege of seeing and then understanding the thread that stitches together ALL of reality - the visible and invisible, the known and the unknown, the inside and the outside. I discovered that thread in alchemy. Unfortunately, when you set out to research alchemy, you come to find that the space in which alchemy is held can be a rather muddy and foggy place; many veils to say the least. 

It took me years to make sense of what it was that alchemy is and then years beyond that to duplicate for myself the practical side of the art, which is often seen and recognized through the laboratory works. After achieving success in my alchemical work, and my life at large due to this work, I began to feel the need to share what I knew so that others wouldn’t have to struggle for years in hopes of understanding this thing we call alchemy, or this thing we call reality. 

It is also worth noting that I hated working and participating in a system that was fueled by unconsciousness. On top of wanting to share my findings and understandings with the world, I wanted to liberate myself from a required or expected worldly lifestyle. Creating Kymia Arts was like building a ship. I launched that ship and set sail from the old. That vessel keeps me afloat today, and I am thankful for it.     
 
4. How is the alchemy in your products used differently than others?

I’m mostly known for my work in the Metallic realm. I choose to focus on metallic oils because it proves the alchemical philosophies flawlessly, while simultaneously slapping around the idea of “impossible” like a stupid fly too slow to dodge a backhand. 
The fact that Metallic essences are the foundation of Kymia Arts automatically sets my work apart from basically everyone on the entire planet. As far as I can tell, no one else has attempted to make this level of alchemical truth available to the public. In the past year I began pushing the alchemical philosophies to incorporate work in the animal realm as well. So now I get to also say that I specialize in extracting essences from animals. If that’s not different from others—then I wouldn’t know what is. 

5. How have these potions changed your life?

It’s funny that you choose to use the word potion. For those who don’t know, the word potion comes from the Latin ‘potio’ which means “drink.” This is also where we get our word potable, as in safe drinking water. A potion is a drink considered to have medicinal or magical powers. 

It’s safe to say that the oils and spagyric preparations I produce are imbued with a certain kind of magic. I call that thing, that magic, consciousness – because that’s what it is. The best way I can answer your question, as to how they have changed my life, is by saying that they helped me to not see what is not, and instead see what is. From that point on, it’s nothing but acceptance, enjoyment, and enthusiasm.  
 
6 What can you tell us about the benefits of your metallic oils?

The benefits of Metallic Oils are really all-encompassing. They work on the foundational archetypes of your consciousness, which coincidently (wink wink) are also the foundational archetypes for the construction of reality. Alchemical essences at large assist you in awakening to a full perception of self. When the self is known, all is known. Then all can be transmuted to exist in an immortal state. 
Anything that exists in an immortal state is self-sustaining – never lacking, never needing – forever healthy, happy, and whole. The essences I produce are catalysts to that residence of awakening. When the consciousness is awoken and known as self, the mind is liberated. With the mind liberated and illusion dispelled the body is filled with the immortal consciousness. Alchemical essences are truly conscious medicines in the most literal sense.

7. What is your spirit animal?

That’s actually a rather hard question to answer for me. I observe myself in all things, and all things know their essence as me. One of the more interesting aspects of producing alchemical medicines is that you are literally working with the consciousness of any given material when you extract its essence. The essence is expressed physically as the essential oil of the matter in question. If you were to ingest that essence, you would literally be ingesting the consciousness of another life form, whether it be rock, plant, or animal. Part of my personal journey in knowing myself and incorporating all of the myriad reflections which make up me on the whole. 
In regards to animals, if you ingest their essence, you can know what it’s like to experience this reality – consciousness - as that animal. The pattern of that animal, its soul and spirit, come to reside within you as you. I’m not sure what my spirit animal is, but I’m quite aware of the Owl, Tarantula, Mountain Lion, Bear, Coyote, Dolphin – the list goes on – that live inside of me. That topic alone is a profound topic of depth.  

 8. Your favorite place on earth?

The only one I can ever know – Here. 
 
9. Who inspires you?

Narcissus and Echo. And the stars. Saying that reminds me of a Ladinsky poem, which he attributes to Hafiz:

“Even after all this time

The sun never says to the Earth, “you owe me.”

Look what happens with

A love like that,

It lights the

Whole Sky.”

Stars are pretty inspiring.

10. What’s next for Kymia Arts?

For now Kymia Arts is still creeping into the consciousness of the masses. Since story is held in mind, for the moment this happening is limited to time. As I patiently wait for the inevitable progression of Kymia Arts, I tinker away in my lab and in nature, extracting essences from things that are rare and powerful. 

The animal alchemy of Kymia Arts is a new addition that showed up in the fall of 2015. Many new animal essences will emerge as time passes. I started in the deserts, forests, and canyons of Arizona, exploring the local flora, fauna, and history of that divine place. Much of the metals, minerals, plants, and animals that I have worked with so far have also come from that place. 

Now I am extending into the North, the Olympic range, and the oceans of the Pacific. I am excited to dive (pun intended) into oceanic works – Corals, marine mammals, fish and shellfish, cephalopods such as octopus, squid, and cuttlefish. I imagine I will find more alien life in the abyss of those waters than any paranormal stargazer.   

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To learn more about Kymia Arts and products, visit Avery's website, Kymia Arts. You can also follow Kymia Arts on Instagram and Facebook.