One of Ayurveda’s fundamental principles for maintaining good health is in retaining a balance of doshas along with a few other precautions. Many of my articles have spoken about the vata dosha and the problems created when it is vitiated.
Ashtanga Hridaya and Ashtanga Sangraha have explained in detail about this dosha as well as about the pitta and kapha doshas.
Each dosha, according to our acharyas, is predominant in certain parts of our body. The seats of vata dosha are the colon (called pakvashyam in Sanskrit), hips, lower limbs, ears, bones and skin. The special seat of vata, however, is said to be the colon.
From the above, one can appreciate what happens when there is accumulation of gas or vitiation of vata in the body. Normally it is at the hip region that one gets stiffness or pain, and it is also in the same region where one gets sprain when awkwardly lifting a bucket. Pain begins in the colon area and we feel it in the bones too. While travelling in a plane when the air balance in your ear is affected, you get a sharp pain. These are all indications of vitiation of vata. Again, when there is cold air, it is your skin that is affected, looking parched and dried out.
Vata first gets vitiated in these areas and if you do nothing to pacify it, it moves or migrates to other areas which are not its own, and the disease is said to have progressed to the next stage. When a dosha gets vitiated in its designated seat, it is called chaya. When it gets further vitiated, it normally moves to other sites and this aggravation is then called prakoba.
An intelligent person attempts to tackle vitiation at the chaya stage itself. One of the important palliative or shamana therapy for treating vitiation of vata is the use of oil. Oiling the body can restore the dosha back to normalcy, if the vitiation is still in its initial stage. However, if the dosha has become very vitiated and has moved to prakoba stage, more aggressive therapies will have to be used called shodanam. One such therapy is vasti or enema with oil and drugs, which will expel the dosha out of the system.
Vata is of five types, i.e. prana, udana, vyana, samana and apana. Prana is located in the head and governs proper functioning of one’s intelligence and sense organs. This may be one of the reasons why our grandmothers insisted on oiling our hair every day and also periodically applying oil to the ears, nose, eyes etc.
Udana vata is located in the thoracic cavity and governs our speech and memory. When udana is vitiated, often we cannot speak well. Many singers keep their throat free from vata by consuming ghee regularly.
Vyana vata is located in the hridya or heart and all motor functions are said to be controlled by this vayu.
Samana vata is located near the jatharagni or digestive fire in the gastro-intestinal tract. If this is vitiated, digestion is adversely affected.
Apana vata is located near the pelvis and is concerned with secretion of semen and expulsion of the foetus. A mother-to-be needs this vayu to be not vitiated and in balance to have a normal delivery.
The key to keeping the vata dosha under control and in balance is to rely on the judicious use of oil and fats.
The writer is retired Additional Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu. She can be reached at sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail. com/arogyamantra.blogspot.com