Gemini and Ayurveda: Understand your Constitution🔗

Generally, the Ayurvedic doṣa (body constitution) related to Gemini is vata.

Vata influences the movement of thoughts, feelings, prana flow, nerve impulse, and fluids in the body.

Let's use this scale:

If you experience symptoms such as anxiety, worry, shyness, a tendency to insomnia, chronic tiredness, mental and emotional depression, physical tension, stress, a weak immune system, headaches, underweight, constipation, dryness of skin, mental confusion, inability to take decisions, fast speech, too many fantasies, then there is a good possibility you are suffering from vata imbalance.

If you have good mental alertness, abundant creative energy, a good elimination system of waste matters, sound sleep, strong immune system, enthusiasm, emotional balance and stability, then the vata principle is balanced in your body.

Here are some of the common characteristics of people who have a predominantly vata body constitution:

• ❍ Quick to learn and grasp new knowledge
• ❍ Slim body
• ❍ Talk and walk quickly
• ❍ Cold hands and feet,
• ❍ Excitable, lively,
• ❍ Changeable moods
• ❍ Respond to stress with fear and worry and anxiety
• ❍ Variable appetite and digestion
• ❍ Tendency to be tired easily
• ❍ Full of enthusiasm and joy
• ❍ Impulsive
• ❍ Generally good management and leadership ability
• ❍ Dry skin, dry hair, don't perspire much
• ❍ Headache, hypertension, sore throat, anxiety, muscle spasm, irregular heartbeat, constipation, winds, diarrhea, arthritis, neurological disorder.

How to manage vata?

Factors that can balance vata are warm and soothing food with added oil and fat, as well as sweet tastes. Cold items should be avoided and caffeine should be stopped, as it strains vata's nervous system. Mental and emotional peace and lifestyle routines are important to restore and maintain balance. Vata can be corrected by using warm sesame oil for self-massage. If you can't massage the whole body, at least apply warm oil on the feet and scalp. Maintaining a regular routine in terms of eating, sleeping and other activities will also help you to unclutch the mind.

Food items to balance vata:

Warm and cooked food with added oil and fat is good for pacifying vata.

Warm milk, cream, butter, vegetable soups, hot cereals, freshly baked bread, potatoes, cheese and nourishing food are good for stabilizing vata.

On the other hand, food such as salads, iced drinks and ice creams, raw vegetables and greens are not very good for persons with vata imbalance. One should avoid drinks with high caffeine as vata finds it disturbing. As a snack, it is better to prefer nuts that are heavy and oily, as opposed to dry and salty.

All sweet fruits are good for vata. One should avoid unripe fruit that are too astringent. Cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, ginger and cloves should be favored.