Holiday entertainment is not a mere plus during the holidays. It’s a must to get through the holidays… full of bittersweet happy and sad moments… filled with illuminating reflections on the past year… finding your way through stressful calendar-marked deadlines ticking like a time bomb.
And before holiday has come and gone, you can enjoy this one-bowl comfort dessert with no guilt as it’s healthy and wildly tasty! It could be your new year dessert. 🎉
It’s gluten-free, carrot vitamin-rich and orange calming for nerves… and great for entertaining mixed emotions.
Ahhh.. but light-hearted holiday entertainment shows (like GBBO for this modified healthy baker) and sappy rom-com tearjerker movies can help us lighten our load if we feel stressed.
On that note, I have 3-holiday entertainment mentions below worth checking out
That can be exciting and worth sticking around until the end of the blog article and staying up past midnight on Dec. 31. 😊
…And somewhere in between is December 25 where we can easily forget when we started our holiday. In America, that’s usually Thanksgiving in November where we celebrate gratitude for the things we have in our lives.
In the happy holiday spirit, December and Christmas are opportunities for each of us to grow, dig deep in our shadow, be reflective about our past, and find more appreciation for our joy and happiness’ sake as better humans than before.
Christmas is always an invitation to find hope and peace now. And welcome in happy and healthy intentions for the future. And that can include skipping, baking, and inspiring yoga moves! Why not?
I plan to be in the kitchen (…and maybe you too with your planned festivities whether quiet or action-filled?).
Here’s my illustrative yoga guide for those who will be busy holiday joy baking and wanting to unwind like a pretzel in front of the tube or streaming media 😊:
There’s a big buildup to Christmas celebrations that probably started way earlier in the year …like Christmas in July promotions?
This year is probably no different where you’re not hit by deer lights… that’s a certain predictable point to be grateful for. We know it’s coming!
And we can lean into holiday entertainment, decorations, and warm & fuzzy feelings to get us in the mood.
We don’t have to lean into the bitter self-pity. We can feel contentment for what we have in our accumulated wisdom.
Some things we can think of is:
We’re grateful we’re not who we once were. We’re a better version, and getting better every day. It may be two steps forward and one step back, but we’re still improving.
And some places we’re completely transformed and others we completely forgot where we were once hurting in another way.
We’re happy as is because we know it won’t stay this way. We’re wired to have the best life.
Besides things could be worse, but thankfully they’re not. Those (and your) beliefs can help shape your optimistic outlook.
You could be fighting ego or affected without awareness.
Letting go isn’t always so easy…
In awareness, it can feel like an uphill battle to try and win over an internal fight.
I find that when I have a moment where I feel a little emotional turmoil, laughter never grows old as one of the best medicines.
Healthy cleansing tears from humorous holiday entertainment or heart-felt movies, series, or shows can be just what the doctor ordered.
After from watching, you can feel good again. 📺
What we feel from recently watched holiday entertainment shows can show up in our refreshed thought life.
These are 3 of my holiday entertainment picks (and maybe they’re good for you also)… which btw, I’ve yet to meet a close friend who likes the same quirky shows I do.
I’m not talkin’ about Friends and the popular America’s Got Talent shows that everyone has glimpsed.
So I’m goin’ out on a limb here…
The first one I wanted to mention is actually not a show, but an old classic movie, The Sound of Music. And if that’s not your bread and jam, then think of a show or movie you watched as a kid that you enjoyed and impacted you.
And you can take my Cliff Notes version:
If you’ve never seen or forgotten what this classic movie is about, it starts out with actress Julie Andrews as a young lady in an abbey prepping to be a nun. She soon discovers she’s too independent thinking and not cut out for the job.
Sound a ‘lil familiar? I know it does for me having taken a hairpin turn or two early on. None of the nunnery kind though. 😊
The movie plot is a metaphor for our lives that can change in an instant, a.k.a. a life pivot.
A better plan is out there for us if we’re willing to stay open and hang in there.
Those thoughts can help us get through any bitter holiday moments.
Julie Andrews’ character is sent as a governess to 7 children for a former widowed Captain and Austrian naval officer.
Fr. Maria, she’s called, brings singing and love into the family and the odd-pairing couple ends up marrying (aww… a love story and musical). I hope I didn’t ruin the happy ending.
So now you’re either caught up or possibly curious to watch the movie (again).
Fun fact: the movie is filmed in Austria and Los Angeles of all places, so maybe that’s one of the reasons why it’s still a Hollywood boom.
In our lives, the parallel is that there’s a lot to look forward to getting to the other side, crossing the hills, and any mountains along our path. We can stop to appreciate the flowers like Edelweiss or roses that remind us of our resilience from our life situations.
Then after you get your fill of that movie, whether you fast-forward to the part where your heart is filled or watch the full movie, afterward you can pause to fill your warm drinking mug, and get ready to laugh (…maybe even belly laugh some) with this next recommend…
Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee
This modern American Netflix show of several seasons is a good metaphor for not taking life too seriously. Stand-up comedians don’t.
And Actor and Comedian Jerry Seinfeld makes that clear as he takes his guests out for coffee in coffee venues (think Diners, Drive Ins, and Dive places, plus some hole in the walls).
He chauffeurs his guests around with different classic cars to match the comedic intent and their barrel of laughs to come in coffee conversation 🐒.
Once in a while, they’re driving in lemons like an Oh sorry, Ferrari that dies on the road. That’s comical drama we call comedy.
The show is peppered with what you’d expect from comedians… impromptu funny lines about their lives and the world we live in.
Having worked in restaurants, I can find a chuckle or two with the (literally) off-the-wall menu special posters or off-color restaurant jokes…
Like when Jerry orders and asks for 2 eggs and nothing else on a plate, and the server quickly asks if he wants it on the side? The server (or waitress) made an inside funny without knowing it. Good stuff there. 😅
You’ll have to find your own humor points if you end up watching some of the episodes. …and so that brings me to a recent holiday entertainment show…
The Great British Baking Show
The show is “The Great British Bake Off” in U.K. where cookies are biscuits. The Jammie Dodgers are a British classic that was one of the technical challenges. Btw, these are not here for temptation reasons. I have a healthy carrot cake or squares recipe below for your baking holiday entertainment should you accept the baking challenge. 🥕
The Great British Baking Show has got to be the funniest baking show out there. It’s also interesting to watch the baker techniques and their foibles.
By now in the show’s (just-finishing up their 9th season), as you’d expect the contestants know what to expect.
If they didn’t, that would be like going under the pressure cooker show as a contestant without baking practice.
.. And that would be like going on the Shark Tank show and not rehearsing… where they’d get eaten alive!
The GBBO contestants (more fitting than calling them competitors because they help each other out in the tent)… want to be sure to make the show fun and take time out to make good bakes while playing along with the tent show elves and laughing at their side jokes.
Tent Sidekick Noel announcing the challenge 😄
As part of the audience, you can feel the contestants are more mellow, less tense, and less serious about winning… and more motivated with staying in the baking tent (sometimes baking hot tent 🎪) for as long as they can.
In case you missed season 9 which is one of my faves (I say that for all of the newest ones), the cherry-on-top Star Baker title went to Giuseppe for his traditional Italian bakes passed down from his family’s baking lineage.
So now you’re all caught up!
The Great British Baking Show also has holiday versions. You can especially enjoy it if you like holiday baking inspiration and while eating sweets…
Gluten-free healthy carrot cake (recipe below)
And on that final note, I have a deliciously, seriously healthy, SWEET gluten-free carrot cake recipe below (that I’ve played around with the ingredients, whipped up, and tested all the crumbs!)… And you can just as easily prepare and enjoy in a square, round or any shape pan you like that you can bring to your screen with whatever holiday entertainment shows you end up watching. 🧡
Healthy (Easy-No Mixer Needed) Gluten-Free Carrot Cake (Bread or Squares) in One Bowl
Ingredients:
1 cup grated carrots
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 Tbsp coconut oil (or light EVOO or baking oil)
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup (120 grams) almond flour (or other gluten-free flour)
1/4 cup (60 grams) oats
1/2 cup (120 grams) chopped walnuts and raisins combined
Orange zest from a medium-size orange (or add maple syrup to taste, 1-2 tsp suggested for low sugar)
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
You can mix all the ingredients in one bowl. Add dry ingredients first, then add the liquids (that way you can use some of the same measuring spoons and cups without the dry sticking to the wet in my planner-at-heart mind 😉).
Pour into an 8″ round pan or 4″ x 8″ baking pan.
Bake at 325°F/165°C for 35-40 minutes.
After cooled, “frost” with Greek Yogurt (2% fat or reduced fat suggested) and healthily enjoy. Or you can blend with a low-fat cheese (like neufchatel cream cheese or ricotta cheese) if you prefer or will be serving to others who don’t prefer full-on healthy … but would love to try what you happily sweetly baked.
Morning mindfulness in a quiet NYC park. You’d never know that I had just given one of the most stressful high-level presentations I’ve ever had to deliver in my life. Our bodies and minds are super resilient!
I think many people need overall stress relief these days. I’ll share some of my insight on how you can become aware with mindfulness.
People walk around seemingly unaffected but underneath their skin, they are stressed out, anxious, annoyed, or irritated. You know that because of the stress statistics, and because you have shared and felt those same feelings at some point. That makes us human. And, if you live in a city or busy, suburban area around people, you probably know that all too well.
Living chronically stressed is one of the worst things you can do for your health (it’s a slow form of dying as I think settling into retirement is, but that’s another story for another day).
You may know stress is linked to 6 of the leading causes of death and probably more as our society is growing even more complex and filled with daily stressors. The saddest result from stress is if a person tragically considers ending their life or lives on anxiety medication. Inside of each of us, there are healthy alternative solutions, and that is the answer to life.
Jon Kabat -Zinn is known for his mindfulness and meditation work and writing. He worked on a study where employees practiced a mindfulness technique for 30 minutes a day for 8 weeks. Their brains were scanned before and after. Following the mindful 8 weeks, the participants had more activity in the left side of their front brain that showed enthusiasm and joy.
The study is an example of how we can affect our stress and daily lives by our thoughts. Most adults carry some out-of-control problems and walk around with varying levels of burden or worry in the mind-body construction we’re given.
Often, we don’t know what we can do to fix our immediate problems or we’ve already tried without a definitive solution, so we just accept that’s just how it is, at least for this season. And the season can be lifelong if never addressed again or if giving up or coping is the way of being.
That’s this life. It’s what you do with your thoughts and making them positive in some way, that makes all the difference in the world.
If you’re a natural Vata-Pitta type and live in a city environment, like I am and do, you’re highly susceptible to stress-related health issues. You can get warning signs initially showing up as acute or chronic anxiety, strong judgment, inflammation, aches, or pains that you can’t pinpoint the exact cause of. Over time these stress symptoms wear down your mental health and you can suddenly one day no longer get excited about your work, even though it was a gradual accrual.
So I starting making stress relief and work-life balance a priority in my late 20’s. I knew my health and appearance would suffer if I didn’t make changes.
We all want to live actively, and full of energy now and especially in our older years. Plus we have our individual desires like I want to look 20 years younger than my real age… and, I know I’m not alone in those wants.
Looking back in my young adult life, I had put my health on auto-pilot, prioritizing goals to climb the corporate ladder. And then I had small health situations, one after another, that made me question if my work lifestyle was contributing.
I took my job more seriously than my own health. Like, one time I had a panic attack and just went on with the day as though nothing had happened. I never forgot about it though.
Another time, I ignored the initial call to walking pneumonia. Not until the CEO of the company I worked for, urged me to go see the doctor, did I actually prioritize health over my job. I was lucky to get the encouragement and luckily I went to get medical help.
Those were warnings. They may have panned out okay for a healthy 20-something-year-old, but even a few years later makes a difference in the aging process as I started to notice my health more as I got more balance in my life.
I had accumulated stress in my body-mind for many years before I noticed or took any positive action. The body keeps score.
The stress I accumulated had started years before.
I grew up in a house with struggling immigrant parents. There was a lack of daily consistency. There was weekly household expressed anxiety-anger that got recorded in my young brain. And, I suppressed my emotions. As an adult, to become whole and healed, I needed to let out and process post-trauma still living actively in my old child’s brain and affecting my new adult decisions.
I didn’t know mindfulness could be an even better cure (than therapy). Back then in my 20’s, I didn’t know I had an issue, until I started learning more and getting aware (in our pre-vulnerable sharing society days we live in today).
As a young adult, I was just trying to put a roof over my head. That led to a panic attack incident from accumulated stress building up from a prior work victimization situation, then-current toxic management issues, and also working 55 plus grueling work hour weeks.
Different situations, but those are the types of multiple, complicated layers that many adults walk around with daily, that’s running in their mind-bodies. And they hold it all in instead of finding a healthy, sustainable solution that’s readily available (like I found).
In my case and so many others, my brain had recorded current stress-filled situations and mixed them with past emotional childhood trauma that was never healed. The body can then snap.
Our regular healthy bodies are naturally resilient but they can only take so much before there’s a breakdown, and that’s what happened in my case.
Most people live like that, unconscious and unaware about the damage carried around in the cell memories of the mind-bodies. Getting stress relief awareness is life and investment in your future health.
Stress eating can be real anxiety for the best of us (that can easily become a bad habit).
Feeling anxious from a negative thought can cause overeating and shoveling food into our mouths. This feeds our natural desire to enjoy pleasure. But then we regret our decision the next day, as it shows up on our body and then can turn into anxious body thoughts (in the mind-body connection).
Below are some ways to break the stress-eating vicious cycle, especially around the winter holidays.
Especially in December, we can’t avoid messages about the new year being around the corner, that brings awareness to what we need to do to finish up the year, and then that reminds us of the hoopla of what happened and disappointments of what hasn’t yet. We just want peace, joy, and love.
By no fault of your own, holiday anxieties can be triggered in your mind-body, and aggravate stress eating as a comforting behavior that disturbs healthy living aspirations.
One way you can start to change this is to find a healthy set of friends (or a virtual community) who will support you and you can share your successful moments with. Choose these optimistic friends over complainers. You want to leave your near-year ending on a sweet (not sour) high note. Stay encouraged, growing, believing, and finding new year inspiration.
On that note, I have some holiday stress management encouragement…
Because we all bear some kind of stress as humans. At a bare minimum, you may have been thrown a few monkey wrenches within the year and an uneventful holiday ending.
You may have thought you’ve had enough, and you would just coast the rest of the year and take time off, and then something suddenly came up. You’re asked to make an off-course decision or two, be more creative than you’ve been (thinking outside the box), and work harder in your uphill climb despite facing ups and downs.
You’re not alone.
Look on the brighter side of things, you’re needed and you have a chance to make an impact in some unique way.
Those you-matter thoughts help your inner peace, that you can get back and are just a few steps away in your meditation practice, prayer life, or relaxed walk.
By a simple choice, you can change your mind and attitude just like that if you want to, despite your feelings or moods.
You always feel better than you did after the fact. You never know what thoughts and ideas are on the other side, but the time you put in is rewarded.
You’re better off if you find some way to be optimistic, even if it’s just borrowing a belief. Sometimes you have to just do it, to adopt a new way.
Recently I was tasked to virtually decorate my Zoom screen background for a holiday meetup… those are common this year, right?
I don’t how you feel about yourself in a digital world, but coming up with a digital holiday background isn’t in my go-to wheelhouse bag of tricks, and maybe not in yours either. So I dug deep and basically looked around (…isn’t that how we were resourceful when we were younger?), and that led me to bring out the soft felted stockings and artificial decorations from the Christmas storage bin.
Mind-body types knowledge helps you in your life. The body keeps score and you can learn how to get your Ayurvedic body score to optimize your life, help you build your holistic practice, improve balance and mental health, and find your purpose.
In 2008, I went through Deepak Chopra’s Perfect Health Program in Carlsbad, California that cost me more than any vacation I can remember. My reward has been a life changer, as I’ve used some of the life skills every day and still to this day, over a decade later (and you can use to help balance your body type).
I believe everyone can use this helpful body type information for enriching their whole life, including better health to slow aging, modern holistic practices that can be done at home, balance, finding passionate work and more creativity… to name a few ways.
How I Discovered the Program:
I was personally struggling with remaining angry emotions from a stressful, uninspiring corporate management position I had just left.
Some roles aren’t the right fit, and there was one in particular I held after a line of unsatisfying work that mildly put was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
You could be good at your job and hate your job. That’s how I felt, so I left that position (but my story had a good ending as a new role was created for me at the same company).
Hating the one position I held led me to strong irritated feelings and heat throughout my body. I felt moody, out of sorts, and off (my usual) balance. I hadn’t started the position feeling that way.
I had small fleeting flare-ups with internal anger throughout my adulthood, but never this strong and for so long, that I could clearly isolate myself from one work situation and place.
This is how I came to delve deeper into learning about the mind-body connection (that has since grown in national awareness).
I had to do something pretty immediately, as my daily quality of life was affected. I knew I needed to find a permanent solution to help me deal with my stress-related and unhealthy burnt-out feelings.
I also knew I needed to attend something deep and experiential to have a change and lasting impact. I was looking for a hands-on solution that provided skills I could use throughout life, for preventative reasons.
I had already been following Deepak Chopra’s teachings through books and audio.
While researching, I discovered his Perfect Health Program that is based on Ayurveda (life science), an ancient 5,000-year-old scientific method of determining health and wellness through the mind, body, and spirit connection. In essence, the healing power of mind over body.
The concept of the mind-body connection is, if you have baggage (in your mind) that you’re holding onto from the past, that can translate to disease and disorder.
Cardiologist Dr. Dean Ornish in the Lifestyle Heart Trial proved that 48 advanced heart patients could reduce fatty plaque deposits blocking coronary arteries with their healthy lifestyle changes (exercise, yoga, meditation, and specific diet).
Ayurveda and The Perfect Health Program would take Ornish’s breakthrough study and apply principles to any disorder.
Deepak Chopra had been reporting Perfect Health approach successes for over a decade before his book Perfect Health (The Complete Mind Body Guide) was published. Many thousands of others had gone through the same Perfect Health Program I attended.
Perfect Health Teachings:
For my situation, to help get me back to a calm equilibrium, I performed yoga and silent meditation for the first time through the Perfect Heath Program.
But the most valuable information I learned was about the mind-body connection concept (and how my previous approach to balancing life, preventing disease, and other health issues, was more about external activities than internal wholeness).
To begin to learn about your current mind-body status and balance your mind-body type, it’s critical to know there are three Ayurvedic body types (called Doshas).
They are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Most people dominate with one Dosha (but we as humans all have traces of all three Doshas).
It’s easy to remember as wind, fire, and earth (or the rock-n-roll band Earth, Wind, and Fire if you been on the planet as long as I have 😊).
I’m a pure Vata determined by body frame, weight, eyes, complexion, hair, joints, sleep pattern, body temperature, feelings under stress, and temperament.
The human mind and body communicate and sends signals to each other that result in your (human) action, characteristics, emotions, and health problem tendencies related to the Doshas.
For mind-body type, you can have a single, double, or triple (all 3) dosha(s).
It’s more complex than 3 body types (as we are).
Vata types typically act in indecision, bounce back and forth working on multiple activities, are extremely forgetful, feel anxious and worried, and have mood swings. Health issues can range from stomach, insomnia, and anxiety issues.
Pitta types can act hard-charging, or get easily stressed, angry or irritated. Health issues can range from severe heart attacks to mild heartburn.
Kapha types typically act easygoing, calm, and can be resistant to change. Health issues can range from depression to sinus or chest congestion.
Before attending the program I read Deepak Chopra’s Perfect Health(The Complete Mind Body Guide) that the Program was based on.
I realized that I naturally have a Vata Body and Pitta-Vata Mind combination.
Usually you have 1 of 3 body types. Mind is more complex.
Enter The Deepak Chopra Perfect Health Program Solution:
At the Chopra Center, I took a self-scored test and discovered my Pitta mind-body imbalance was off the charts, that needed correcting and counterbalancing (also called “pacifying a dosha”).
That discovery came as no surprise based on my symptoms.
That explained why I could jump on the littlest thing, and why I could feel actual heat emanating from my body.
These symptoms led me to desperately seek help.
There I also attended classes, health consultations, detox cleansing, and received dosha-specific massages.
I also tried group meditation and yoga for the first time.
Yoga is good for all body and mind-body types (and not just Vata).
Yoga, btw was just catching on the brink of mass appeal popularity in America.
A few participants in the same classes I attended had developed fibromyalgia, a musculoskeletal pain disorder.
They were also primarily Vata body types so they had limitations in what their bodies could do at the time.
This condition led them to seek help. I realized those with a disorder also could benefit from a mind-body connection solution.
Since they had a primarily Vata imbalance (that was also their dominant body dosha type), they received warm blankets during their massage.
That sounded so comforting nice to me, as it was chilly weather outside in the wintery season.
But, I had a different imbalance (Pitta) for my Vata body.
With different imbalances happening at any season of life, there are better balancing and holistic practices even for the same body type.
That’s an important point.
To calm the fiery heat condition I had, the outside patio doors were opened for me in my experience in the middle of the cool winter, while I was laying down on the cold massage table in Shavasana (Corpse Pose).
That’s what my imbalanced Pitta mind-body needed (and all heavy Pitta mind-body types need) for imbalance restoration. It felt odd because my brain was sending the message: I want warm comfy blankets (like my new Vata body friends told me about after their experience and before mine).
Similarly, a hot steam shower sounded good (fitting for the season) but would have made my imbalance worse.
From the program I learned, I could help restore balance again with some of the following healthy changes and additions to my life.
I started these things right away:
Sounds: Turning off loud sounds, and deliberately listening to light and calming sounds like classical or relaxing music. Silent meditation (restful awareness) would have been good except I had lists running through my brain that I didn’t know how to silence as an inexperienced meditation beginner.
A typical balanced Pitta mind has a get things done attitude. I already learned I had a partial natural Pitta dosha mind, so having a Pitta imbalance was adversely affecting my mind.
Smells and Foods: Adding foods to eat that were sweet, bitter, and astringent (and drinking relaxing chamomile tea which is not usually one I like). I gravitated to rose-scented candles. When they burned sandalwood incense in the Wellness Center’s bathroom, I was drawn to that scent that calmed me, while that same scent repelled others who needed other scents to pacify their other specific imbalances.
I could barely smell orange scents that a balanced Vata Dosha type, normally would gravitate towards. The same principle applies to and explains why certain perfumes and colognes smell better sometimes than other times.
I took a variety of natural herbs specific to the program and for my specific situation that helped with restoring balance and heat in my body (to lower my internal thermostat).
Exercise and Activities: Jumping in a pool in the middle of winter would have been great for me… as would ice skating and other wintery cooling sports. Hatha yoga became part of my weekly balance regimen (usually good for anyone at anytime).
Other types of yoga would be also exceptionally good for other balanced body types like hot yoga for cool body types like Vata and Kapha. Or rest and relaxing yoga classes for Pitta body types.
With simple daily lifestyle choice tweaks I learned and then made at home, I noticed my heated body and feelings of strong irritation started to disappear gradually.
And so, here’s a process you can take to learn more about how to live healthy for your specific mind-body Ayurvedic situation (our different body types):
You’ll learn (for free) what your primary dosha body imbalance (Vata, Pitta, or Kapha) is in this snapshot moment based on your situations, stressors, or season that can be different than your natural body dosha tendencies.
You’ll also get suggestions you can print out on how you can begin to counteract and restore your imbalances back to balance.
The information is so revealing and can be life-changing (as it was for me).
It’s also fun as you get to learn new lifestyle enhancements and tweaks that will benefit you and your health your entire life (and wish you knew sooner).
You commonly can have a different mind imbalance (than body imbalance). Like a Kapha mind imbalance with Vata body types is common that creates misalignment.
And you can be “tied” in the highest mind imbalance score, which means you have 1–2 mind imbalances (it’s rare to be tied in all 3). The same applies to body imbalances (e.g. balance your body type). Don’t let that intimidate you.
Just focus on the ones that are the highest scores. The idea is to lower those. For example, I had a score for Pitta Mind, so that was one I needed to work on.
Remember there’s a direct mind-body connection and correlation, so both are important.
Your imbalances will naturally differ at various times in your life.
That’s why learning the skill of how to get balanced is helpful for various seasons in your life, and especially when you’re feeling something is “off.”
Getting back to balance allows you to:
Let your authentic body-mind nature shine through.
Live the positive aspects of your authentic body-mind nature.
Downplay the (seasonal) aspects of your body-mind nature holding you back.
Step 2: How to Apply This For Your Life
After you know the primary dosha imbalances you have, then for starters, make the following lifestyle modifications. You should overall feel good about your taste, smell, sound, and activity modifications.
Many people have a Pitta imbalance (like I had) since many people have demanding, and stressful jobs especially in the Western world.
These are a few changes you can make for each imbalance.
Pitta: If you’re irritated/angered, listen to classical and light music, smell scents like sandalwoods, and do yoga.
Perform cooling activities. If your Pitta imbalance is strong, being cool/cold in the winter will still appeal to you (defying logical tendencies).
Vata: If you’re anxious/worried, then listen to music without regular beats.
Have an orange-scented candle near you and perform a varied motion activity like Tai Chi.
Kapha: If you’re feeling tired/lazy, then listen to heavy music and loud sounds like classic rock-n-roll.
Smell scents that wake you up like evergreen firs. Perform heavy workouts or exercises.
Deep yoga breathing exercises can really help also especially if your stress is in your chest.
Hopefully, you understand the process and some starting ideas on how to begin to counteract (pacify) your imbalances.
By discovering your imbalances, you can help prevent undesired daily moods, negative emotions, and health issues later down the road. You can feel peace when you balance your body type.
The sickness you should seek to avoid is the one that you are most prone to, and that is indicated by your prakruti.
Step 3: How To Take Your Newfound Mind-Body Types Knowledge And Find Your Passion Work and Purpose
You can also apply this information above to discover your passion and purpose work (and by default, the work that would drain you and not be a good fit).
Inspired by how else I could use this valuable information, I creatively discovered this on my own.
I got out of positions doing unenjoyable hum-drum work using my skills and experiences that I was not passionate about. At these unfulfilling work choices, I questioned the impact I was making.
So one day I started creative(ly) writing. I did an experiment with this specific season where I was doing fulfilling writing work.
While writing regularly naturally feels like passionate work and I feel relaxed, I had a high Kapha Mind with a slight Pitta Body imbalance (that’s one of the mind-body imbalance combinations that can happen with any of the body types).
Kapha is not usually a strong imbalance for me. Having a lesser imbalance (lower score) would have been the best result, but having a Kapha imbalance was better for me than the other dosha imbalances.
Recall, my typical body disposition I was born with (Prakruti) is Vata (of the 3 body types), and my mind is usually Pitta-Vata.
When I was most stressed and went to the Perfect Health Program, I had a Pitta mind and body imbalance.
Any type of work that could make me feel anxious/worried (Vata tendencies) or angered/irritated (Pitta tendencies), would be the most stressful and worst combination for me.
Hypothetically, if my score had indicated a Vata imbalance during this time that I pursued fulfilling writing work, then I would likely have been severely or doubly anxious, forgetful, indecisive, etc.
It could have resulted in some kind of dysfunction or deepening health issues later down the road.
As in most cases, there were lifestyle factors not accounted for (like what I was doing during the hours I wasn’t working in the 168 hours per week).
For the most part, I did not have high stressors in my life.
I also took this similar inspired body balance quiz in the winter season, which is typically a heightened imbalance for Kapha, as it’s commonly associated with cold season and resisting (hibernation) tendencies.
Taking those additional factors into account, writing was not hurting my overall balance.
I further confirm it was helping my overall feelings (of satisfaction) when I write.
Similarly, you can find or come close to discovering your sweet spot passion work by figuring out if your imbalance is acceptable.
If you’re stressed and have a high Pitta imbalance that could be a tell-tale sign that you may not be doing activities that are good for you.
Before this knowledge, I had been looking at finding a balanced life, completely differently.
Previously I sought work-life balance, working flexible hours.
That’s part of the balance, but that doesn’t include the type of work you do, and loving what you do during those 40+ hours.
Now I look at balance as doing passionate work that enhances life. Then having a fulfilled life outside of work, to have them blend together.
That seems to be the trend as many companies are trying to make the workplace more like the home and optimizing wellness for optimizing work-life balance and that helps balance body types.
For example, yoga offered at workplaces.
To optimize what I’m doing, using the Kapha Mind imbalance I have as an example, I do the following to help myself out…
Exercise and Activities for Kapha/Pitta Mind-Body Types:
Sounds: Listening to loud music can get me going (Kapha mind). The opposite, calmer sounds like classical music (piano or jazz) are good for Pitta. Sound vibrations are primarily first picked up by the brain, but then permeate into the body cells (mind-body connection).
Exercise: Cardio work out. Since my Pitta body imbalance is low, the Kapha mind is the pacifying remedy I need to seek most. So rather than cooling down exercises, I seek high activity.
I discovered an easier, non-scientific (intuitive) way to learn your imbalances after you know what to look for.
Scanning Your Body Method (For Your Best Health, Life, and Work):
Besides scoring for body types, you confirm any dosha imbalances with how do you feel? And what is your body telling you?
Feeling body sensations and moods, deep breathing restoration, and creating space in your mind are a few ways to gather information.
For example, if I want to do cardio work (as I feel energized) and I don’t want to jump in a pool, I can confirm naturally (through my mood, thoughts, and feelings) that my Kapha imbalance is higher.
After more practice, you can become an experienced Dosha/imbalance detecting pro or your own Dosha expert, knowing which imbalance you have as it becomes your natural way.
You learn what your body and mind need by being attuned and internally sensitive to your mind and body needs by your actions and reactions…
Are you anxious or worried over everything and anything (Vata)? Are you irritated or anger easily (Pitta)? Are you accumulating things or lazy (Kapha)?
These are giveaways and natural health signs. You can see signs throughout your day to day if you know what to look for.
Third Benefit For Seeking Balance:
The information you’ll discover about yourself can be used to balance your body type, and find your healthiest and highest and best use purpose work. All of this can help you from aging.
There’s another third benefit I discovered in finding your balance.
You can get deeply creative. When you’re in your happiest pure joy, then you can get in the flow. And get in your mind to exceed capabilities beyond your ordinary.
Through the Perfect Health Program, I realized that balance and stress reduction includes meditation (to become aware of the present moment). Getting rest awareness during this time helps with clarity when you’re in the real world. This can also be achieved through intentions in yoga.
Takeaways For Mind-Body Types:
#1. Overall Health and Balance Starts in Your Mind to Balance Your Body Type
Good health is preventative and not just from what I eat or intake (vitamins, herbs, etc.). Mindfulness is important for reducing stress which reduces aging. I’m able to find peaceful moments more often, where my mind is calm, and content on good and bad situations, recognizing that’s part of the journey.
I’m able to be in the moment in activities like creative writing and yoga.
Finding my best work can reduce the negative sides of my natural Dosha tendencies, where I could be anxious, worried, irritated, or moody.
I learned that my Fibromyalgia classmates had formed this disorder because of past emotional hurts that needed healing (starting out in the mind).
I was able to let go of childhood wounds that were holding me back. I had to be mindful and distance myself from myself as a child. I was able to imagine a younger me (from a photo image I had) and comfort her, telling her everything is okay now and forgiving my parents. That took the weight off my shoulders. I was able to heal and restore my mind and body.
That brought me back to internal balance (for authentic whole balance). This came from more than just participating in various external activities (that I previously thought was the solution).
# 2. Balancing My Natural (Vata) Dosha Restores Me (and balancing your dosha restores you):
I can take anxious and worried energy and exchange for peace in yoga and meditation intention.
I can make the right choices easier. Since Vata is my primary dosha, it’s easy for me to be naturally indecisive.
But I can refer to the knowledge I learned when I’m out food shopping, buying a candle, or music. Before I go to the store, I’m purposeful about what I’m looking for to help balance me. This saves time from making decisions and reduces trial-and-error.
I have fun confirming what I know about my current body imbalance, sniffing candles and spices. I don’t make too many mistakes of buying or trying the wrong thing and then having remorse. I can answer the question: What does my body need?
# 3. Finding Contentment and Peace As A Better Way of Living (Over Anger and Irritation)
From learning about how to reduce my imbalances and centering (in yoga or mindfulness), I can better keep myself feeling peaceful and calm. That’s the ideal way to be.
I’m not fluctuating, up-and-down, and dependent on my life circumstances to bring me happiness.
I’m not making decisions based on moods.
I’ve learned to be content and never again feeling like I’m riding an emotional roller coaster (happy/sad) despite life’s twists and turns. In my opinion, that’s the best part of what I learned from my experience.
It’s empowered happiness.
I hope you can discover and get a glimpse in your mind or life, to anything that may be holding you back, so you can be emotionally free, present, and restore balance. Then, discover your passion work and creativity where you have freed up space.
