What's your Ayurvedic Type?

I reached week 8 in my 12 week health coaching program with a client this week which is when we discuss Ayurvedic body types.

I find all of the individualized body type information so fascinating. It helps me make sense of why and how we all have different dietary needs.

I love the Blood type info to identify who does best with meat and who does best without (most women I work with have already determined where they fall by listening to their bodies).

I love the metabolic type quiz for determining insulin sensitivity, carbohydrate needs and appropriate macronutrient balances.

I love the personality quiz and love language quizzes for insight into personality needs.

And I love how the Ayurvedic types give further clarity to all of the above. I don’t think any one of these has all of the answers, but by layering them we can get a pretty good idea of the food, exercise and lifestyle needs of each person.

In our discussion of each type, I was reminded again of how solidly I fit as a Pitta/Summer type! It’s like I’m reading a description of myself!

Here’s a bit of the overview for Pitta:

ELEMENT fire and water BODY TYPE medium body frame, well-proportioned, prone toward muscularity, easily overheated CHARACTERISTICS type A personalities, compelled to accomplish things, focused, organized, never misses meals and can be cranky if a meal is skipped (has a strong metabolism), workaholic, doesn’t do well in hot, humid climates, sassy, creates problems that don’t really exist when feeling too balanced, needs to eat often SIGNS OF BALANCE productive, get-it-done person, organized, has a capacity to work until they drop, energized, enthusiastic, quick but sharper than Vata SIGNS OF IMBALANCE easily agitated under stress, irritable, overly competitive and other heat-associated conditions, diarrhea, skin rashes, burning eyes, increased appetite, perspiration, over-working ORGANS TO NOURISH liver, gallbladder, spleen, small intestine, blood, eyes FOODS TO REDUCE excessive spices that are too heating, red meat FOODS TO INCREASE sweet and bitter foods, cooling and astringent, sweet-tasting spices (cardamom, fennel), protein BENEFICIAL peppermint tea, fresh lime, lighter proteins (chicken and fish), dark leafy greens (bitter and cooling), sweet vegetables, calming and relaxing physical exercise, Pilates, gentle relationships

Type A, get it done, work until you drop? Yep! Doesn’t do well in heat, easily agitated under stress, over-working when out of balance? So true.

The only piece that surprises me is my apparent need for calming, relaxing exercise like yoga or Pilates. I usually crave heart-pounding, sweaty exercise but it makes sense that I need to mellow myself out sometimes too.

I’m going to work on slowing myself down each day for deep breathing and a few yoga stretches. I know I need it!

Have you ever looked up your Ayurvedic type? You can read more about Ayurvedic types here.

Have you ever done an Aryuvedic type quiz or another body type quiz that was talking directly to you? You can read more about Ayurvedic types here.

Do you have a good sense of what your body needs?