DOSHA TOURS

The Ayurvedic approach to health and wellness dates back over 5000 years in India.
In the Ayurvedic view, every person is born with aspects that mirror the natural elements of air, fire, water, and earth. These elements are expressed as three doshas: Vata (air/ether); Pitta (fire/water); and Kapha (earth/water), and appear in every individual, in various proportions. Each dosha brings gifts, such as Vata’s creativity, Pitta’s leadership, and Kapha’s endurance. Daily life in turn brings challenges that can unbalance the doshas, such as when Vata becomes ungrounded and nervous, Pitta becomes inflamed and frustrated, and Kapha becomes depressed and stagnated. Appreciating the gifts and challenges that come with each element, the Ayurvedic tradition strives to bring balance to each individual’s inherent doshas. All aspects of life, from career choices, exercise, relationships to nutrition, environment and meditation, play a role in this quest for balance.

Simon&Baker Luxury Travel Review:
Sedona dosha experience promoted self awareness
December 7th, 2009
By Elena del Valle and photos by Amparo Cadavid

We met Patricia Fonseca, a dosha instructor with a bright smile and a friendly demeanor, at the lobby of our hotel late one afternoon during a visit to the town of Sedona, Arizona for a late afternoon Dosha Tour (it proved to be more of an exploration). We were intrigued by the general idea of doshas although we knew little about the details. Since the town is well known for its vortexes (energy centers) and appeal to adepts of the spiritual arts, discovering our dosha type seemed appropriate. Doshas are Ayurveda mind and personality profiles; Ayurveda is the Indian concept of living in harmony with nature.

From our hotel in downtown Sedona we drove to the Buddhist Stupa, a place for meditation and contemplation, a few minutes south on Arizona State Route 89A. Once there, we each circled the statue of Buddha thrice in a clockwise direction before settling in Patricia’s “secret place,” a quite corner in the nearby brush. We began by completing a short dosha written questionnaire which addressed our physical characteristics, behavior, and eating habits among other things.

Patricia, who is also a yoga instructor and attorney, discussed the results with us and explained the characteristics of each of the three doshas: Vata (air and ether), Pitta (fire with water) and Kapha (water and earth). She shared daily lifestyle and dosha specific recommendations for meditation, exercise, eating and bathing such as sleeping well enough to wake up on your own (rather than to the sounds of an alarm clock), brushing your teeth and using sesame, coconut or mustard oil in your bathing ritual depending on your mood. We concluded our private two-hour session with a few minutes of Circle Breath of Life meditation in the half light of the early evening. Discovering our dosha profile was fun and expanded our self awareness.
Patricia, who has been teaching Ayurvedic Yoga and offering dosha consultations for eight years, studied with an Ayurvedic teacher for five years and upgrades her knowledge through self study.

For full artical go to:

http://luxurytravelreview.com/2009/12/07/sedona-dosha-experience-promoted-self-awareness/

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