Vata – the Messenger Dosha

Your Material Self …
… and Your Emotional Self–artistic, friendly, courageous

Meet Vata, the Messenger Dosha, whose task is to bring energy to the body via circulation and nerve impulses. The consistent presence of Vata ensures smooth functioning of the fire and earth (digestive and tissue-building) aspects of our bodies.

According to Ayurveda and the sages of ancient times in India, Vata represents wind.

How can we understand this? A sensible reply is partly intuitive and partly realistic. First, we start with the idea that wind, or Vata exists inside us. There’s proof in burping, or gas… Then, it is logical that both air movement and nerve impulses are required by the body for digestive and tissue-building functions. Therefore, we agree with the idea that Vata is responsible for physical sensations like wind (air movement) and dryness.

This Messenger Dosha is charged with the unique task of directing the functions of the two other doshas, Pitta (fire) and Kapha (earth) and always meets these as challenges. But, like anything in excess, Vata can become over-excited when too much worry becomes an increasingly chronic burden.

Vata’s natural enthusiasm and engagement with life is contagious to others. Vata types generate creative ideas and prefer to design or begin new projects than work out the details. They are courageous and adventurous, with imaginations that drive their behavior and are the personalities who thrive on change.

Do these traits sound familiar?

I’m viewing this dosha as a matter of mind-body communication. So, my views in this post are an attempt to discover the Vata dosha type personality, with notes on body type and inclinations. Vata dosha, being made of air and space, is certain to be intangible or abstract, at least. Read on to discover how VATA is the Messenger, relaying dynamic information to every part of our body.

A philosophy that’s quite accessible, the Ayurvedic doshas describe the elements that make up and charge our world. Check out my original posting on Doshas, Your Natural Element, here, for more on the terms and concepts of doshas, the personal inclinations of the human constitution.

Being made of air and space, this dosha is certain to be intangible, or abstract at least. Read on to discover why VATA, the Messenger, is needed to relay dynamic information to every part of our body.

VATA is One of 7 Doshas

There are 3 main doshas: the single doshas, VATA, PITTA, and KAPHA, plus their combinations, result in 7 altogether.

Distinct from one another, the doshas have ways of intersecting, or relating to each other.  The doshas are composed of three elements, air, fire, and earth. Each dosha in turn consists of two elements that make the dosha stable and relatable to another dosha. And for VATA these are air and space.

In contrast to VATA, PITTA dosha is made of fire and water, while KAPHA dosha is earth and water. Thus the elements of all doshas are air and space, fire and water, and earth and water.

Vata Dosha is about motion, influence, pure energy and kinesis*.  

*kinesis refers to movement caused by a stimulus; movement that depends on the intensity of a stimulation (Merriam-Webster, online)

Although an elegant and simple concept, VATA is anything but simple. VATA as a force of nature applies universally to all living matter. When we seek more about this mysterious topic, we often overlook the obvious and instead look for the secret. But VATA’s not hidden, it is in plain sight.

What does VATA represent?

The term VATA Dosha refers to the element of air, but is actually composed of the two elements, Air & Space. In our environment, we experience and are familiar with air and space, but tend to want more “scientific information” when it comes to what makes our bodies function.

Ancient thinkers, who came up with the idea of doshas, explained how life forces work. They realized that we can’t see what air & space do inside our bodies, and yet they gave each dosha two elements.  Perhaps this had to do with centering, or maintaining integrity.

Because of this two-part aspect, Vata is outstanding in its partner, space.  The other two doshas, fire and earth, each partner with water as their second element. 

To know more, we consider the basic idea of a VATA dosha with its energy of air and space, directing and controlling the basic functions of life.

To get this right, the essential word for 2-element VATA is space because space produces air. This implies movement or energy, the ability to do work.

In short, VATA is a term for the energy that moves in and around us, always and forever, all of our lives. However, our experience tells us that sometimes the energy is too much. Ayurveda’s term for such irregularities, also known as a VATA fault, says that too much energy results in over-excitement, pain, or stress.

Being Fascinated & Recognizing a Fault

Our bodily tendencies are fascinating to us, so we are entertained by writers who describe various well-being concepts as cures.  These can point to tendencies such as dry skin and nails, erratic sleep and appetite, or lack of structure or direction in lifestyle, also known as faults of VATA dosha.

Faults pertaining to PITTA are skin rashes, those typical of KAPHA are weight gain and lethargy.

The thing is, VATA’s messenger qualities are profound.  In Fall-season its element of air or wind bridges the heat of Summer to the colder, wet Winter season.  And VATA is our messenger in old age, reducing the desire to over-commit, over- consume and gain weight.

The Dosha Fault

By definition, a dosha is seen as a fault when it reveals an unbalanced or excessive condition. In other words, when it becomes excessive. A Vata body type is frequently described as medium to tall, of slender build, with dry hair, and at times, dry skin.

Observed in context of the other two doshas, Pitta and Kapha, having dry, or brittle hair and dry skin is distinguished from having thick hair and and a large build. Conditions where VATA is faulted or is excessive include depletion, with too over-activity and not enough nurture— as exhaustion will ensue — and too much change, lacking in direction or structure.

In addition, VATA can over-influence the mind, causing acute or chronic stress. It can happen to anyone, but chronic stress is seen as dangerous to wellbeing. But for VATA, when attention results in disturbance, it is out of control.  Such an imbalance produces a level of worry and apprehension that other doshas couldn’t even imagine! To compare doshas, see Pitta post, here, and Kapha post, here.

Windswept by John William Waterhouse, see Notes, below.

How to Recognize a VATA personality

A person whose prominent dosha is VATA is likely to have certain physical traits such as a thin body frame, with a personal style of rapid movement and a lively attitude. VATA types typically have an irregular appetite, with lightening-fast digestion and assimilation and they experience light sleep patterns.

Socially, VATAs are popular and friendly in a talkative, artistic, inventive, resourceful, bold, courageous and venturesome way. VATAs tend to be impulsive, instinctive, and naturally-inclined towards the new. The VATA type acquires new ideas easily but doesn’t hang onto them. VATAs tire quickly, perhaps because they spend so much energy in a given moment.

VATA qualities are encouraging to the PITTA type of constitution (see, here), that state of Fire and willpower that can use the extra energy from VATA. An interesting point!

These qualities are mostly opposite of a KAPHA type (see, here). However, they may help balance the person who has a natural disposition of made mostly of KAPHA qualities.

The VATA Bodymind Personality

A new term, the bodymind is an attempt to view the body and mind as a single entity. The body can therefore influence the mind and the mind can influence the body.

VATA types may suffer from a nervous or anxiety-prone reaction to life. Their attention is capable of constant updating, revising, or moving from one idea or notion to the next, all day and into their sleep time.

In Aroma-therapy, without trying to change your VATA personality or VATA tendencies, we first choose essential oils by scent or fragrance that would not aggravate or increase a tendency that’s already uncomfortable or out of control.

Aromatic oils that may be appropriate for VATA dosha benefit VATA dosha by the olfactory route or by topical application, especially when customized for each personality.

For example, if a VATA type is experiencing stress and can’t sleep well at all, then the scents that tend to slow down and induce a sense of calm in the person may be the first choices.

Quite a few aromatic oils are soothing with examples the distilled oils from grasses or flowers. Essential oils from woods and resins when diffused, also bestow a relaxed effect on the mind. Herbs such as Bay Laurel, Bergamot, or Thyme, although stronger oils, can promote calmness. By clarifying the chaos that VATA entertains, they softly nurture tranquility without the negative effect of over-stimulation.

Conclusions

When a person thinks of themselves as primarily a Vata type, what does that mean? That they are flighty Fall season types that seek constant activity and contact but who neglect down-time or quiet time? It might reveal those characteristics. However, it’s evident that VATA, the dynamics of movement in human bodies, gives us inner strength.

Taking care of ourselves as we are naturally in our most balanced state is really helpful in fending off dis-ease, or at least the suffering we might feel.  When things are going well, your self-understanding will inspire a positive outlook. If things aren’t right and you feel off or sick, knowing your constitution type can support the decision to seek better health or well-being. When in balance with the other doshas, VATA insures optimal health and longevity.

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Request a Dosha Questionnaire

I realize the Vata attributes stated above might be difficult to recognize in oneself. However, I think that a Dosha Questionnaire can help with investigating our personal selves. It does no harm and can be re-taken over and over as needed. To get your Dosha Questionnaire, see below.

Looking at your your constitution’s type (also called your dosha) can be helpful on many levels. What constitution type does is match your strengths and qualities to one of three elements, the metaphors for your individual type. These are air, fire and earth. To find out more, take a personal survey to discover whether you relate to the world from an air, fire, or earthy point of view. To request My Dosha Survey, write to me or use the contact page, here  It’s painless and may spark curiosity and a bit of fun.