Breaking Down Myths in Ayurveda

“ A practitioner takes into consideration that you’re never going to be in that perfect balance as an adult.”

— Dr. Avanti Kumar-Singh, MD

As Ayurveda gets more popular in Western culture, I’ve noticed it gets presented in a lot of gimmicky ways. The classic example? A Buzzfeed-style quiz to help you figure out your dosha. The dosha is the Ayurvedic body type, based on your individual balance of the five elements.

Learning your dosha can be helpful, but I don’t recommend it for beginners. People get too fixated on the “right” way to treat their doshas without doing the essential work of becoming aware of their bodies’ signals. Ayurveda is intuitive once you start to pay attention.

I sat down with goop to dish on doshas and where you should begin instead.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also enjoy:

• How to Breathe for More Energy

• The Principle of Ayurvedic Eating: Using Food as Medicine

• Creating a Daily Routine to Boost Immunity

Be well,

Avanti Kumar-Singh, MD

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