“[I realised] there is empowerment in discovering your Dosha and understanding your stress responses.”
Undoubtedly we are living in times of heightened stress. Uncertainty, fear, anxiety, living in close quarters, loneliness – they’re all stressful experiences and in some way or another, we’re all grappling with them as we live through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Today’s guest, Ellen Carr, is a holistic coach and yoga teacher who believes that Ayurveda – the ancient sister science of yoga – offers us a way to learn how to identify our stress responses, and importantly, how we can begin to balance them out.
Just a quick note: Before you dive in to today’s episode you might want to take a moment to take Ellen’s ‘Dosha Type’ quiz, which you can find over here. (This will all make more sense once you listen to the poggie, but for reference, I’m tri-doshic and Ben is pretty much a 50/50 split between Pitta and Kapha).
During the episode Ellen and I talk about Ayurveda, how it can help us live a more well-rounded life and why it’s so important to identify our stress responses, particularly in a time of high stress. We also discuss:
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What is a ‘dosha’ type and why is it an important part of Ayurveda?
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How to discover your dosha
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What happens if you’re split across two or even three dosha types
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Some practical actions that will help calm your nervous system, no matter what your dosha
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What are some of the more common stress responses?
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How do we identify our stress responses and work to balance them out?
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Why naming it can help in alleviating some of the stress we’re currently living with
It’s a really fascinating conversation on a topic I’ve never really explored before, always putting it in the ‘Intimidating’ basket, assuming I would never really understand it.
What I’ve discovered however is not intimidation but a real curiosity about Ayurveda, and particularly how seemingly simple changes to our day-to-day life can be so powerful in offering us peace and balance and understanding.
If you’re at all interested and curious about managing your stress during this time, I think you’ll take a lot away from my chat with Ellen. And if you want to dig a little deeper, take the test to better understand your mind, body and spirit, and see what you discover about yourself.
Enjoy!
Head over to iTunes to subscribe to the show and play the episode.