Hi friends,
It is an interesting principle of Ayurveda that, the doshas inherently tend to have preferences, or to take action in directions that, are often contrary to what might actually contribute best to the good or well-being of that dosha.
So for that reason, Vata dosha always seeks freedom, movement, being unfettered by all bonds of space and time, including very prominently, restrictions of Schedules.
Vatas love a free and unhindered schedule! (for the most part). Very Vata people will want to have the whole day open and free, so they can freely explore various options and make use of their time in the way that they feel is best in that moment.
Brief Illustrative Contrast with Pitta (Love of Schedules)
This contrasts largely with the Pitta temperament, which is inherently metabolic (likes breaking things, or events, or appointments, or plans) down into small and digestible pieces, to be completed and carried through in a rational, scheduled way.
People of strongly Pitta temperament with respect to mind and scheduling, tend to be those who love to block off their day-timers, to have things set, to eat lunch and dinner at precisely the same times every day, and to know what will come next and what has been completed.
According to Ayurveda, Pitta people could actually gain a bit more balance by loosening up this rigidity of schedule.
Vata is aided by “Schedules”
But Vata people may actually be aided by bringing a bit more scheduling into their lives.
Why? As many Vata-dominant people have told me, they tend to lose all bearing, and often wind up getting less things done, rather than more (as they initially hoped) from a totally free and open schedule.
This may be expressed physiologically also as anxiety, uncertainty, and bowel issues (diarrhea, or much much more commonly for Vata, constipation).
Many Vata people have had this experience of Constipation, seemingly chronically in their lives, and know not precisely from whence it comes….
But many of them find, seemingly miraculous, that when they are forced into, say, a kind of Day-job where they have to wake up in the morning, eat something, and go into work at the same time each day, that miraculously their elimination/excretive processes are fixed up, and they find themselves having a (mostly) regular bowel movement ever single morning, just as “clockwork” as the Pitta person.
(Indeed, the phrase, “like clockwork” might be revealing in this sense — it denotes regularity, and the Vata person who is forced onto the clock, may find that their Physiology responds very well to this scheduling, in the form of (not only getting more things done), but also a reduction of Anxiety, frazzled-ness, and a remedy of constipation/digestion/ elimination problems).
Now, this should be taken in moderation — of course, the Vata person will still find it useful (and important) to maintain some good degree of freedom in their lives (especially doing work that they find not a Drudgery but something personally Meaningful.)
But on the scheduling side of it, it is often advisable for Vata people to try to set themselves a good schedule, some way some how, usually against their own original intuition/will, and see if this brings their physiology and digestion into better alignment.
Summary of The Key Point:
- If you are of the Vata dosha, and find yourself frequently unmoored, or suffering from a lack of direction in your life (very common for Vata), or having Constipation/Digestion issues (extremely common for Vata!), then a strong recommendation of some Ayurvedic practitioners is to try to develop a Schedule and stick to it.
Final note — This may seem difficult at first, but search online for various methods to make and keep schedules. You need not be rigid as a board, but at least having some positive scheduling in your life, to have appointments a bit more clearly delineated, is very likely to help your physiology and psychology as a whole. Try it and see. Good luck 🙂