124. Energy series #1: Vata: Feeling Frazzled? Find Calm & Energy

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Hello. Welcome back to the Holistic Inner Balance Podcast. I'm hadley.

And I'm Dr. Nicole.

Welcome back. We are so excited. We are going to give you a little series of podcast episodes about how to optimize your energy and really boost your energy in the short and long term for each dosha. So for your unique mind body constitution and I am really really excited. I've been thinking about this a lot because a lot of times in our culture we think of okay, I have low energy, what do I need to do for that? But with the different doshas we can have a much better view, a much better picture of like actually what is needed for if you have low energy with a lot of vata in your constitution or with with a vata imbalance is going to be totally different from what you need. If you have low energy and you have more kapha going on or more pitta going on there you need completely different things. So there is one size fits all for like oh you're feeling low energy, do this, I mean maybe drink coffee but but that's going to potentially deplete your energy further depending on your dosha too. So stay tuned for which doshas are most are depleted by coffee and which dosha there's one of them that actually is can benefit from coffee. So so stay tuned.

Oh please let it be vata. I'm so happy to be here. So you might hear it clinking in the background is I, I I like to call myself out in these conversations and so Hadley, you're talking about coffee. That's my favorite way to boost energy.

Right.

And I have this like pink coffee cup that I have been nursing since 9am it's like 3:30 now and I'm excited about this conversation. I feel like we could all benefit from more energy but I Don't know about you, but I find that stimulants don't all hit the same way. So, like, some things that are energizing can make me feel wired and tired. Some just stimulate my body and my body's like vibrating and my heart is palpitating, my brain is like sluggish and my eyelids are halfway shut. And so I'm like, well, that's the opposite of what I want. And so I love that we have an opportunity to get more specific. And it always goes back. I love to bring this back to the philosophy. I feel like what makes our conversations really unique from anything else you're going to hear out there is that we perceive symptoms, whether it's like heart palpitations or gas and bloating or headaches or anxiety or adhd. We perceive those symptoms as indicators from your body about what needs healing and how that fits in so well with the philosophy of Ayurveda. Which way precedes any of us? You know, it's thousands and thousands of years old. And so we're just catching up with our modern understanding of what, you know, our predecessors knew long times ago. So as I sit here and sit my coffee. Let's. Let's learn about. You want to start with vata today?

Yes, let's do it. Yeah. So it's interesting. So the type of vata, like low energy feeling, it's. It's a feeling of depletion. So this is the kind of like, it's like fatigue. It's not lethargy. It's not like feeling heavy and dull and that kind of thing. That's another dosha. We'll get into that later. It's not even necessarily. There can be an element of this. There can be an element of burnout. That's another dosha though. So there's going to be more. More pizza involved in that one. We'll get into that later. But it's like a feeling of it, like an empty, hollow feeling of low energy. So, you know, it might come after a bout of like you just doing so much. Like you're just like. You're like all over the place. And not in the sense of like high ambition, like, you know, that kind of thing. That's more like burnout. That's like pizza. But it might just be like you did a bunch of stuff today and you're looking back at the day and you're like, what did I even do today? And it might be that you like, don't have any routine things just feel all over the place that can create that depletion. Same with, you know, if you're not, if you're not eating nourishing, nurturing foods, that can also cause depletion. A lot of the trendy health fads are like doing like a juice cleanse or doing or, you know, everyone thinks that salad is healthy and salad is healthy for some people at some times. Like, there's no, this is healthy and this is not healthy. There's differences between what's going on in your body, in the environment around you, what your imbalances are, what your constitution is, all of that stuff. So sometimes we will eat this like really low fat kind of diet. You know, lots of salads, lots of juices, lots of smoothies, lots of.

You.

Know, people will be like raw vegan or even just vegan. And that can cause depletion of energy. And that is a vata. Vata imbalance. So if you're feeling like, oh my gosh, I just like, I just feel like I need someone to come and like pick me up and hold me. That's kind of the vata depletion. Does that make sense? That kind of difference between the types of, of low energy.

I'm making a list, like a checklist. And so it like a vata fatigue. And I'm thinking about the different ways like chronic fatigue could show up.

Vata. Totally. Yeah.

Yeah. And so it's like I feel depleted, I feel hollow, I feel empty, I feel like I'm just like falling apart. Like. Yes. I'm. I'm wondering if the word weak would resonate with vat.

Absolutely, yes. Yeah.

Because we talk about that nuance in integrative medicine is like, is it heavy or is it weak? Is it, you know, like the different sensations, so weakness. And so those are all vata. And then of course we can confirm by looking at the other bodily systems for other symptoms. But you were describing again, so vata. So you may have a vata type of fatigue. If you're depleted, fatigued, hollow, empty. You feel like you're just kind of falling apart. You want someone to like gather you and like lift you up and then that kind of weakness.

Totally. And you know, you might be, you might have some like spurts of energy where you're like just a tornado and then feel this, like, oh my God, what, you know, what has happened to my body? And you can, there can be like much more intense versions of this and there can be small versions of this. Like sometimes if I have, you know, worked out a bunch and not Eaten enough food, I can feel this way even though I don't have that much vata in my constitution. Anyone can feel any of these things. But there are different things that we need in order to replenish our energy levels for the different doses.

So let's say that you're in a vata state of depletion. What are the solutions?

Okay, so there's, I kind of have outlined three different things. So the first thing that your body needs is like rest and nervous system regulation. I mean all of the doshas can benefit from nervous system regulation. But really like grounding is the thing for, for vata you might be like, well I'm already grounded because I like, I'm so depleted that I can't do anything. But there are specific practices that you can do and we have a ton of episodes about like nervous system regulation. So you can go back and listen to those. We have specific practices in there as well. For, for vata, I really, really emphasize body based nervous system practices because you need that grounding so, so much. Because vata tends to be like the air and ether elements are what you know are the elements of vata. And so vata tends to be like kind of up in, up in the ethers and in that feeling of weakness, you just need that more of that grounding. So nervous system regulation practices, somet don't think of that as being energizing because they're like oh well you know, I need to like do a high intensity interval training thing and like, you know, get, get my blood pumping and then I'll be energized. But if you have this vata depletion doing a nervous system practice, you could even do yoga nidra where you like lie, lie on the ground and do. I mean it has you kind of doing some bilateral stimulation, all of that great stuff. Afterwards you might feel totally rejuvenated and refreshed and like oh my gosh, that's exactly what I needed if you have that vata depletion. So that's the first thing is like rest and regulation.

Essentially I want to add to that is I had a transcendental meditation teacher who taught about the research into transcendental meditation and how a 20 minute meditation can be more restful than several hours of sleep for the nervous system.

Yeah, totally. Same with yoga nidra. Yoga nidra means yogic sleep. And for someone who has like a mind that tends to like go all over the place, Yoga nidra is really helpful because it has you like do some things with your mind until you get into, like, a more regulated state. So, like, for me, like, transcendental meditation was really hard for me because I had to just focus on the. The mantra over and over again. And so yoga nidra was really helpful to just be like, okay, now do this with your mind, and now do this. And then it, like, comes into the calm, rather than starting with the calm, if that makes sense. Because we got to. We got to also go with the doa. We got to, like, work with the doa. So if your mind is going all over the place, going right to something that is, like, super, like, grounded and calm and stuff, it might not be as accessible. So we want to do something that's going to help you get there, if that makes sense.

Brilliant. So you started us with habits or behaviors that we can do. Rest and nervous system regulation. You gave us some good strategies. You said grounding, earthing, yoga nidra, meditation. I talked. I wrote a note here for myself of lying on your back with your legs up in the air.

Yeah. Lights up the wall. Yeah. Yeah, that's great. I mean, I've. I've said this before, but my favorite thing for nerd. I do this every morning. Like, I do a meditation lying down on my foam roller with the foam roller along my spine. So a lot of times people put it the other way. Like, it's, like, perpendicular to your spine, but this is like your spine is along the. The foam roller. And it just. It, like, opens. It very gently opens up your body, which in turn regulates your nervous system. If you're in, like, a contracted state, it, like, very gently opens it up. So not too forcefully, but it opens it up so that you can feel more like you're in a state of regulation. I love it.

That's so good. A couple more hacks for us, I'd love. You talked about caffeine in the beginning, and I'm really banking on this, the answer.

Okay, so unfortunately, it's not. I'm sure you could have guessed that.

You guys are gonna have to listen to the next episodes then to figure out which it is.

Totally. Yes. So for me, if I'm feeling this way, if I'm feeling. If I haven't had enough sleep, that's gonna cause, like, V depletion. If I haven't had enough sleep and, you know, haven't been nourishing myself with, like, really, like, actually, people think of nourishing as salads, too, but, like, salads are not nourishing. They are cleansing, but they're not nourishing. Nourishing are like oily like soups and, and root vegetables and things like that. So yeah, I, if I drink coffee during that I will just be wired and tired. I will still, I will not be any more awake. I will simply be like anxious, anxious and tired. So it is not, it is not helpful for this kind of lots of depletion and fatigue. The other thing about coffee that, that they say in Ayurveda is like it's borrowing energy from the next day. So it's gonna, in the long term it's gonna make you feel even more and more depleted.

Oh, I'm writing that down. Yeah, borrowing. And that's a good one. Tomorrow. Wow, that's really good. So what, what can I take or eat?

Yes. Okay, so with this vata depletion you want to be eating actually like grounding, grounding foods. So things like bone broth, things like root veggies, I love a grain bowl. I mean even like meats as long as they're like high quality, organic grass fed. All of that good stuff though I would say slow cooked as well. Slow cooked meats are going to be really, really nourishing. Like that's, that's got so many vitamins and minerals that, that is nourishing. It, it is building mass essentially. That's what kind of like nourishing is in, in Ayurveda versus like cleansing, detoxing, that kind of thing which is salads and stuff like that, which is really beneficial for other DOAs at other times. So we want to bring in those really grounding things. Now if you are like f you. I'm not giving you my coffee. Like I'm turning this podcast off. I totally get it. Some things that you can do especially if you're, you know, especially if you're drinking like a ton of coffee. I don't want you to just like go cold turkey, stop drinking coffee and then like have all of the, you know, headaches and the different things that can happen. So what I would do, what this is what I always do actually with, with coffee. I never drink it just plain, just black. I, I always add some, some fat to it. So for me I usually use coconut oil or not coconut oil, coconut cream or coconut milk, like canned coconut milk. Because that has like the, it's. If you're just going to use like coconut milk from, you know, from a carton or whatever that, that doesn't have that much fat in it but coconut cream, coconut milk, that from a can, I will add some of that. And that also that Also can be helpful for pizza. I'll talk about why that is too. You could also add like, you've heard of like bulletproof coffee. That is helpful because it doesn't, it doesn't create that, like that spike and crash that will make you feel more depleted. It will be more of a slow, slow release. And also eat food before you drink the coffee, please. Do you have the spots of depletion especially like please eat food first and drink water before your coffee too. Like please at least 8 ounces. I drink like 20 ounces of water before I. Or sometimes more than that, but before I drink coffee. If I'm going to drink coffee, I usually. It depends on the day for me.

What about. I'm thinking about cordyceps and I feel like cordyceps has been studied to be really good at immunomodulating. Like it's a balancer. So it doesn't stimulate the immune system or suppress the immune system. It modulates the immune system. And I've seen some research into how it could be also that way for our doshas. What is your take?

Yeah, totally. I think a lot of the adaptogenic mushrooms are going to be really helpful for vata. So you know, having like a. What are they called? Like four Sigmatic or. There's a really great brand called Rasa and it's a like coffee alternative. One of their coffees has a little, like one of their coffee alternatives has a little bit of coffee in it for when you're like weaning down. But they have like a blend of adaptogens in their. So adaptogens are really helpful for they, they help your body adapt. Exactly, yes. So yeah, so they're, they can be really helpful especially for that Vata. Vata depletion. But really for a lot of, a lot of different things with the doses too. Yeah.

I'm thinking like cordyceps, lion's mane. I'm thinking about Amala, which is tridosic. Right. So it balances all three and.

Huh.

Yes.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

My teacher called it Amala, but I also didn't know how to say Ayurveda either when I met you. Always default to what happens.

I could very, very well be saying it wrong. I don't know. I just try. Maybe you've only read it. I don't know.

Yeah. So a M L A.

Okay. Yeah, yeah. Amla.

And then.

And that's an Ayurvedic herb. Yeah, it.

Yeah, yes, it's from India.

And then all herbs are Ayurvedic. To be clear, all herbs are Ayurvedic. That one is specifically from India. A lot of times people think that, like, only the herbs from India are. But all of them are.

So maybe a little bit of that at nighttime. And so I have a dear friend, his name is Pranav Laud, and he taught me a lot before I met Hadley, who taught me 90% of what I know I learned from Hadley.

Well, his dad wrote the textbooks that I learned from with Ayurveda.

So he's such a kind, wonderful, brilliant person. And he taught me about how the best way to get is Ama amla or Amala is. Or trifala is a powder. And when you really need it and you're out of balance, it will taste bitter. And so it's best to put it in a little bit of water and to drink it as you could get that immediate biofeedback of do I need this or not? And then the longer you take it, the better it will taste. It'll start to taste less bitter, more like sawdust. And then you're done. Yeah. So you could do a little bit of that at night with maybe some ashwagandha. And that can help people relax. And it also, over time, will boost energy and vitality. And then in the morning, if you need something a little bit more stimulating, I'm thinking like we were talking about, like, the mushrooms, like, Hadley, you were giving us, like, good ideas on that. And then Panic's ginseng or Korean ginseng or otherwise called Asian ginseng is much more stimulating. And so you would do that in the early part of your day, maybe mix that with like a little bit of like maca or cordyceps that time, if you want. So those are like a couple of, like, quicker acts, like Panics is going to give you a little bit more of a boost in the moment. So instead of having a coffee, do like a cup of Panics tea. Totally.

Yeah. I also make, like matcha lattes, which has. That has caffeine, but it's a lower, a lower dose. And I also make it with milk because that is more of that nourishing quality. I mean, I make it with almond milk. I don't make it with dairy milk, but. And it has vanilla in it, which is lovely and also great for. For vata. Oh, I was going to say something else about herbs. Oh, golden milk is amazing.

Great idea. Golden milk. And it's so.

Yeah, it's so good. Yeah. I mean, you can find many, many, many gold Milk recipes online. And you could put, if you want to make it extra nourishing, like before bed if you're feeling really super, super, super depleted. Like, I would add, I would add some G. Or if you wake up hungry, I have a client right now who's, who started doing this and she was like, I, I've been waking up hungry at like 4am and I. And you know, we were talking about different things that you can do. And she started doing the golden milk with I think coconut oil. It was either coconut oil or ghee in it or she might have made it with canned coconut milk, whatever. All of these things have fat, which is the nourishing, the, the nourishing grounding thing that you need. And she was like, I have not woken up in the middle of the night hungry. I didn't do it like two nights when I got home from a trip. And I was like, why am I sleeping so poorly? And then she was like, oh, it's because I haven't been doing. I haven't been doing the golden milk thing. So like, that can be really beneficial as well.

This has been so amazing. I took like half a page of notes. Hadley, in this conversation, we talked about how to boost your energy in the short term and in the long term. And so you talked about getting to the root of the imbalanced dosha because you don't want to just stimulate the body. And so you talked about some habits, some nutritional changes, and then we threw in some supplements. I love that you mentioned the adaptogens. Some adaptogens take time and the benefits will kick in after six weeks or so. Some are a little bit more stimulating and faster, like panics. And so if you guys have any other thoughts or hacks or questions or ideas, let us know in the comments.

Totally. And the cool thing about all, like, pretty much all of the things that we talked about is they will give you more energy right now and as you continue to do them, they will build your energy more and more and more too. So like, win, win, win, win, win.

Win, win, win, win.

Yes.

So next up, you guys check out the other episodes. We have one about if you're more of a picha predominant or kapha. And so looking forward to learning more with you next time.

Yes. See you guys.

See you later. Bye. Hey, everyone.

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The.

Recording you just listened to consists of the personal opinions of Dr. Nicole Cain, a naturopathic doctor with a Master's in Clinical Psychology and Happy Healthy Hadley, an Ayurveda expert with a Master's in health, Behavior and Health Education. While these opinions are based upon literature, counseling, education, medical training, and clinical experience, this content should not be viewed as the definitive opinion on these subjects. Listening to this podcast is not a substitute for any sort of medical, psychological or other form of treatment. If you are in a Crisis, please call 911-OR call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255. If you are in need of counseling, don't hesitate to make an appointment with a counselor in your area. Dr. Nicole and Hadley are passionate about you becoming the expert of your own emotional and physical well being. If this resonates with you and you think this podcast would help someone you love, please share it with them. We look forward to seeing you on the next episode of the Holistic Inner Balance Podcast.

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