The Healing Winds of Vata

The Healing Winds of Vata
by Vicki Peterson

     Vata is the Sanskrit term for the fundamental biological principle of movement. Life dances on the five "winds" of Vata: Prana, Udana, Samana, Apana and Vyana. Extreme past experiences can twist these energies out of balance. The resultant imbalances are felt as spikes in the radial pulse under the Vata or index finger. The location of the spikes indicates which subdoshas of Vata need attention.
     Prana is the vital breath energy that governs the mind and breath. Abuse can literally scare the breath out of survivors. This was the first symptom I identified from my own childhood sexual abuse. When my son turned 16 I began feeling anxious in the shower. I just couldn't "breath right." I learned that I had been raped by my dad in the shower when I was 16 and had repressed it completely. When my son reached that age, fear was triggered. Now, if I notice my breathing isn't comfortable, I say, "I love myself when I'm afraid." Pranayama breathing techniques can also be very helpful for Prana imbalances, including chronic fatigue.
     Udana is the upward-moving energy in the throat and neck that governs expression. Keeping abuse secret devastates Udana, creating symptoms such as pain in the neck or throat, chronic sinus infections, the sensation of a lump in the throat, tentativeness or hoarseness in speech, biting the tongue, clenching the jaw, grinding the teeth. Breaking silence is the first step of healing.
     Crying is a good release for blocked Udana, as is singing. I sing in the car when I'm alone - playing with sound. My voice teacher showed me how to sing an "ng" sound with the tongue on the roof of the mouth, changing the size of the space inside my mouth. I can produce resonances that vibrate away tightness in my jaw and cause my sinuses to drain.
     Samana balances the upward and downward moving energies. It is the wind that blows on the digestive fire and sorts out waste products from nutrients at all levels of the physiology. Constantly choosing between that which is needed and that which is no longer useful, it discriminates between friend and foe. Externally that same function has to do with boundaries. Samana Vata is completely overloaded by childhood abuse, when a trusted adult who should be our friend acts as our enemy. Learning how to say no is a big step in healing those violated boundaries.
     For some survivors the body says no to everything. I believe this is one cause for environmental disease, where the body essentially comes to regard the environment as an enemy. Another symptom of Samana imbalance is gas, often alleviated by chewing a half teaspoon of fennel seeds after meals.

     The subdosha most directly affected by sexual abuse is Apana, the downward-moving energy located in the pelvic region. Direct symptoms of Apana imbalance include menstrual problems, endometriosis, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, lower back pain, sexual dysfunction and pelvic pain.
     A woman isn't grounded if the Apana energy isn't at home in the pelvis and the downward flow of elimination is redirected upwards. This reversed energy upsets digestion. Another Apana symptom is spaciness when the Prana needed in the mind for clear thinking travels downwards to help Apana.
     A hysterectomy indicates previous Apana imbalance. Surgery increases the imbalance which eventually expresses itself as lower back pain, elimination problems, etc. The good news is that Apana can be brought back into balance whether the uterus is there or not.
     Vata's nature is cold, dry, rough and quick. To be content, Apana Vata needs a home that has opposite qualities of warmth, unctuousness, and steadiness. An effective home remedy for Apana imbalance is to massage castor oil gently into the lower abdomen at night. Cover it with a flannel cloth and a hot water bottle.
     Every woman's health benefits from resting during menstruation. Rest protects the downward flow of Apana during that critical time of purification. For an elaboration on the value of synchronizing activity with women's cycles, read the new book A Woman's Best Medicine by Nancy Lonsdorf, M.D., Veronica Butler, M.D., and Melanie Bates, Ph.D.
     Vyana, "the diffusing breath," governs circulation and the nervous system. Fear aggravates this subdosha. Worry, obsessive thinking, dizziness, and sensations of inner movement accompany Vyana imbalance, indicating that Vata in general is out of control. The most important thing is to calm down. Vata can be soothed by meditation, by sesame oil self-massage, and by sipping hot water during the day. In addition, Vata pacifying teas, churnas (spice mixtures) and aromas are available.
     The most important Ayur-Vedic contribution to healing is the direct experience that at our core we are essentially unbounded and whole, no matter what we have survived in our journey so far.

Vicki Peterson is an Ayur-Vedic patient educator and Transcendental Meditation instructor with an office in the Haelen Center in Muncie.

Branches Volume 7, No. 2, May-June, 1994