The positive side of Vata

The weather has turned, the vata is high, and there is an incredible sweetness in the air. It’s as if the door is officially closing on all that swept by us in summer and fall but just before this threshold is completely closed and locked (until next spring when, gods willing, it will open up again) we get a few final glimpses into what feels to me like a condensation of sunlight. The quality of light changes, right around now, to contain less heat but an altogether new quality of brilliance. And that effulgence seems to be locked in the leaves that change from green to gold, then rust and brown, but it lays itself along the dry grasses and bare hillsides as well.

It feels to me like a celebration of the immanent loss of the beauty of a season; almost like a funeral. There is sadness in the change but also gladness in the sensation of movement and the necessary renewal that takes us into a darker season. And a bitter-sweet taste in the knowing that we get to be a part of this unlikely festival of colors, flavors and sensations.

In this moment I’m reminded of—because I am in contact with—the positive qualities of vata. As a reminder, vata is one of three doshas or constitutional factors which is made up of air and ether, making it the lightest, driest and most mobile of the three. Vata is actually considered the cause of all disease and is present whenever there is pain. Because this season is light, dry and mobile (windy) by nature, we are in the heart of vata, particularly if you live in a place that is already windy, dry and especially elevated. And if you also happen to be of an older age you are also in the vata time of life. If you also happen to be in a planetary period ruled by a vata planet (Such as Saturn or Rahu) then you are really in for a whirlwind. Best to balance yourself by introducing opposing qualities: stability, weight, warmth. These are the qualities of kapha, the constitution that is primarily earth and water.

As I was saying, vata gets a bad rap but as with everything in nature it is not wholly “bad.” Not at all, in fact. The lightness and mobility of vata allow those under its influence to possess subtlety of perception, which is critical for any type of spiritual development. Vata is sensitive in general, and if this sensitivity can be directed in the right way can connect an individual with states of consciousness which require that we are a little less tethered to the material world. The lightness of mind also gives access to creativity and an unending flow of inspired ideas. The problems begin when these inspirations are not at all anchored in reality, because vata needs a place to land.

So the liabilities and assets of the season are basically synonymous with those of the vata constitution. There is potential for great creativity, subtlety of perception and deep meditative states as well as the possibility of getting blown around a bit too much and drying out mentally, physically or energetically. If you notice yourself lifting off into the ethers then tether yourself to the ground either through diet (heavier, oilier and saltier foods) or conscious contact with the material world in other ways. Avoid exposure to the wind as much as possible, as this can whip the mind into a frenzy.

But do enjoy the quiet that is accessible at this moment, even inside the bustle of the city. There is an internal quiet—and I dare say: surrender—as our bodies mirror the world outside which so beautifully consolidates its energy without neglecting to do so beautifully.