HOW VATA PUSHES PITTA/ BLOCKS PITTA/PUSHES KAPHA AND HOW KAPHA BLOCKS PITTA/VATA AND THEIR ASTROLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE/REMEDY

The interaction in-between the three forces of Ayurveda is what defines human physiology making each one of us different and also prone to different diseases. This blog will discuss these interactions along with the vulnerability to specific diseases and their astrological perspective, under the following heads:-

• Vata pushing pitta
• Vata blocking pitta
• Vata pushing kapha
• Vata blocking Kapha
• Kapha blocking pitta and vata
• Kapha depositing over Vata

A quick/easy way to visualize the three forces of Ayurveda is by visualizing the flow of electricity through a network of electrical cables running parallel to each other where pitta is the equivalent to the current flowing through the cables and Vata is the cables or the channels themselves through which pitta flows. More the amount of vata (channels or cables), more will be the pitta (current) gushing through. Vata also means lesser amount of blood flowing through the blood vessels leading to lesser nutrition reaching the tissues making them relatively weaker which usually happens either because of narrowing of vessels or their zigzag (wrinkled) constitution or both. And Pitta can also be visualized as the speed of circulation of blood.

Watch the video by clicking on this link, for clear visualization of Vata Pitta and Kapha where simple principles of electricity have been used to explain the three forces of Ayurveda for the first time.

***This post is an extract from the book THE ROOT CAUSE- Ayurveda, Astrology and beyond for a blissful life”. To pick up a copy of the book, please click the link/s mentioned at the end of this post ⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓

VATA PUSHING PITTA

When vata goes high, pitta rushes through vata, thus burning the area (in electrical terms this phenomenon happens since current moves to the area of least resistance). Vata constipation is a classic example of this phenomenon when intestines, which are the seat of vata become so high on vata that pitta rushes through them drying up that area. Usually such a phenomenon is in bouts of loose motion and constipation referred to as IBS. When pitta goes high it leads to loose motions resulting in pitta getting tired. So pitta goes low and then it leads to constipation creating a cycle exactly the way the pitta oscillates on high vata in the brain leading to bipolar disorder with person oscillating in between hyper and depressed mind. Even burning sensation is because of this phenomenon.

Astrological perspective

From Astro angle, vata is saturn and pitta is sun and that’s why sun and saturn are considered to be enemies and shouldn’t be located together or aspecting each other in a birth chart else this is likely to burn that aspect of the person where they meet. Even rahu means high Vata pitta. The remedy is to increase blood towards the specific part of the body with right foods/yogasanas and avoid highly pungent foods.

**But it is important to know the rules of doing yogasanas for deriving right fruits. Read this blog for the same ⇒ UNDERSTANDING THE SCIENCE BEHIND YOGA (YOGASANA/PRANAYAMA) AND DANGERS OF DOING THEM WRONGLY!!!

VATA BLOCKING PITTA

When vata goes too high, pitta rushes there and burns the area. The result is that pitta is not able to move further or moves lesser than desired. In electrical terms this phenomenon happens when a short circuit takes place where due to poor resistance (i.e. too many channels), excess pitta reaches there and burns the area leading to total blocking of current beyond the point of short circuit (that’s how when a short circuit takes place in cable supplying wire to an equipment, the equipment stops running since it stops getting current/pitta). 

There is another way too where Vata blocks Pitta. This is when Vata becomes so high in the body that pitta gets tired as the blood circulation becomes highly obstructed due to haywire or wrinkled blood vessels. This can easily be felt in the pulse of a high Vata personality where Pitta looks too feeble. Such phenomenon can be seen in people with old age and/or having diseases like fibromyalgia, heart failure…

Depression/Alzheimer’s are classic example of Vata blocking pitta where due to paucity of blood towards the brain  due to excessively high vata, pitta stops reaching the reaching the intended place, resulting in loss of senses and inability to feel excited/happy (refer figure 1.2 B). Other examples are numbness in the body, paralysis.

THE CAUSE OF NATURAL DEATH

When vata blocks pitta and if pitta becomes low or tired due to high vata, it reduces all sensations and functioning of organs including heart and brain ultimately leading to death. When vata (or say blood) is equally (or say ideally) distributed in the body, it blocks pitta uniformly leading to multiple organ failure leading to natural and painless death. Such a death in today’s world where vata is balance in the entire body, is getting rarer because of indiscreet use of vasodilating foods like tea/coffee/chocolate/onion/garlic/liquor/tobacco/beetroot/broccoli and allopathic high BP meds. Even ayurvedic medicines if used indiscreetly can cause vata imbalance in the body.

Astrological perspective

Astrologically, Rahu is said to be eclipsing sun. In fact it is nothing but the phenomenon of pitta (sun) getting blocked by very high vata (rahu) so much so that pitta or sun which communicates thoughts/stored intelligence and also helps in processing them to make new information/knowledge, gets blocked. That’s why it is said that Rahu when too high, blocks intelligence and more specifically wisdom. The remedy for such cases is again abstinence from foods which increase rahu (meaning all vasodilating foods e.g onion, garlic, tea, coffee, chocolates, liquor, tobacco, capsicum, mint extracts, menthal) and performing yogasanas to increase blood flow towards brain.

VATA BLOCKING KAPHA

When Vata goes too high, low Pitta and consumption of excess Kapha (most likely due to imbalanced Prana Vata pushing Kapha as mentioned above) may start blocking Kapha leading to stagnation of lymph and other fluids in the body thereby resulting in obesity and elephantiasis type of situation if the specific part of the body get affected. As such Vasodilating foods and medicine increase more kapha towards lower body thereby increasing chances of accumulation of polluted kapha in the lower body  being further pushed by high Prana Vata as discussed above. OCD is a typical example where Kapha gets blocked inside high Vata leading to same thoughts coming again and again further boosted by Pitta.

Astrological Perspective

Astrologically debilitated Jupiter (Jupiter in Capricorn) signifies this phenomenon. This is because Jupiter (kapha with low Pitta) gets blocked by cold energy of Saturn’s zodiac number ten (especially at 5 degree when Jupiter’s zodiac has just ended and saturn’s has just begun). The best way to get rid of this phenomenon is to increase Pitta through “deepan Pachan” medicines/herbs like ginger, black pepper, Trikatu while ensuring that all actions that imbalance Prana Vata thereby pushing Kapha are removed from food/lifestyle. 

VATA PUSHING KAPHA (due to excess Prana vata- the vata of brain)

When brain goes too high on vata (i.e. Prana vata) due to lesser blood vis a vis the lower body (again due to vasodilating foods as mentioned above), it can push the person to eat more to feed the brain as less of nutrition is reaching the brain due to lesser blood. The result is lower body which needs less food, keeps getting food more than required. That’s how Vata (of the mind) pushes Kapha in the body. The anxious minds who eat a lot and keep adding weight (termed as couch potatoes) are classic examples of this case. This phenomenon leads to issues like:-

(a) Addiction to vasodilating foods because anxious mind looks for those foods which give temporary relief further adding more vata in the upper body (mind) vis a vis the lower and taking the person into a vicious circle.

(b) Addiction to dense energy foods (usually devoid of fiber) like non-veg, fermented cheese, refined floor, fried snacks– This is because anxious mind which is high on vata looks for those foods which settle vata. However in the bargain this further adds more kapha in the lower body.

(c) Kapha Constipation since kapha blocks movement of the intestine- remember this constipation is different from constipation due to Vata pushing pitta and 

(d)  Many other diseases like Piles/PCOD/Endometrium thickness/high cholesterol/ hypertension /diabetes due to excess kapha in the lower body leading to blockage of vata and accumulation of toxins.

First and foremost, one should remove the cause of the imbalance i.e. vasodilating foods as mentioned above and then pacify prana vata by giving medicines like Manas mitra/Medha vati in the night. Once brains vata settles due to more blood reaching there, it will stop asking for those foods which give it a kick i.e.  very sour, sweet, pungent, salty and bitter . It has to be understood that kapha pacifying herbs alone will not be able to cure such cases as herbs like guggul/triphla which are used for PCOD (as they relieve kapha), will increase the vata of the upper body which is already high. It is therefore important that yogasanas which would permanently increase blood towards the upper body and reduce from the lower are performed by the patient like headstand, half headstands. It is also important that while performing such asanas, the blood in the body is not acidic and is rather slightly sweet and astringent as astringency when taken towards upper body will widen the blood vessels permanently and sweetness will feed the cells which were not getting proper food for long thereby permanently setting vata.

Astrological perspective

Placement of vata planets in the first house like Saturn and Rahu with no support of kapha planet (and in vata supporting zodiac) and that of kapha planets in the lower (Jupiter, Ketu) can lead to such a phenomenon. Abstinence from vasodilating foods as mentioned above is the key to avoid this phenomenon. Also calming down mind with meditation, headstands, Harepose, pranayama helps to keep Prana vata (of mind) under control.

KAPHA BLOCKING PITTA AND VATA

When kapha goes too high it is bound to block pitta from travelling through channels. In fact it can even block the channels themselves too which is kapha blocking vata. PCOD, hypothyroidism, high BP (kapha types), sluggishness and kapha depression/constipation/high cholesterol/thick blood are some classic examples of this case.

Astrological perspective

Placement of kapha planets like Jupiter, Venus and that too in kapha supporting zodiac in the first house (brain) can lead to such issues especially if both the planets are sitting together (or aspecting) along with weak placement of Sun (pitta). Adherence to kapha pacifying diet (in line with kapha pyramid) will help such people a great deal. Also such people should get into vigorous exercise without straining their joints.

*** Do check out this blog to know how to pacify high kapha…AYURVEDIC FOOD PYRAMIDS-Part II- THE RIGHT WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT/ GAIN HEALTH

KAPHA DEPOSITING OVER VATA

Kapha and vata are two opposite forces in a way however there can be a case where kapha and vata can coexist in the same place. This is when vata has changed the structure of channels (due to paucity of blood/high pitta) i.e. haywire movement but subsequently pitta has reduced (but not vata) thereby depositing kapha over the haywire channels (refer figure 1.2 C). This kind of condition can lead to issues like cancer. (Infact usually Vata pushing kapha leads to this phenomenon of kapha depositing over vata..Please read this blog to understand how) ⇓

VISUALIZING TRIDOSHIC NATURE OF CANCER !! INSIGHT FROM AYURVEDIC AND ASTROLOGY PERSPECTIVE WITH PREVENTION / CURE / MANAGEMENT TIPS

Astrological perspective

Astrologically there could be many combinations that could lead to this type of condition which you would understand in detail from the article on cancer (link captured above). However on a brief note when a person enters the dasha (main period) of Budh (mercury) after saturn’s , his/her state of wiring of the brain, can be compared with that of figure 1.2 c where VPK all three are equal where K depicts storage, P the processor and V the RAM. As venus sets in, the sourness and sweetness encapsulates vata even more which may lead to cancer in case vata was too high on which kapha and pseudokapha was depositing. While this is a natural phenomenon towards the evolution of one’s soul, if one’s phase of mercury/venus is very harmful/painful, the only way to go back to figure 1.2a is by pushing astringency and sweetness towards the affected part. So if one has high vata towards upper body, then would need to invert after having these tastes.

Lastly, it is quite easy to visualize that high Prana Vata accompanied by high Pitta push Kapha in the overall body thereby creating more Vata in the long run, as once Vata goes too high and high Pitta in high Vata starts creating unrest, the person in question starts reducing Pitta which doesn’t let Kapha dissolve itself (or say Kapha starts blocking Pitta and even Vata i.e. movement). And kapha with low pitta leads to toxin formation which in turn creates more Vata thereby taking the person into a vicious circle. High Vata in the basic constitution adds fuel to fire thereby further increasing Vata. Thus the bottom line is that a person who has Vata mind (i.e. high Prana Vata) and has a tendency to get pushed towards Prana Vata imbalance, should totally stay away from those foods which can further increase Vata and Prana Vata like excess of Pitta and bitter and astringent foods. This is the reason that in today’s world when such foods are being used indiscreetly, serious and debilitating diseases like fibromyalgia, CHF, cancer, insomnia, depression, alzhiemers, parkinsons are on the rise. All in all, one must learn to live with one’s basic constitution which can easily be understood by reading one’s birth chart.   

To understand how Ayurveda and astrology are inseparable, pl click here.