Want a Formula for Living Well?
Prema Yoga Institute’s Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy Course Simplifies It
By Elspeth Lodge, RYT-200 and course graduate
What is the recipe for a life of thriving?
How should we rest, eat, work, and socialize in a way that truly nourishes both body and mind?
Searching for the “right” lifestyle formula can feel overwhelming. But what if the answer isn’t about finding a universal blueprint — it’s about understanding your own nature?
My introduction to Ayurveda through the Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy Course at Prema Yoga Institute showed me that living well doesn’t have to be complicated. It begins with awareness.
By understanding our mental and physical tendencies — and learning how to gently balance them — we empower ourselves to show up in our most effective state. And effective doesn’t mean perfect. It means being our best selves within the context of our lives.
Study Yourself First
Ayurveda encourages us to view everything in context — including ourselves.
The first step is discovering our current state of being, or vikriti. This reflects how our energies are expressing themselves right now.
According to Ayurvedic philosophy, three primary energies — the doshas — govern our physical and mental tendencies:
Kapha (earth + water)
Pitta (fire + water)
Vata (air + ether)
Each dosha corresponds to specific characteristics. Most people lean toward one or two, while an even balance of all three is rare.
A foundational principle you learn in the course is simple but powerful:
Like increases like.
Opposites create balance.
For example, someone with a dominant Kapha nature may feel lethargic, heavy, or cold when out of balance. Naturally, they may gravitate toward grounding, restorative yoga — something calm and cooling.
But because Kapha already contains grounding, cooling energy, what they may truly need is heat, movement, and circulation — activities that stimulate fire (Pitta) and air (Vata) to restore balance.
This shift in perspective changes everything. We begin to see our tendencies not as flaws, but as information.
Establish Routines That Support Balance
From this awareness comes dinacharya — a daily routine designed to balance our dominant dosha(s).
Each person’s “prescription,” or chikitsa, is unique. It considers:
Lifestyle and schedule
Socioeconomic factors
Family dynamics
Physical and mental health
Climate and environment
Time of day
Balance is always achieved through opposites.
If a Vata-dominant person eats cold, dry fruit in the winter, they may benefit from replacing it with something warm and moist, like oatmeal. If sleep is disrupted, we might introduce calming rituals or reduce screen time. If we aren’t taking enough time for self-care because of a busy schedule, how can we easily work that in? It could be something as simple as making subtle adjustments — even leaving our body oil where we can see it after a shower — so the habit becomes natural rather than neglected.
Ayurveda doesn’t demand perfection. It encourages consistency.
Small adjustments — repeated daily — can create profound change.
Don’t Strive for Perfection
One of the most powerful lessons I learned was that balance is not something we perfect — it’s something we tend.
Our routines shouldn’t confine us. They should support us as life shifts and changes.
For me, this became clear through Abhyanga, the practice of self-oil massage. The ritual slowed me down, nourishing both body and mind through intentional care.
During Abhyanga, I began speaking to myself the way I would speak to a friend. Any sharp internal criticism softened.
That kindness rippled outward. When I nurtured myself, I showed up more vibrant and steady for others.
Balance Is Something We Tend
During the course, a metaphor surfaced that has stayed with me: we are like sourdough starters.
A starter — the living culture that makes bread rise — visibly responds to its environment. Temperature, feeding schedule, timing — all of it matters. Neglect it, and it grows sluggish. Care for it consistently, and it becomes active and resilient.
Our internal energies behave the same way. When we abandon the small routines of our dinacharya, we may feel slightly off at first — and more unbalanced over time. But when we reintroduce care, even in small ways, balance returns.
If the weather changes, you adjust how you feed a starter.
If your environment changes, you adjust your routines.
Balance isn’t fixed — it’s tended.
My own starter once belonged to a friend who passed away in a car accident. Being entrusted with it felt significant. I fed it carefully. I paid attention to what it needed to be in balance.
What surprised me was realizing I hadn’t always treated myself with that same care.
Ayurveda shifted that perspective.
Now, no matter how full my day is, I pause and ask:
Am I in the right environment to thrive?
If not, what small adjustment can I make?
The Big Takeaways
The Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy Course at Prema Yoga Institute provides concrete tools to see ourselves — and others — through a new lens.
It teaches us:
To understand ourselves in context
To identify our energetic tendencies
To balance through small, sustainable changes
To show up more vibrantly in our own lives
Having experienced this firsthand, I can say with confidence: living well doesn’t require perfection. Sometimes the smallest daily adjustments create the greatest transformation.
And when we care for ourselves consistently, the positivity ripples outward — into our families, our communities, and the world around us.
Care to learn more about Ayurveda? Our Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy Training is offered every year as part of our Yoga Therapy Certification and 300 hour Yoga Alliance Certification. Check it out here!
Please note that blogs do not constitute or replace medical advice.