Why Slowing Down Is the Only Way Back to Yourself
And Why "Opposites Attract" Might Be Keeping You Out of Balance
There’s an old song that found its way back to me this week.
One of those melodies that loops not just in the mind, but in the heart.
It reminded me how vulnerable it feels to be wide open—
To want peace.
To want love.
To want purpose.
But when you’re wide open, aren’t you also exposed?
And in that exposure, there’s a deep temptation to fill the space with something—or someone—entirely opposite to what we feel we lack.
This time, a quiet realization came over me:
To find peace, I must be at peace.
To find love, I must love.
To find purpose, I must live with purpose.
The idea that "opposites attract" might work in magnetism, but in our internal world, especially when we’re trying to heal or realign, opposites can create more confusion than clarity.
Opposites May Attract – But They Rarely Heal
In Ayurveda, we are more than our bodies. We are a microcosm of the greater macrocosm.
Your inner world reflects your outer world—and vice versa.
That means:
👉 Being constantly surrounded by people, energies, or environments that are opposite to your nature can pull you out of your own center.
👉 This is not a judgment, but a call for awareness.
Your Dosha—Vata, Pitta, or Kapha—represents your physical and emotional constitution.
But equally important is your Guna—Sattva, Rajas, or Tamas—your mental and spiritual quality.
The Difference Between Doshas and Gunas
Doshas shape our body, energy, digestion, immunity, and emotional tendencies.
Gunas influence how we think, feel, perceive the world, make decisions, and stay true to our values.
While Doshas are more physical, and Gunas more mental or spiritual, they are deeply interconnected. A disturbed dosha will affect your mental state. And a clouded mind (guna imbalance) will reflect in your body—through fatigue, stress, inflammation, or confusion.
This is where true Ayurveda begins:
Not in diet charts. Not in herbal teas.
But in understanding how we live, what we think, who we surround ourselves with, and how aligned we are with our dharma.
Understanding the Three Gunas
🟢 Sattva – The Guna of Clarity, Harmony & Light
Sattva brings peace, compassion, balance, and awareness.
It governs truthfulness, joy, love, and wisdom.
Those with dominant Sattva can remain grounded even in chaos. They hold their center, not because life is easy—but because they’ve cultivated stillness within.
Sattva is also the guna of healing, as it clears the fog between body and soul.
🔴 Rajas – The Guna of Drive, Passion & Movement
Rajas fuels action, ambition, desires, and restlessness.
It’s the guna that makes us move forward, seek change, chase goals—but it can also lead to burnout, anxiety, and overthinking if not balanced.
Rajas is necessary to achieve Dharma in the material world. But without Sattva’s clarity, it can become chaotic.
⚫ Tamas – The Guna of Stillness, Inertia & Form
Tamas is heaviness, inertia, forgetfulness, and darkness.
It governs sleep, stability, and form—but when excessive, it leads to lethargy, depression, and resistance to change.
Yet, Tamas is not “bad.”
We need it to rest, ground, and heal.
Even the most sattvic soul must embrace Tamas at times.
There Are No "Bad" Gunas – Only Imbalance
One of the biggest misunderstandings in spiritual growth is to treat Tamas or Rajas as “lesser” than Sattva.
But Ayurveda doesn’t work with shame or comparison.
Each Guna has a role to play depending on your life phase, season, challenge, and Dharma.
A warrior needs Rajas to protect.
A caregiver may need Tamas to slow down and offer grounding.
A healer, guide, or teacher may lean into Sattva to illuminate others.
What matters most is:
👉 Do you know which Guna is dominating you?
👉 Do you feel in alignment with your higher self—or constantly reacting to your environment?
Why Being Surrounded by Opposites Can Derail You
When your natural constitution (dosha + guna) is surrounded by its exact opposite, it may feel exciting at first—but over time, it causes energetic dissonance.
Think of a Vata-dominant creative in a corporate, Pitta-heavy setting. Or a Kapha soul forced into a Rajas-driven hustle culture.
You might “function” on the outside.
But on the inside, your nervous system is overstimulated, your digestion may be out of sync, and your values begin to blur.
Only those with a strong Sattva anchor can hold their alignment in any space.
But even then—it takes practice, ritual, and conscious slowing down.
How to Cultivate Sattva and Reconnect with Your Center
Sattva isn't a personality trait.
It’s a practice.
You cultivate Sattva by choosing clarity over chaos, presence over reaction, purpose over distraction.
And most importantly—by slowing down.
🌿 5 Ways to Slow Down Based on Your Dosha
🌬️ For Vata (Air & Ether – Creative, Sensitive, Anxious):
Gentle yin yoga and long holds
Warm sesame oil self-massage (Abhyanga)
Writing in a gratitude journal before bed
Listening to soft, earthy music
Cooking warm, spiced meals with ghee
🔥 For Pitta (Fire & Water – Driven, Intense, Focused):
Moonlight walks or stargazing
Sheetali pranayama or cooling breath
Watercolor painting or creative play
Eating mindfully (no screens!) with bitter greens
Watching fire or candlelight mindfully in silence
🌱 For Kapha (Earth & Water – Calm, Steady, Nurturing):
Morning cardio (walk, dance, brisk yoga)
Aromatherapy with ginger or citrus oils
Creative planning: vision boards, mapping goals
Inviting light-hearted conversations
Eating light, spicy meals to activate energy
Ayurveda Is More Than Herbs – It's a Path to Purpose
Most people think Ayurveda is just about herbs and digestion.
But it is so much more. It’s a philosophy. A psychology. A path to living in harmony with your Dharma.
It teaches you not just what to eat, but how to live.
I guide my clients and community not only to understand their Doshas and Gunas, but to feel them—
To see how their body, breath, and emotions speak.
To create daily rituals that support their purpose, not just their productivity.
🌼 Ready to reconnect with yourself?
🌿 Take my 90 minutes Dosha Assessment to discover your Ayurvedic mind-body type. Receive a detailed 5 pages long Report and Therapy Plan. Last but not least benefit from a 30 min. follow up call. Trust me, these 200 EUR are more than well spend!
🌿 Already know your Dosha but feel stuck or off-track? Book a personalized 60 minutes Healing Consultation with me, where we go deeper into your Dosha + Guna profile and create healing and self-growth with every session.
👉 Explore more at www.soulveda.art
