Latest / Ayurveda: One Bite at a Time / Episode 9 — Prakriti & Vikriti: Remembering Who You Truly Are

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Episode 9 — Prakriti & Vikriti: Remembering Who You Truly Are · Ayurveda: One Bite at a Time

0:18
SPEAKER_00: Have you ever looked at an old photograph of yourself?
0:21
SPEAKER_00: One where you looked completely alive.
0:24
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you were laughing, maybe you were outdoors, maybe there was just something in your eyes that felt like you.
0:33
SPEAKER_00: And then you catch yourself wondering, what the heck happened to that version of me?
0:39
SPEAKER_00: Maybe life became busy.
0:41
SPEAKER_00: Maybe illness arrived.
0:43
SPEAKER_00: Maybe grief found its way into your story.
0:46
SPEAKER_00: Maybe responsibilities slowly piled higher and higher until somewhere along the way you stop recognizing yourself.
0:55
SPEAKER_00: If you've ever had that feeling, I want you to know you're not alone.
0:59
SPEAKER_00: And more importantly, Ayurveda has something incredibly hopeful to say about it.
1:04
SPEAKER_00: Today we're going to explore two Sanskrit words that completely change the way that I understand healing.
1:10
SPEAKER_00: Prakrut and Vikruti.
1:13
SPEAKER_00: One describes who you were created to be.
1:17
SPEAKER_00: The other describes what's happening right now.
1:20
SPEAKER_00: Learning the difference?
1:22
SPEAKER_00: It may be one of the most compassionate gifts Ayurveda has to offer.
1:27
SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to Ayurveda One Bite at a Time, where we explore ancient wisdom for modern life.
1:33
SPEAKER_00: One bite, one habit, and one small shift at a time.
1:37
SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Tara Barnes, Ayurvedic Health Coach, Digestive Specialist, author of One Bite at a Time, Programs and Growth Manager at the Ancient Way, and a lifelong educator with more than 20 years of experience helping people learn, grow, and create lasting change.
1:53
SPEAKER_00: Today I get to combine that passion for teaching with my love of Ayurveda, translating more than 5,000 years of ancient wisdom into simple, practical habits that anyone can begin using right away.
2:05
SPEAKER_00: No previous experience required.
2:08
SPEAKER_00: My hope is that every episode leaves you feeling a little more connected to your body, a little more curious, and a little more empowered than when you press play.
2:16
SPEAKER_00: I'm so grateful you're here.
2:18
SPEAKER_00: Let's dive in.
2:20
SPEAKER_00: Before we go further, everything you hear on this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only.
2:27
SPEAKER_00: It isn't medical advice, and it isn't meant to diagnose, treat, or replace care from a qualified healthcare provider.
2:34
SPEAKER_00: Ayurveda pairs beautifully alongside modern medicine, so please check with your doctor before changing your health routine, especially if you're pregnant, managing a health condition, or taking medication.
2:47
SPEAKER_00: Over the past eight episodes, we've been building our understanding of Ayurveda one concept at a time.
2:54
SPEAKER_00: We've explored what Ayurveda is, we've learned that like increases like and opposites create balance, we've discovered the language of qualities, and we've explored Agni, Ama, the doshas, and most recently the three qualities of the mind, sattva, rajas, and tamas.
3:13
SPEAKER_00: Each of those teachings has been answering a different question.
3:17
SPEAKER_00: How do we understand the world?
3:19
SPEAKER_00: How do we understand the body?
3:21
SPEAKER_00: How do we understand the mind?
3:24
SPEAKER_00: Today, we're going to answer an even more personal question.
3:29
SPEAKER_00: How do we understand ourselves?
3:32
SPEAKER_00: I want you to imagine something with me.
3:35
SPEAKER_00: Picture a full moon on a clear night, bright, whole, unmistakable.
3:43
SPEAKER_00: Now, imagine that clouds roll in, thick and gray, covering the sky completely.
3:50
SPEAKER_00: Now, if you'd never seen that moon before, you might think the sky was simply gray and that this was all there ever was up there.
3:59
SPEAKER_00: But the moon hasn't changed.
4:02
SPEAKER_00: It's still full, still round, still exactly where it's always been.
4:07
SPEAKER_00: It's simply hidden behind something moving through the sky.
4:12
SPEAKER_00: And sure enough, given time, the wind carries those clouds onward, and there she is again, the moon.
4:20
SPEAKER_00: Not because she changed, but because whatever was covering moved on.
4:27
SPEAKER_00: That, to me, is one of the most beautiful illustrations of Prakruti and Vikruti.
4:33
SPEAKER_00: The Sanskrit word prakriti refers to your original nature.
4:38
SPEAKER_00: Think of it as your unique blueprint, the qualities you were born with, your natural constitution, your body's original design.
4:47
SPEAKER_00: It's beautifully unique.
4:49
SPEAKER_00: Just as no two fingerprints are exactly alike, neither are two Prakrutis.
4:55
SPEAKER_00: Some people naturally move through life with abundant creativity and spontaneity, and others are naturally steady and grounded.
5:04
SPEAKER_00: Some are naturally organized and focused, and others are deeply nurturing and patient.
5:09
SPEAKER_00: None of these qualities are better than the others.
5:12
SPEAKER_00: They're simply different expressions of nature.
5:15
SPEAKER_00: When Ayurveda talks about discovering your constitution, it's talking about remembering this original blueprint.
5:21
SPEAKER_00: Not becoming someone else, remembering who you've always been.
5:27
SPEAKER_00: Now let's talk about Vikruti.
5:29
SPEAKER_00: If Prakruti is your original blueprint, Vikruti is your current experience.
5:35
SPEAKER_00: It's what's happening today.
5:37
SPEAKER_00: It's how stress, the seasons, relationships, food, sleep, work, illness, and life itself have influenced that original blueprint.
5:49
SPEAKER_00: Think about your own life.
5:51
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're naturally calm, but lately you've been feeling anxious.
5:56
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're usually energetic, but recently you felt exhausted.
6:00
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you've always been patient, but right now you notice yourself becoming frustrated much more easily.
6:06
SPEAKER_00: Like every little thing is working your nerves.
6:10
SPEAKER_00: Those experiences matter, but according to Ayurveda, they aren't necessarily who you are.
6:16
SPEAKER_00: They're just what's happening.
6:17
SPEAKER_00: That distinction gave me so much hope because if something is happening, it can also change.
6:24
SPEAKER_00: This teaching met me exactly at the right time in my life.
6:28
SPEAKER_00: There was a season when I truly believed that my symptoms were my identity.
6:33
SPEAKER_00: I thought, I have digestive problems, that's just me.
6:37
SPEAKER_00: I have anxiety, that's just me.
8:21
SPEAKER_00: I'm tired all the time.
8:23
SPEAKER_00: That's just me.
8:25
SPEAKER_00: Little by little those descriptions became the way that I introduced myself to my own mind.
8:30
SPEAKER_00: I leaned way too hard into those symptoms that had become a diagnosis.
8:35
SPEAKER_00: Ayurveda gently interrupted that story, and it reminded me that while my symptoms were real, they weren't the whole story.
8:43
SPEAKER_00: There was still a healthy, vibrant person underneath everything and underneath everything that I was experiencing.
8:51
SPEAKER_00: Healing wasn't about becoming someone new.
8:54
SPEAKER_00: It was about uncovering someone who had been there all along.
8:58
SPEAKER_00: And that realization filled me with more hope than almost anything else I'd encountered, because if my true nature was still there, then maybe healing wasn't as impossible as I'd once believed.
9:11
SPEAKER_00: Let's pause for a quick intermission.
9:14
SPEAKER_00: A few clouds passing in front of our own conversation for just a moment.
9:18
SPEAKER_00: But don't worry, they'll clear right up.
9:21
SPEAKER_00: If today's episode has you wondering what your own precruiti actually looks like underneath everything life has piled on top of it, that's exactly the kind of thing we uncover together in a Brightside Wellness Cult.
9:33
SPEAKER_00: Head over and grab a spot on my calendar for a free discovery call.
9:37
SPEAKER_00: One-on-one, no generic meal plans, just a real look at your constitution and a few sustainable next steps.
9:45
SPEAKER_00: And if you'd rather curl up with this conversation instead of just listening to it, my book, One Bite at a Time, is available on Amazon.
9:53
SPEAKER_00: Consider it the print version of this podcast, minus the mid-roll, though I promise the writing has just as much heart.
10:00
SPEAKER_00: If today's episode about remembering who you truly are struck a chord, I also want to tell you about something close to my own heart.
10:08
SPEAKER_00: The Sovereign Within, one of the ancient ways offerings that I help guide alongside alongside Ananta Ripa Azimera and Cheryl Montanez.
10:18
SPEAKER_00: It's built to do exactly what we talked about today.
10:22
SPEAKER_00: Help you come home to yourself.
10:24
SPEAKER_00: Underneath whatever life has covered you in.
10:28
SPEAKER_00: If you're curious but not ready for the full seven-session arc, there's a sample session available, completely free, complimentary, a gentle first taste of the work.
10:38
SPEAKER_00: I've experienced it myself, and I can tell you honestly, it helped me find my own moon behind the clouds again.
10:45
SPEAKER_00: You'll find links to book a free discovery call with me, grab the book, or check out a sovereign within sample session, alongside more details at theancientway.co in today's show notes.
10:58
SPEAKER_00: Now, let's get back to today's conversation.
11:03
SPEAKER_00: One of the reasons I love this teaching so much is because it completely changes the questions we ask ourselves.
11:09
SPEAKER_00: Instead of saying, why am I like this?
11:13
SPEAKER_00: We begin asking, What might have brought me here?
11:17
SPEAKER_00: Instead of believing, I've always been anxious, we become curious.
11:23
SPEAKER_00: Have I been living in a way that has encouraged more vata?
11:27
SPEAKER_00: Instead of saying, I'm just an angry person, we wonder, has my inner fire been burning a little too hot lately?
11:36
SPEAKER_00: Do you hear the difference?
11:38
SPEAKER_00: One question closes the door, the other opens it.
11:43
SPEAKER_00: One assumes that our story's finished.
11:46
SPEAKER_00: The other reminds us that healing is still possible.
11:50
SPEAKER_00: Ayurveda doesn't deny our current experience.
11:53
SPEAKER_00: It simply refuses to let that experience become our identity.
11:59
SPEAKER_00: I often think about Prakriti and Vikruti like a beautiful river.
12:04
SPEAKER_00: Imagine a clear mountain stream.
12:06
SPEAKER_00: The water flows naturally and it knows exactly where it's going.
12:10
SPEAKER_00: Now imagine that a storm rolls through.
12:13
SPEAKER_00: Branches fall into the water, leaves collect, mud clouds the current, and for a while the river looks completely different.
12:22
SPEAKER_00: But underneath all of that, it's still the same river.
12:27
SPEAKER_00: Its nature hasn't disappeared.
12:30
SPEAKER_00: It's simply become temporarily obscured.
12:35
SPEAKER_00: Healing isn't about creating a brand new river.
12:39
SPEAKER_00: It's about gently removing what no longer belongs there so the water can flow freely again.
12:48
SPEAKER_00: I think the same is true for us.
12:51
SPEAKER_00: Life happens, stress happens, illness happens, loss happens, responsibilities pile up.
12:59
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we become so identified with those experiences that we forget there is something steady beneath them.
13:07
SPEAKER_00: Ayurveda gently reminds us to look a little deeper.
13:14
SPEAKER_00: People sometimes ask me why I chose Ayurveda instead of just simply studying nutrition.
13:20
SPEAKER_00: The answer is actually quite simple.
13:23
SPEAKER_00: Nutrition helped me understand food.
13:26
SPEAKER_00: Ayurveda helped me understand myself.
13:29
SPEAKER_00: It gave me a framework that honored my symptoms without reducing me to them.
13:34
SPEAKER_00: It acknowledged that my struggles were real, but it also reminded me they're not permanent.
13:41
SPEAKER_00: That was incredibly freeing.
13:43
SPEAKER_00: Instead of constantly asking how do I fix myself, I began asking how do I support my body in remembering its natural balance?
13:52
SPEAKER_00: Those are two very different questions.
13:54
SPEAKER_00: One comes from fear, the other comes from trust.
13:58
SPEAKER_00: And I can honestly tell you, learning to trust my body again has been one of the greatest gifts of my healing journey.
14:05
SPEAKER_00: I think it's important to pause here and say something that I hope you'll carry with you throughout this entire podcast.
14:11
SPEAKER_00: Ayurveda is not asking us to become perfect.
14:14
SPEAKER_00: In fact, perfect isn't an Ayurveda goal at all.
14:18
SPEAKER_00: Balance is dynamic.
14:20
SPEAKER_00: It changes with the seasons, with our age, with our relationships, with our work, with our responsibilities.
14:27
SPEAKER_00: Some days we'll feel wonderfully balanced.
14:31
SPEAKER_00: And other days we'll feel scattered or impatient or tired.
14:35
SPEAKER_00: That's just part of being human.
14:37
SPEAKER_00: Healing isn't about never becoming imbalanced.
14:40
SPEAKER_00: Healing is about learning how to recognize imbalance a little sooner and responding with kindness instead of criticism.
14:48
SPEAKER_00: That's a practice, not a destination.
14:52
SPEAKER_00: One of the things I love most about this teaching is the language it gives us.
14:56
SPEAKER_00: Notice that Ayurveda doesn't tell us to become our true selves.
15:00
SPEAKER_00: It invites us to remember.
15:02
SPEAKER_00: I think that's beautiful because remembering feels very different than striving.
15:06
SPEAKER_00: It assumes that somewhere beneath the stress, the worry, the busyness, the exhaustion, your original nature is still there, waiting patiently, not demanding, not judging, simply waiting to be remembered.
15:22
SPEAKER_00: I don't know about you, but I find that incredibly comforting, especially on the days when life feels overwhelming.
15:31
SPEAKER_00: Over the last nine episodes, we've built a beautiful foundation together.
15:36
SPEAKER_00: We've explored what Ayurveda is, how it understands balance, the qualities that shape our world, our digestive fire, ama, the doshas, the qualities of the mind, and now the difference between our true nature and our current experience.
15:52
SPEAKER_00: In our next episode, we're finally going to begin bringing these teachings into everyday life.
15:58
SPEAKER_00: We're going to explore one of the most practical and transformative concepts in Ayurveda, Dinacharya, our daily rhythm.
16:06
SPEAKER_00: Because once we begin understanding who we are, the next question naturally becomes: how do I support that person?
16:14
SPEAKER_00: Every single day?
16:15
SPEAKER_00: And that's exactly where we're headed.
16:18
SPEAKER_00: Before we go, it's time for this week's small bite.
16:22
SPEAKER_00: This week I'd like you to notice the way you speak to yourself.
16:26
SPEAKER_00: Pay attention to the stories that naturally arise in your mind.
16:31
SPEAKER_00: Do you find yourself saying things like, I'm just an anxious person?
16:36
SPEAKER_00: I have no willpower?
16:38
SPEAKER_00: Or I've always been this way.
16:42
SPEAKER_00: When you catch one of those thoughts, pause.
16:45
SPEAKER_00: Take a slow breath and gently ask yourself, Is this who I truly am?
16:52
SPEAKER_00: Or is this simply what I'm experiencing right now?
16:57
SPEAKER_00: You don't have to answer perfectly.
16:59
SPEAKER_00: Simply become curious, because curiosity creates space, and sometimes space is exactly where healing begins.
17:09
SPEAKER_00: One of my favorite things about Ayurveda is that it has never asked me to become someone else.
17:13
SPEAKER_00: It has simply invited me home.
17:16
SPEAKER_00: Home to my body, home to my breath, home to the quiet wisdom that's been there all along.
17:23
SPEAKER_00: My hope is that these teachings become that kind of home for you too.
17:27
SPEAKER_00: Not another set of rules, not another wellness trend, but a gentle reminder that beneath everything that life has placed upon you, your true nature is still there, still whole, still wise, still worthy.
17:44
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for spending this time with me today.
17:47
SPEAKER_00: Until next time, stay curious, love yourself, and remember lasting health happens one bite at a time.