Doshas, Part II
Last month, you learned that each of us has a Dosha or somatotype, usually a combination of them, that is ours from birth: ectomorph (Vata), endomorph (Kapha) and mesomorph (Pitta). These body types cannot be changed even with plastic surgery because they are based on your bony structure, not your shape. Some will always be skinny; others strong and muscular, and others large boned and big no matter what they try. Diets, exercise and liposuction can change some of the superficial outer layers, reduce the amount of fat sitting on the muscles and shave bumps on noses, but those changes will still sit on the same bones.
Dancer is presenting this brief series as an introduction for teachers, hoping that performers, choreographers and teachers will realize that we come in many flavors. One cannot change one's bony structure. A square boned muscular female is guilty neither of having a bad diet nor lacking the discipline to follow it. A rangy, slim male can drink all the power formulas he wants but must work many hours a day, many days a week for years, to begin to approximate a packed physique.
While there is an excessive obsession with thin bodies in the United States, most models, female ballet dancers and contortionists have those long, lean limbs naturally. They are ectomorphs, or Vata in Ayurvedic medicine.
An ectomorph has thin, knobby bones. The shaft of the bone is narrower than the ends. The muscles on those bones are also smaller and less delineated than other body types. The connective tissue tends to be looser, which gives them a greater range of motion and flexibility, but also much less strength and far less endurance.
These Vatas have "thin skin" in many ways, not just physically. They bruise easily; tend to be slower to stop bleeding; have poor circulation; are the first to feel cold and are the last to feel warmed-up. Their blood pressure is low, but not always healthily. When they stand up too quickly, they get dizzy. Their pulse tends to be weak and rapid. A bump into a chair will leave a welt. A loud noise will startle them. Ectomorphs have a low pain tolerance. Because they have so little cushioning (this can often include emotionally), and have the greatest percentage of nerve tissue in their bodies, many are labeled "wimps" even though pain is more, well, painful to them.
Ectomorphs can gain weight in their own way. Fat usually settles on them around their stomach, hips and upper thighs, leaving arms and lower legs still stick-like. They often look like pears on toothpicks. After meals, they grow a pot belly. Vatas are not efficient at food absorption. They do best with smaller meals at more frequent intervals. This also helps their erratic blood sugar stay more stable, and gives them a steadier energy emotionally and physically, helping them avoid a burst of activity, followed by a crashing low of fatigue.
Female ectomorphs develop less of a traditional female figure than other body types, develop it later in life, and stop their periods earlier. Osteoporosis is a serious threat. Male ectomorphs are those "90 pound weaklings" that are bullied mercilessly. Their limbs are not for football.
Ectomorphs must decrease their extreme sensitivity to stimuli (noise, pressure, etc.) with relaxation techniques. That takes work. Other somatotypes can collapse into bed and be asleep in milliseconds. Ectomorphs who are not practicing relaxation techniques must often drive themselves into physical or mental exhaustion and literally wear themselves out before sleep will come. Even then, it often comes in fits and starts. They rarely sleep through the night.
Muscularly, they are weak but are extremely flexible. They are the world's contortionists, twisting into positions like a Gumby. Getting across the studio floor, though, takes supreme effort. Instead of stretching - their favorite warm-up - they need to build strength and increase cardiovascular endurance.
Because their bones are so light, they often have the worst posture. They don't feel the effects of gravity pulling their bones out of alignment.
Vatas can come in many sizes from 6' supermodels to 4' chihuahua-sized gymnasts. The late actor Don Knotts was a classic ectomorph. Dick Van Dyke, rubber from face to toe, has a lot of ectomorph in him. (Remember that few are one pure body type). Fashion designers prefer ectomorphs because the art of their clothes there are no curves to interrupt the line of their designs. Ballet is built on the lines the body makes in space, so choreographers often choose females whose lines and limbs are long.
Next month, the mesomorph.
For further and more in depth reading, consult Sally S. Fitt's Dance Kinesiology by Schirmer Books (especially helpful because it focuses on dancers)
and Robert E. Svoboda's
Prakruti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution by Geocom, Ltd.