Determining the client's dosha and making recommendations for lifestyle modifications for optimal health and wellbeing.

I will meet the client for two sessions, each lasting 15-20 minutes, beginning on July 14, 2021. Prior to the first session, I will send the client the Ayurvedic Constitutional Test by David Frawley, and ask her to complete it and bring it with her for our first session. On the first session, I will score the constitutional test, describe her dosha for her, and make basic recommendations regarding her daily schedule, food choices, and phase of life. On the final session, one week later, we will discuss what went well for her, and address any questions she may have. Source: Frawley, David. Ayurvedic Healing: A Comprehensive Guide. Lotus Press, 2000.

Client is a 64-year-old female who works a stressful job as a physician. She is in good physical condition. She works with a physical therapist weekly for issues with her back and hips. She sees a massage therapist once a month for a total body massage for stress relief. She meets me weekly for a personalized asana routine to address current areas of discomfort or stress in her body.

I met the client for two sessions. Prior to the first session, I emailed the client the Ayurvedic Constitutional Test by David Frawley, and asked her to complete it and bring it to our first session. On the first session, I reviewed the scoring of the constitutional test, described her dosha for her, and made basic recommendations regarding her daily schedule, food choices related to her dosha, and phase of life. On the final session, we discussed what went well and addressed questions.

The branches of Integral Yoga are Raja, Hatha, Karma, Jnana, Bhakti, and Japa. I did not actively use any of these branches because the module was focused on Ayurveda. Perhaps a case could be made for Raja/Hatha in the sense that we focused on overall wellbeing for the client. Perhaps a case could be made for Jnana because we used Ayurveda to help the client know herself better.

The client printed and completed the Ayurvedic Constitutional Test by David Frawley which I sent to her via email. On the first session (July 14th), we reviewed the scoring of the test and discussed the result of Pitta-Vata dosha. Her scores were: Vata 17; Pitta 24; Kapha 9. I gave her handouts for Pitta specific and Vata specific diet recommendations and asked her to experiment with them over the next week, making notes in a journal about how she felt physically/mentally after various food choices. We also discussed the basic Ayurvedic break-down of a 24-hour day, emphasizing rising from bed prior to 6AM, eating the largest meal of the day around Noon, and going to sleep by 10PM.

On our second session (July 21st), we discussed the client's journal entries regarding food choices. She stated the biggest help seemed to be moving her largest meal of the day to lunchtime.

For follow up resources, I recommended to her the books by David Frawley: Ayurvedic Healing: A Comprehensive Guide; and Ayurveda and the Mind: The Healing of Consciousness. I also gave her the link for the website for Banyan Botanicals (https://www.banyanbotanicals.com) if she decides to explore herbal supplements for her dosha (Pitta-Vata).

Sources used:
Frawley, David. Ayurvedic Healing: A Comprehensive Guide. Lotus Press, 2000.
Frawley, David. Ayurveda and the Mind: The Healing of Consciousness. Lotus Press, 1996.

Yes, I applied the intended plan which worked well with this client. She was very interested in Ayurveda, and the ways this science can complement her knowledge and practice of Western medicine. The client was able to determine her dosha by using the Constitutional Test, and then make a few voluntary dietary and lifestyle changes to help herself feel better overall.

The plan was simple for this module, and there was no need to adapt the plan for the client. She was able to get what she needed from this simple plan involving two meetings. She also appreciated the book and website recommendations. I ended up showing her the Mental Constitution Chart on pages 37-38 in Frawley's Ayurveda and the Mind because we found ourselves discussing the gunas, and I wanted her to see how it's possible to live a more sattvic life by making certain changes such as a more vegetarian/vegan diet, reducing alcohol intake, and practicing meditation. I explained that the chart is also useful for tracking changes over time by re-checking responses every two or three months. This idea appealed to her.

I think I would use the same, or a similar plan, in the future with other clients interested in Ayurveda. I like that I can keep this very simple or give more detailed information by using the sources from Frawley and Banyan Botanicals. This empowers the client to do their own self-discovery. I could also refer clients directly to Durga Leela if they want to do more in-depth Ayurvedic consultations.