Coastal Ayurveda

Coconuts have been used in Ayurveda for centuries and today supermarket shelves are full of coconut products: coconut water, coconut milk, oil, and the coconut flesh made into flour or simply grated.

What Ayurvedic Practitioners Love About Coconuts
Coconuts have a sweet taste. Something many of us crave. But a healthy sweet taste balances both Vata and Pitta dosha. The sweetness is a combination of the Earth and Water elements and carries cooling, grounding, and nurturing qualities.
The sweetness is very satisfying. If you drink coconut water you rehydrate and due to its sweetness and slight unctuousness, it creates a sensation of satisfaction that you may not get from regular water. In Ayurveda, it is said to remove excessive thirst.
The consistency of coconut water carries an almost nectar-like quality. Like nectar or Soma, it is nurturing and builds up our tissues (in Ayurveda we recognize 7 Dhatus). Coconuts are indeed Mahamedhya meaning it nourishes our Medhya or our mind.
In many Hindu rituals, coconut is used as an offering. Sometimes broken to symbolize the breaking of our Ego and the juice offered to the Divine. The coconut water represents our mind-stuff and the coconut itself is our skull.

Coconuts and the Doshas
If we have high Pitta tendencies and a sharp, heated and strong mind coconuts might be perfect. They cool down the Ego and the mind, calm any aggressive tendencies or a heated temperament.
For an aggravated Vata the nourishing, heavy, and grounding qualities of the coconut can balance an overactive mind. The oiliness will ground and settle us. The coconut does have cooling qualities which can provoke Vata. Vata dosha is cool too so be mindful in winter and autumn if you have high Vata. Alternatively use with warming spices or herbs.
A balanced Kapha person can enjoy coconuts in moderation bearing in mind the heavy cooling tendencies. So if there is any excess mucous, Ama (toxins), or aggravated Kapha it may bring further imbalance and should be avoided or used with warming herbs.

Cooling Coconuts For Hot Summers
Pitta accumulates in the summer. And summer is the time to make sure we don’t do too much heating and Pitta aggravating activities or ingest too hot and spicy foods. In early autumn we can see the accumulation of Pitta in our being. Now is the perfect time to consider how we can pacify excess Pitta.
Coconut is an excellent choice to cool down physically and mentally for all Pitta types. Even Pitta tendencies such as heat rashes, inflammation, hot flushes/hot flashes in menopause, skin irritations, Pitta-related stomach upsets, and even Pitta provoked hiccups.
In Ayurveda we say coconuts are Anuloman, helping healthy elimination. Regular bowel movement is the benchmark for well-being. Anuloman means that Vata’s downward moving energy, Apana Vayu, is balanced. When Apana Vayu is working, when we eliminate it properly, we also let go of Ama, toxins, and create a potential for health and wellbeing in general.

Coconut Use Inside And Out
One thing is to take the coconut internally: drink the water. Cook with the oil or milk. Or bake with coconut flour or grated coconut. You can also benefit from the qualities of coconuts through external applications.
Abhyanga or oil massage is a wonderful way to experience the nourishing and grounding qualities of coconuts. As coconut is cooling it is an excellent choice for all Pitta types. It won’t aggravate their irritated or inflamed skin. It rather cools them down whilst still nourishing and grounding them.
If you are not specifically Pitta but still have fiery tendencies, a hot temper, or stressful days simply try massaging your feet with coconut oil. These grounds nourish and cool you – without cooling you down too much. Or perhaps apply a bit of the oil to your scalp, ears, and nostrils to calm the mind. This might just help you get a good night’s sleep.

Ayurveda Is All About Balance
Remember it’s all about balance. No one is only Pitta – or indeed exclusively Vata or Kapha. We are a mix of all the five elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space) that make up the Doshas. When we start to live Ayurvedically we learn how to accommodate where we are right now.
In the summer when the Solar energy and the Fire element of Pitta accumulate, or if we have a stressful or busy Pitta lifestyle we can all benefit from Pitta pacifying activities – such as including coconuts in our life.