I received my health coaching certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. The school’s founder Joshua Rosenthal, from the get-go Joshua stressed the importance of bio-individuality: like out thumbprints, we are all unique and so are our dietary requirements.

One woman’s food is another woman’s poison.

Or

Different folks for different folks.

The same concept applies to business and productivity as well.

The health and vitality of our business depends on how well we understand our unique body-mind makeup and our rhythms of productivity.

Just like no one diet works for everyone, a fixed system of productivity does’t work either. Yes there is a foundation, a framework to work from – let’s call it a vessel – but within that vessel each entrepreneur has a unique pathway to getting things done.

If we don’t understand this unique pathway, we can exhaust ourselves, we can fool ourselves into thinking trying harder, doing more, pushing further will do the trick, but truth is, we kickstarted the process on shaky ground to begin with.

So how do we build a strong foundation for effortless productivity?

Let’s look at the ancient healing system of my homeland: Ayurveda

Ayurvedic profiling is one of the first exercises we do in my coaching program. It becomes the framework we use to create a time and energy management roadmap for each client.

Ayurveda identifies three different types of body-mind constitutions, or doshas. These are biological energies that synthesize at the time of conception, and govern physical, emotional and mental attributes and processes. Doshas serve as a physic-psychological blueprint providing a pathway to true health and happiness. The three doshas are pitta, kappa and vata and is derived from the five elements and their properties namely: fire, air, water, earth and wind.

The kapha type reflects the qualities of earth and water.

Typically kaphas have a solid body frame. Their bodies can be very strong, sensual and powerful when in shape. When imbalanced they can be prone to loss of appetite, holding onto too much fat and weight issues. Emotionally kaphas are like the trunk of a tree: very strong, grounded, sturdy and calm. They are affectionate, even-keeled and nurturing in their natural state but can become emotional deadweights, overly-dramatic and lack an appetite for life when out of balance.

The pitta type reflects the qualities of fire and water.

Physically pitta is a mid sized body that is muscular and easily overheated. When balanced, pitta individuals are cheerful, sharp and display courage and motivation. Emotionally and mentally pittas make up the Type A personalities: highly driven, organized, focused and motivated. Imbalances in their bodies show up as inflammatory disorders, ulcers, heartburn, skin problems and over-eating. Emotionally the imbalances make them overly ambitious, easily angered and aggressive, lacking the capability to “switch off”.

Vata types reflect space and air.

The vata type is physically lean and wiry. Emotionally vatas are spiritually inclined, expressive and highly creative individuals. Because of their low body fat, vatas can easily get cold and struggle with dry skin, nails and an overly sensitive digestive tract that leans towards constipation. When out of balance though they can become spacey, air headed, overly anxious and stressed. (This is me, by the way 😉 )

Most women today are trying desperately to have a vata body with a pitta mind: skinny Type A go-getters. Truth is, we don’t need every woman on this planet to be an ambitious over-achiever. We need a healthy mix of nurturers, artists and innovators.

The world needs you to be you.

When we understand and embrace our unique body-mind constitution two things happen:

First, we don’t spend time or energy trying to change our body shape. This is precious energy conserved for creative, productive pursuits. Your dharma as they say in the vedas.

Second, we understand what foods, activities and thought patterns can throw us off balance and what to do about it.

We know exactly when to work, for how long, how to create boundaries and when to say no.