By The Green Parent
16th January 2017
Ayurveda means science or knowledge of life and is thought to be over 5000 years old. It is said that Ayurveda influenced early health care around the world and many Eastern medical systems are thought to have their roots in Ayurveda. This science has two aspects – the preventative and curative. The preventative side guides us on how to avoid illness with the right diet and lifestyle, meditation and yoga. It states that everything we need to be healthy is all around us and empowers us to be our own healers.
In the body, the five elements (air, ether, fire, water and earth) become biological elements and are grouped into three energies, known as doshas. Our body is made up of all three doshas (vata, pitta and kapha) but we are not all the same. This is because the doshas are rarely present in equal proportions; we are born with our own unique ratio of the doshas. As it is rare for us to have equal amounts of all three doshas, one or two will dominate. The dominant one becomes known as your own dosha and is there to remind you which element is naturally high in your body. If you have more pitta in your body, for example, the dosha made up of fire and a little water, you might avoid spending too much time in the sun, or eating hot, spicy meals. Most of us have two dominant doshas, for example you could be vata/kapha or pitta/kapha (the most dominant dosha goes first). You can also have all three doshas balanced and be tri-doshic, but it is rare.
Health is achieved by keeping our doshas balanced. When our doshas are balanced, whether you are naturally vata, pitta or kapha, we are the best version of ourselves. When our dominant dosha increases, we become extreme versions of ourselves or imbalanced. For example, a vata person who is active can become restless, distracted and over active. A kapha person who is slow and measured might become lazy, inactive and depressed. A pitta person who is critical and organised might become controlling and dominating.
What Dosha Are You?
• VATA qualities are of air and ether – light, dry, rough, clear, active and cold. If you are a natural vata you are likely to have similar qualities – a light build, little body fat, light sleep, dry, rough skin and hair, be very active and see things quite clearly.
• PITTA qualities are those of fire with a little water – hot, slightly viscous, sharp, burning, penetrating and acidic. A person who is a pitta body type will have a hot temperament, sharp and penetrating mind and speech and a strong digestive system.
• KAPHA qualities are those of earth and water – heavy, stable, cold, smooth, slow, soft, oily and moist. People with a kapha body type have smooth soft skin and healthy, thick hair and are normally heavier in build, they are stable characters who dislike too much activity or change.
