According to the Ayurvedic philosophy, the entire cosmos is an interplay of the energies of the five elements – Ether, Air, Fire Water and Earth.

Ayurveda groups the five elements into three basic types of energy of functional principles that are present in everybody and everything. There are no single words in English to describe these principles so we use the original Sanskrit words Vata, Pitta and Kapha, called the three doshas or tridosha.

Dosha is organisation. Dosha means three principles that govern psychophysiological response and pathological changes. Understanding the doshas allows us to know how to maintain balance in the mind and the body.

Because the doshas are a part of the foundation in Ayurveda, they can really guide you to learn about why you feel act and look the way you do.

Everything on the planet, including us, is made up of the five elements of earth, water, fire, air, and the ethers.

The three doshas Vata, Pitta and Kapha each represent two elements, and they’re responsible for the various functions in the body, in the mind, but also how we connect to our spirit. They dictate how everything works.

Your unique constitution, meaning the amounts of each of the doshas that make up who you are is as unique as your fingerprint.

Most people on the planet have two primary doshas, some people have one primary dosha but very rarely people have all three doshas in similar amounts. We call these individuals tridoshic.

Understanding how the doshas work within you is a lifelong journey of exploring cause and effect. What you do in life brings you certain results. It gives you insight into how your body and mind function, and it provides a framework for you to be your own healer.

Vata dosha (air + ether)

The air in the ethers has the qualities of light, dry, airy, cool, and mobile, meaning it moves. It’s responsible for all of the movement in the body such as transporting nutrients in the blood, breathing, blinking, muscles and tissue movement, the pulsation of heart and all the movements in the cytoplasm and cell membranes.

When our Vata is balanced, we’re creative, flexible and enthusiastic. When it’s out of balance, we tend to be fearful, we can have scattered mind, erratic digestion and irregularity in everything.

We tend to get constipated or gassy. We have difficulty making decisions difficulty finishing things, and we get distracted easily.

Pitta dosha (fire + water)

Pitta dosha is made up of the fire and water elements. It has the qualities of being hot, sharp, moist, oily, and mobile. Pitta dosha is responsible for transformation in the body. Pitta is what helps us to change food into nutrients, when working with Agni (digestive fire). Pitta governs digestion, absorption, assimilation, metabolism, body temperature and all other transformation in our body and life. For example when you cut yourself, the way and speed your skin heals, that’s Pitta doing its job.

When Pitta is in balance in us, that’s when we’re organised we can be a great leader, we’re courageous. We can be determined. It also promotes understanding and intelligence. When it’s out of balance, we might get things like heartburn, we get angry easily we’re impatient, we experience frustration irritation, the stools tend to be loose. Inflammation or excess heat in the body and excess sweating. Those are just some of the things that show up when you Pitta it’s out of balance.

Kapha dosha (water + earth)

Kapha is made up of earth and water elements and has the qualities of being heavy, slow, cool, oily, moist, smooth, dense, soft, stable, hard and cloudy.

Kapha dosha is responsible for the stability in the body. It’s, it’s the body tissue in the bone, the fat, the muscle. It lubricates joints, moisturises skin and maintains immunity.

When it’s balanced in us, then we’re grounded, we’re loving. We’re strong. We’re reliable and stable. Balanced Kapha is expressed as love, calmness, and forgiveness. When it’s out of balance, we can easily gain weight, we can get a little
greedy, attached or possessive. Out of balance Kapha leads to sluggish digestion, we can experience excess mucus and congestive disorders.

To understand how the doshas affect your life it’s important to understand the difference between your constitution (Prakriti), or the combination of doshas from conception, and your Vikruti – your current state of imbalance.

Your constitution (Prakriti) is the unique balance of energies in your body and mind that is determined at your conception. It dictates everything from your bone structure to your tendency towards certain health challenges. Simply put Prakriti is the unique psychophysical make up and functional habit you were born with.

Vikruti is what has happened since that point. Meaning how far you might have moved away from your Prakriti.

When Vikruti is close to Prakriti, meaning you’re close to your constitution, you’ll experience, little to no symptoms. But when the Vikruti is away from the Prakriti even a little symptoms come and then they can accumulate and things get worse and it all eventually leads toward disease.

Remember that doshas are ways of viewing, how the body and mind function along with your spirit. So how we think about and experience ourselves as we continue in our journey here on planet earth and the concept of those doshas will expand and support you to make healthy choices.

The key to moving toward balance is in the Vedic principle of like attracts like.

When we pay attention, we’ll see that we experience the doshas differently throughout the day. And from day to day changes also come with the seasons, and as you age through the various stages of life.

Understanding your state of balance is a daily practice and it offers us a great opportunity for empowerment and insight into ourselves.

To learn more about your constitution:

Quiz: WHAT are MY IMBALANCEs (VIKRUTI)? Quiz: What is my constitution (Prakriti) ?

You can also sign up for an Ayurvedic health consultation and work 1:1 with me to determine your current state of health and how to enhance your vitality and well- being through disease prevention and supporting longevity and how to invite more balance in your life, especially if you are going through transition in your life.

Book your free discovery call