Ayurvedic Concept Of Doshas- A beginner's guide.

It is a famous Ayurvedic proverb that " everytime you eat or drink, you're either feeding a disease or fighting a disease". But, how do you actually figure out what is good for us to eat and what is not?

The routine and dietary guidelines in Ayurveda are not universal, but rather determined by your Ayurvedic profile according to the 'doshas". Now what are doshas? Whether you're new to Ayurveda or not, you must have heard this word 'dosha' and wondered what it means.

Doshas can be commonly described as the psychosomatic constitution of our body. In essence, 'doshas' are energies or fundamental forces that pervade all humans .They govern all physical, mental and emotional processes in each individual and every person is born with unique balance of these doshas; generally one or two 'doshas' dominate over the body and this can help us determine our routine and diet.

Ayurveda on the surface might seem complicated but once you grasp the basics everything actually begins to make sense. As a matter of fact, Ayurveda is probably the most intuitive approach to the healthy lifestyle.

• The word 'Ayurveda' translates to 'the knowledge of life' and by identifying your dosha type, you can establish a vibrant state of health by yourself because when your diet and routine are sorted there is no need for medicine and when it is incorrect, medicine is of no use.

It is just about mastering one key thing which is tuning into yourself and personalized dietary and lifestyle choices that work well for you.

 Vata, Pitta and Kapha, all three 'doshas' are essential to our body in some way or the other. No dosha is better than or superior to the other. Each one of them have their own specific roles to play, and when they are not balanced they can create havoc on our health. But, before getting into each dosha individually, we must understand their  structural composition.

According to Ayurveda, the most basic foundations of the material world are; space, air, fire, water, and earth. Energies for 'doshas' are derived from these five elements. 

• Vata is characterized by its moving nature due to Air.

• Pitta incorporates the transformative nature of Fire.

• Kapha is demonstrated by the binding nature of Water.

All three 'doshas' contain five basic elements ( like all things in nature),  but each dosha predominates two elements.

Vata - Air + Space

Pitta - Fire + Water

Kapha - Water + Earth

Vata Dosha

The Vata dosha is responsible for movement, so think of it as being the driving force that kick-starts all forms of motion in your body. The energy of vata is air that is stirring through space, free flowing, erratic and unpredictable.

As we might expect from such an airy and spacey life force, the vata dosha encompasses predominantly light, dry and cold qualities. Vata is also responsible for our creativity and emotional responses to the surroundings. Vata individuals are usually enthusiastic, creative, imaginative, artistic and confident.

The air and ether energy within Vata makes it slightly scattered and flaky. So, if you face vata imbalance, you can try to focus on creating a 'grounding' practice in your routine, meditate,  stay well hydrated, try to do things a bit more slowly, focus on one task at a time, and consume moist foods.

Pitta Dosha

Born of fire, pitta is the most energetic of all doshas. Think of it as the processor in your computer which executes all tasks and action in your body. It is responsible for transforming all thoughts, food and physical movements into energy.

Those who have predominance of pitta, have a fiery and fiesty nature that manifests in both the body and mind, due to the presence of fire element. They are natural leaders and often very ambitious. 

Out of all doshas, pitta can be least shaken and it can take some time to realise when it is in an imbalanced state. It is usually the result of overheating (due to hot potency food and warm environment) and disturbed regimen.

Pitta dosha needs to be kept cool, take out time for meditation and pranayama everyday, try to maintain a cool internal and external temperature.

Kapha Dosha

Made up from elements of water and earth, kapha has a grounding nature and it is often described as the stabilising dosha which binds and holds everything together. The kapha dosha holds on to things, whether it be emotions, memories, possessions or even weight.

Change is often scary for them, so it becomes a necessary condition for kapha to learn the art of 'letting go'.

Primary location of this dosha is the chest and one of the best ways to balance it is to focus on exercises that open up your thoracic cavity.

An aggravated Kapha dosha can result in us feeling groggy and heavy for the first few hours after waking up, feeling lethargic, gaining weight. To avoid these circumstances, embrace some invigorating and stimulating exercises in your routine, try something new, come out of your comfort zone, wear bright clothes and listen to loud music to generate a peppy vibe.

As you gather more information about the doshas, they can be found in everyone and everything.
You can see them represented in varying climates, like a windy dry day(Vata), or in different foods like a pepper(Pitta), and within individual species such as slow worm(Kapha) or a quick deer.

With time, the doshas can throw light on our personal modulation, guide us in improving our cognizance and help us to best support ourselves when and where it matters the most. In conclusion, having a relationship with each of the three doshas can have a life changing impact on our overall health.


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