Knowing And Balancing Your Dosha For A Healthy & Happy Life!

“Deha Etaistu Dharyate (the body is atheistic),” as quoted by Acharya Sushruta, establishes the importance of doshas in maintaining the body’s homeostasis. It means our body is never without Kapha, Pitta, Vata, and shonita (blood). They always support the body.” 

Moreover, it is well-known that Ayurvedic science is about the concept of ‘tridoshas’- Kapha, Pitta, and Vata. These three doshas contain five essential elements- air, fire, earth, ether, and water – that make up the human body in different proportions.  

As an Ayurveda doctor, I invite you to embark on a journey of self-discovery and well-being through the timeless wisdom of Ayurveda. In this article, I aim to guide you to understand your doshas and nurture them for a healthier and happier life. By integrating Ayurvedic principles into your daily routine, you can discover and explore the secrets of your unique constitution and harness the power of nature to achieve optimal health!  

Let’s explore how you can balance your doshas, align with your prakriti (or your individual body constitution), and embrace a lifestyle that resonates with your body, mind, and spirit.  

What are doshas? 

As per ancient scriptures, doshas are determined based on two essential features:  

1. “Swatantreyana Dushti Katritwam Doshatwam” – The one that can vitiate themselves and others independently.
2. “Prakrityarambhakatwe Sati Dushti Katritwam Doshatwam” – The one that defines prakriti. 

Depending on these, various schools of Ayurveda mention the existence of two broad categories of dosha:  

• Sharira Dosha  
• Manasa Dosha 

The Sharira dosha is further split into three core components:  

• Vata  
• Pitta 
• Kapha 

Whereas Manasa doshas are classified into two core components:  

• Raja Dosha  
• Tama Dosha 

These doshas are present in all of us in different proportions that determine our personalities.  

READ MORE: Know Your Body Constitution To Attain The Best Of Health

To analyze what doshas your individual persona carries, let us learn a little about what makes each Dosh unique! 

What dosha predominates you? 

In the present scenario, the world is one big global village where people have crossed the socio-demographic barrier. Despite such changes, the ancient Indian science of Ayurveda has stood the test of time. It thus is considered a reliable source for understanding an individual’s essential nature and physiology.  

The Charaka Samhita considers the integrated functions of tridoshas to be the cornerstone of Ayurveda. These texts also highlight that the dominance of one or more doshas in a person defines his prakriti. These concepts provide an individual with a guide to lifestyle practices, their susceptibility to illnesses, and ways to prevent them.  

So, are you ready to determine your combination of Dosha? 

Let’s begin:  

The Vata dosha

Of all the tridoshas, the Vata dosha has been considered the most significant due to its properties and regulating tendency over other doshas. 

Vata is primarily composed of two elements- The air and the ether (space). It is involved in the movement of other doshas, dhatus (tissues), and mala (waste excreta). 

Acharya Charaka has described Vata qualities as ruksha (rough), sheeta (cool), laghu (light), sukshma (subtle), chala (mobile), vishada (non-slimy), and khara (coarse). 

Because the Vata dosha oversees movement, an individual who dominates this dosha will always be on the go. They will have creative instincts and will be lively and free-spirited.  

However, if there is a Vata imbalance in your body, it might lead to anxiety and insomnia, and your activities might get out of control. Your digestion will be affected by considerable weight loss.  

But now you are curious right? What are the reasons causing Vata imbalance in your body? Let’s have a look at common reasons:  

• Improper food habits be it overeating or untimely fasting disrupts the digestive fire (agni) and creates toxins (ama) in the body, ultimately disturbing Vata dosha. 
• Holding natural urges disturbs the flow of motion in the body and causes Vata dosha to aggravate.  
• Sleeping late or sleeping during the day hampers the biological clock of the body affecting Vata dosha.  
• Excessive workout or exercise untimely depletes the energy of the body leading to more chances of wear and tear of the tissues and weakens Vata dosha. 
• Overconsumption of spicy bitter foods increases the qualities of Vata Dosha in the body, eventually aggravating Vata dosha.  
• Stress and overthinking, this increases the movement within the mind, causing Vata dosha to aggravate.  
• Excessive exposure to cold or wind causes dryness in the body and stimulates the Vata dosha. 

READ MORE: Vata Diet: Everything you want to know

The Pitta dosha

Pitta is responsible for your digestion and metabolism. It contains the agni (fire) and apa (water) elements. The primary function of pitta is the breakdown of food and the assimilation of energy. It also monitors body temperature and governs skin color.  

Pitta dosha dominant individuals are born leaders with high intellect and a competitive attitude. Physically, they have a medium build, athletic tendencies, and a warm body temperature.

Known for their workaholic nature, Pitta individuals often suffer from emotional disturbances.  

Yet, an imbalance of the Pitta dosha can lead to an upset stomach, heartburn, etc. Headaches and anger issues can also manifest. 

But what’s the reason for the Pitta imbalance in the body? Let’s explore some common reasons: 

• Excessive eating of spicy, sour, hot, or salty foods generates a high amount of heat in the body leading to increased Pitta and disturbing the body’s natural cooling mechanism.  
• Eating food before digestion of previous meals disrupts the body’s digestive fire causing accumulation of toxins which increases all three doshas causing aggravation of Pitta dosha.  
• Exposure to the sun rays overheats the body, ultimately causing pitta dosha to aggravate.  
• Intense anger and frustration increase the heat and inflammation within the body, eventually contributing to Pitta imbalance. 

READ MORE: Pitta Diet: What it includes

The Kapha dosha 

Jala (water) and prithvi (Earth) mahabhuta dominate the Kapha dosha. The vedic scripts describe Kapha as “slishalingane” (a dosha which embraces and holds things together). Thus, Kapha dosha has properties like sheeta (cold), mridu (soft), snigdha (unctuous), madhura (sweet), sthira (stable), and pichilla (slimy). 

This dosha balances the immune system and fights diseases. When Kapha is well maintained, it ensures compassion, love, and stability.  

Nevertheless, the imbalance of Kapha manifests in the form of lethargy, depression, weight gain, etc.   

Here are the reasons to watch out to rule out imbalance Kapha dosha:  

• Consumption of oily and heavy foods slow down digestion (agni), leading to the accumulation of toxins in the body, ultimately causing an imbalance of Kapha dosha.  
• Lack of physical activity and oversleeping leads to lethargies in a body and enhances Kapha’s properties like coldness and heaviness in the body and contributes to the accumulation of Kapha dosha in the body. 
• Engaging yourself in too much comfort reinforces Kapha’s slow and steady traits in the body leading to imbalance in Kapha dosha.  
• Cold and damp weather increases feeling of heaviness, promoting mucus build-up in the body, eventually increasing the Kapha dosha.  
• Lack of sunlight reduces the natural metabolic rate, enhancing the Kapha dosha in the body. 

READ MORE: All about Kapha Diet 

Personality type

Ayurveda states that every individual constitutes all three doshas. However, these doshas’ quantitative dominance and unique combinations determine your prakriti. 

According to Charaka and Sushruta, seven combinations of doshas define an individual’s personality. These are: 

Vata Prakriti: Individuals with dominant Vata dosha. 

Pitta Prakriti: People with dominant Pitta dosha. 

Kapha Prakriti: Dominant Kapha gives an individual Kapha prakriti. 

Vata–Pitta Prakriti: People who dominate Vata and Pitta Dosha. 

Pitta–Kapha Prakriti: Individuals in whom the Pitta and Kapha Dosha predominate. 

Vata–Kapha Prakriti: The dominance of Vata and Kapha Dosha gives an individual this personality.  

The Vata-Pitta-Kapha inspired lifestyle 

I am sure, by now you must have an idea of your personality type based on tridoshas. Am I right?  

So, let me also provide you with a lifestyle routine that will help you keep your doshas in balance and prevent diseases.  

Dietary modifications 

Anyone who has ever visited an Ayurvedic practitioner must know that “diet” is the core foundation of health.  

Dominant Vata individuals must try to intake warm, moist, and heavy foods that are easy to digest. The Vata diet mat includes warm tea, buttermilk beverages, and fruits such as berries, mangoes, peaches, and coconuts.  

The Vata diet also includes lentils and oils such as avocado, ghee, coconut oil, etc. These people can enjoy meat, beef, turkey, and eggs. However, Vata-dominant people must avoid cold and raw foods. 

Dominant Pitta personalities should avoid sour, salty, and hot food. Cereals like wheat, barley, rice, and oats are favorable for pitta-dominant individuals. Products with cooling effects, such as fruits and dairy products such as milk and cottage cheese, should be consumed by the fire sign.  

Hot spices are to be restricted. Even excessive salt might lead to agitation. To cool down their fiery characters, they should take more and more fluids.  

Dominant Kapha beings should prefer bitter, pungent, and astringent flavors to bring balance. Individuals with heavy Kapha should not consume meals prepared in oil. Literature encourages them to eat steamed meals. However, sunflower, mustard, and corn oil are suitable choices. Vegetables are the best way to balance Kapha dosha. Such individuals must prefer light, leafy, dry, and spicy veggies, such as radishes, onion, garlic, etc. They must take sugar and other sweeteners in moderation. 

Daily exercises

Besides diet, daily workouts also help maintain a balance of the tridoshas. The dominant dosha dictates the nature of the workout routine. 

Because the Vata-dominant individuals are known for their quick actions and go-to nature, activities such as cycling, jogging, yoga, etc., that complement their personality are best suited. 

Similarly, Pitta-spirited individuals go to extremes regarding physical activities due to their competitive spirit. Thus, they are suited for team plays to satisfy their nature and maintain a balance at the same time. 

All kinds of physical activities benefit the Kapha-dominated people. However, if such individuals try a combination of cardio and weight training, it could greatly help them. 

The takeaway  

Because of the core principle of Ayurveda to heal an individual internally, today, more and more people are exhibiting their interest in learning about this ancient Indian medical practice. 

The literature verifies the importance of tridoshas in defining an individual personality and ways to follow that bring balance. However, researchers are still on a quest to prove the accuracy of these vedic scriptures.