Ayurveda is an ancient wisdom, designed to remove all suffering. It is considered the sister science to Yoga and Life itself.

Through Ayurveda, we learn to understand the self and our strengths while accepting our weaknesses. The Sanskrit translation is divided in two words: AYUR, meaning life and VEDA, translated to knowledge.

In Indian Philosophy, there air 6 darshans (viewing the world through an individual lens, or in this case, a school). The two that are most known are Yoga and Samkhya, the others are Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta.

Ayurveda is very closely related to Samkhya, which is a dualist philosophy, meaning the world as matter, including nature (Prakriti) and the universal consciousness (Purusha) are seen as separate- so if you die, your consciousness will move on into the next body.

A human being is, according to Samkhya, made of Prakriti (body, emotions, mind, the shakti part as creation), Purusha (consciousness, the shiva part, as destroying to allow for transformation and rebirth), Ahamkara (Ego) and Mahad (a seed of inspiration, what drives you, what defines your path or purpose, also known as dharma). All of these aspects are balanced and coordinated by the GUNAS and work through alternation (redirecting changes), continuity (like attracts like) and comfort (keeps us where we are).

—> The science is to learn how to navigate the Gunas within Prakriti and Purusha, as we seek opposites, so we grow, transform, remove suffering.

But what are the Gunas exactly?

The Gunas are divided into 3 different categories:

• Sattva, which is TO BE. It is purity, harmony, balance, goodness, joy, contentment.

• Rajas are TO DO. It is action, passion, energy and the seeking for pleasure and satisfaction.

• Tamas are TO HAVE. It is darkness, laziness, ignorance, ego, the absence of openness and action.

Our Natural state is PRAKRITI, which can and will be disturbed by AMA (undigested experiences, food, toxins) and cause our matter (mind, body, emotion) to be in a state of imbalance, called VIKRITI.

In order to regain this balance (Sattva) again, we have to navigate it’s three roots (eat, sleep, practice) through the gunas.

But how do we know what we need and when we need it?
Think about the Elements and their characteristics:

Considering these characteristics and the elements, in Ayurveda we learn, that all humans are made up of a combination of DOSHAS (constitutions).

The three Doshas are:

• Vata (Ether and Air): Think Movement and Wind

• Pitta (Fire and Water): Think Movement and Heat

• Kapha (Water and Earth): Think Stillness and Mud

Let’s learn more about what it means to have qualities of…

…VATA:

• it is the essential motion for all bodily processes

• Vitality and Movement

• Quick mind, flexible, creative, forgetful

• Learns fast, forgets fast

• Alert, restless, active

• Talk, walk, think fast

• Easily fatigued, prone to addiction

• Less willpower or confidence and low tolerance for fluctuations

• Often feel unstable and ungrounded

• When unbalances: anxious, nervous

• Earns nd spend money quickly

• Not the best planners

• Appetite and digestion is unreliable or fluctuate & tend to be intense (often hungry, loose stool)

• Resides in colon, brain, ears, bones, joints, skin, thighs

• Vata bodies tend to have dry skin, dry hair, cracky joints, honey and skinny, wrinkly, tall, run cold, subtle, blond, blue eyes, small eyes, small noses, small ears

• Routine is helpful to ground their energy, but hard to maintain

• Ruling season is Fall or the season changes (this is when Vata ist most active)

• Vata increases with age (nervousness, restlessness, forgetfulness, drying…)

• If you feel increased Vata, seek warmth, moist, eat oily, heavy foods (soups, stews, well cooked, small meals 3-4 times a day, less raw and cold, sweet and juicy fruits, not dried fruits, limit legumes, increase protein, no coffee or sugar or alcohol

…PITTA:

• hot, penetrating, sharp, agitating

• intelligent, creative, alert, comprehensive

• Short tempered, aggressive

• Strong metabolism, good digestion, strong appetite

• Good sleepers, lower sunlight tolerance

• Seek material prosperity

• Run hot, sweat a lot

• Medium height, coppery skin, freckles and moles red hair

• Silky, oily hair, premature hair loss or greying

• Medium size ears, nose, eyes

• If sick, usually tend to inflammation, fever, rashes, sore throats (think FIRE)

• Ruling season is summer (this is when pitta ist most active)

• They like hot spices, hot meals

• If you feel increased Pitta, drink cold drinks, eat sweet, bitter astringent foods, vegetarian, cooling, grains, veggies, raw, salads, sweet fruits, coconut oil, sweet dairy (such as milk) legumes in moderation and avoid sour, salty, pungent, meat, eggs, alcohol, coffee, nuts and seeds (too oily)

…KAPHA:

• strength, endurance, stamina, sweet and loving, compassionate, stable, grounded, family oriented

• Calm, tolerant, forgiving, sluggish and slow

• Slow comprehension but great long term memory

• Oily skin, smooth, gain weight easily, slow metabolism (lean to bloating and constipation), thick skin, thick muscles

• No fan of exercise, prefers couch and rest

• Deep and long sleepers

• Large eyes, long lashes, large ears and noses

• When out of balance, tends to greed, possessiveness, attachment (think tamas)

• Loves sweet, salty, oily

• If Kapha is increased, choose bitter, astringent and pungent foods, avoid super sweet or sour fruits, dairy and fats (fried and greasy especially)

• Needs less grains (rice, barley and corn are good)

• Emphasise leafy greens and veggies grown above ground, steamed or stir fried are best, raw is ok

• Limit protein, but does well on meat

• Ruling season is Winter (kapha most active)

REMEMBER THIS:

1) You want to treat…
Vata like a flower (support, nurture, love, be gentle on, be EARTH)
Pitta like a friend (you want Pitta to be your friend…, be WATER)
Kapha like an enemy (be consistent, be strict, be FIRE)

2) Strive for Sattva 80% of your life, use rajas to get stuff done and tamas to rest

3) We are never JUST Vata or Pitta or Kapha. We’re made up of all of them. Usually one or two Doshas are more dominant, in that case, you are considered single or dual doshic, sometimes people have a great balance in between all three, these types are tri doshic, very rare and usually have an easier time to find sattvic energy.

Find out which Dosha you are:

To the Quiz
(by Ayurvedic Health Center & Wellness Shop)

Download this Page as PDF

Resources: A little Book of Self Care: Ayurveda by Sonja Shah- Williams Practical Ayurveda by Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center