Ayurveda Doshas: Your 'Master Key' to Personal Health Care

In the 60's, a common conversation starter was, 'What's your sign?' With the rise in popularity of Ayurveda, today the conversation starter may well be, 'What's your dosha?'

One of the beautiful things Ayurveda offers is tailor-made healthcare advice attuned to a person’s nature or constitution, known as doshas. Personalized dosha care makes healing comfortable, enjoyable, and simple to understand.

What Is My Dosha?

Dosha technically means biological humor. There are three base doshas, Vayu or Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Vayu means wind or air; Pitta means bile or fire, and Kapha means water or phlegm. Each person is primarily one dosha or combination of doshas, resulting in seven main dosha groupings:

1. Vayu
2. Pitta
3. Kapha
4. Vayu/Pitta
5. Vayu/Kapha
6. Pitta/Kapha
7. Tridosha (all three doshas equally present).

In reality, most people are a combination of two doshas, such as Vayu/Pitta.

Physical Doshas

People have both physical and mental doshas. Like psychologist William Sheldon's Somatotypes, ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph, Vayu body doshas are thin framed, Pitta doshas are medium or muscular in build, and Kapha doshas are large-framed and rotund. An example of a Vayu dosha person is the comedian Don Knotts, who portrayed a thin, sickly, nervous Deputy Fife in the 50's TV show, The Andy Griffith Show. Athletes are examples of Pitta body doshas. Santa Clause is a model for the Kapha doshas. With a little practice, it becomes easy to determine a person's physical dosha just from observation.

Another interesting way to know one's dosha is from the tone of voice. A high, sqeaky, wavering, unsure voice indicated Vayu dosha. An assured, critical, angry, forceful voice suggests a Pitta dosha. Kapha doshas tend to have deep tonal voices.

Doshas & Psychology

Ayurveda also addresses mental doshas. For example, excess Vayu minds exhibit worry, fear, or anxiety. An overloaded Pitta mind expresses anger, judgment, and a critical nature. A Kapha-surfeited mind shows lethargy, greed, and melancholy. Balancing mental doshas addresses many personality issues. Conversely, a healthy Vayu mind is creative and joyful. A healthy Pitta mind is warm and offers kind leadership. Healthy Kapha personalities are loyal and compassionate.

Dosha Qualities

It becomes easier to determine which dosha is imbalanced by knowing which bodily organs and systems relate to which doshas.

Healing with Doshas

Balancing the dosha elements is the key to health. All foods, activities, seasons, and illnesses have at their essence one or more predominating elements. Choosing foods and activities that balance one's dosha, prevents illness, and if ill, induces healing in a comfortable manner. When an imbalance or illness requires more attention, herbs and other therapies are used for quicker healing (balancing). In many alternative healing modalities clients are told they will feel worse before they feel better – the 'healing crisis'. The Ayurvedic view is, you will start to feel better – no crisis because the therapies do not aggravate one's constitution while healing.

For example, garlic is known in the West as having beneficial effects for the heart. Ayurveda refines this statement; garlic – a fiery herb – is beneficial for Vayu (air) and Kapha (water) doshas, but would aggravate a Pitta (fire) person's dosha, while helping the heart. For the Pitta dosha, the Ayurvedic suggestion is arjuna. Pitta clients with heart issues report when switching from garlic to arjuna, not only is the heart improving, but they feel a greater sense of overall well-being. Of additional interest, this example shows that some illnesses can be caused by excesses of different doshas, and require individual healing approaches.

Conclusion

Knowledge of the three doshas and how they interact with the five elements, known as Ayurvedic tridosha theory, is within the ken of all people, and offers families opportunities to naturally, safely, and inexpensively stay healthy and balanced in mind and body. Tridosha theory offers a master key to health and prevention, and determining your family’s doshas is easy and fun.

Spiritual Ayurveda notes that balancing health according to one’s dosha is the foundation for inner peace and joy. Simple, natural, and quick healing, Ayurveda is grabbing world-wide attention. So the next time you’re at a party, walk up to someone and say, ‘What’s your dosha?’