Understanding the Doshas of Ayurveda 
By Susan George, CAS

The doshas, vata, pitta and kapha, are a central component of the vast body of knowledge that is Ayurveda, a 5,000 year-old holistic system of medicine from India.  When I first heard these terms they seemed strange, clinical and more abstract than personal.  Were they just another way to categorize myself?  And aren’t people so much more complex than just these three “types”?  Do I really need more labels to limit myself? 

Now, fast forward thirty something years of life experience and a few health challenges later, I see that the cup in which I was holding this information is what was limited.  I am again and again astounded by the depth of this knowledge.  As a music lover, I liken the study and practice of Ayurveda to a great piece of music.  Each time you listen to it you hear, discover, remember, learn, recognize something enlivening, surprising and often life-affirming.  The more you absorb this music, the more it begins to live, take root and finds its own  expression from within you. 

How Ayurveda Heals
The knowledge of Ayurveda when put into practice and integrated over time is also very accessible and empowering to the individual.  It is thousands of years old yet more and more people are discovering it today and it is transforming their own relationship to health; even redefining their experience of health altogether.  How can that be?

A practitioner of Ayurveda focuses on the person and then on the disease or imbalance. Ayurveda helps us to understand why we are feeling out of sorts, how we get sick, what's causing it and how we can help restore our own state of balance.  By putting this wisdom into practice our subtle awareness increases.

The medicines or tools of healing that Ayurveda utilizes are universal. They are food and lifestyle; herbs, roots and flowers; massage and five-sense therapies; yoga and meditation.  Also important in Ayurveda is cultivating a deeper connection to and affinity with the rhythms and qualities of nature.  Knowledge of the five great elements:  air, ether, fire water and earth; the four seasons and times of day, evening and times of life all help to shed light on our path of health.

The Wisdom of the Doshas
The five great elements in their biological forms are called the doshas:  vata, pitta and kapha.  All activities and functions or malfunctions of the mind and body are dependant on the state of balance or imbalance of the doshas. Each person has a unique configuration of these doshas. known as prakruti. 

Understanding one's unique prakruti is fundamental in Ayurveda.  When the doshas exist in an imbalanced or aggravated state, it is called vikruti and this leads to disease.  To properly identify prakruti and vikruti, it is best to consult a practitioner.  This is not something we can really grasp through a questionnaire.  It goes much deeper than that.

Each of us possesses all three doshas but the manner in which they manifest is unique.  One dosha can be very dominant and the other two much less so.  Or, two doshas can be plentiful and the third more in the background.  And, less often, the three doshas are in more similar proportions.  Just as each flower is unique, so is each human being in their composition of doshas.  

VATA - Vata is the energy of wind or movement. It is comprised of the elements of ether and air. Vata is motor and sensory functions, it is respiration and the movement in digestion.  Its qualities are cold, dry, light, mobile and rough. Out of balance it can cause certain types of insomnia and headaches, memory disorders, dry skin, constipation, fear, anxiety, mild to severe pain and a sense of weakness and  ungroundedness. Vata is the dosha that is most easily disturbed.

PITTA- Pitta contains the elements of fire and water. Pitta is responsible for metabolism, body heat, hunger, thirst, perception, intelligence and understanding.  Pitta is hot, sharp, oily, subtle and penetrating.  It gives us our luster and warmth. When out of balance some common manifestations are disorders of the eyes, inflammation,  indigestion, acid reflux, acne, rashes, excessive perspiration, impatience, anger and jealousy.

KAPHA- Kapha is the energy of stability; it is comprised of the elements of water and earth. Kapha is moisture, structure, strength, endurance, reliability and calmness under pressure.  It is cold, heavy, dense, slow, oily and soft. When kapha is out of balance it can manifest as lethargy, weight gain, sinus congestion, respiratory problems, procrastination, attachment, greed and certain types of depression.

Doshas in Action
For one these doshas can be expressed in a creative, exuberant and expansive way, like a lithe, flexible dancer (vata, air and ether), for another more as warm, sun-like flashes of clarity, focus and insight (pitta, fire and water) and still for another it might be more in a sweet, nourishing and soothing fashion like mother’s milk (kapha, earth and water). 

Understanding these principles helps us to better understand ourselves and each other.  It teaches us how to better care for ourselves in our daily lives.