Decoding Ayurveda ‘Doshas’

We might have caught snippets of information related to the ayurvedic concept of ‘dosha’ but not enough to fathom a deeper understanding. You are on the right page if you are interested in assimilating in depth the concept of ‘tridoshas’ – Vata, Pitta and Kapha and the roles these play in affecting our heath & well-being.

‘Dosha’, as per Ayurveda, is a bio-entity or a bio-element, which is an essential part of our bodily constitution. Inherently unstable by nature, the ‘tridoshas’ are constantly fluctuating in our bodies - changing during the span of a day and even as we consume food. Therefore, it is crucial that we keep our ‘tridoshas’ in good harmony at all times. For instance, Kapha is dominant during morning & night time, Vata during evening & dawn time and Pitta during midday & midnight. The paramount concept in Ayurveda is that sound health is the outcome of harmonious balance between ‘tridoshas’ whereas imbalances can result in diseases.

During the span of human life, Kapha dominates during infancy & childhood, Vata during old age or the age of senility and Pitta dominates during youth. The ‘tridoshas’ even follow the cyclical movement of seasons; Kapha dominates during spring, Vata during rainy season and Pitta during autumn.

Let us now delve deeper into each of the three ‘doshas’ – Vata, Pitta and Kapha – considered individually.

Vāta or Vata is the fine force of energy associated with motion, Pitta is the force associated with bile in our body and Kapha is the energy that determines our body’s structure. Vata is the principle of kinetic energy primarily linked with the nervous system. Kapha is the principle of potential energy concerned with stability and lubrication. On the other hand, Pitta controls our enzymatic and endocrine systems and represents energy that utilizes bile to regulate our digestion and strengthen body metabolism.

Human body is composed of five universal elements – the ‘Panchamahabhoota’ – Fire (Agni), Water (Jal), Space (Akash), Earth (Prithvi) and Air (Vayu) and so are the ‘tridoshas’. Vata is constituted by Air & Space, Pitta by Fire & Water and Kapha by Earth & Water.

Vata is the airy element characterised by qualities, like, dryness, lightness, coldness, roughness, erraticism, minuteness and motion. Vata causes movements in our body. Imbalanced Vata often causes pain and diseases, like, flatulence, windy humour, rheumatism and gouts.

Pitta is the fiery element or bile characterised by qualities, like, hotness, moistness, liquidness, sourness and sharpness. Pitta is oily, light, intense, fluid and malodorous in nature. Pitta’s processes essentially involve digestion of some kind even if it is the cooking of thoughts in our mind. Pitta is Fire contained in Water; fluid and able to consume food, it can digest and transform.

Kapha is the watery element characterised by qualities, like, heaviness, tenderness, softness, coldness, lubrication and slowness. Kapha is oily, stable, viscous and dense. It is the nutrients-transporter of the body that ensures its proper nourishment. Kapha is the predominant constituent in our soft organs and plays crucial role in nourishment of joints, taste perception and lubrication in our body.

‘Tridoshas’ are essential forces within us that influence not only our wellness and proneness to diseases, but also our growth, how we age and many other aspects.

All of us have one ‘dosha’ predominant in our bodies. ‘Prakriti’ is what defines this unique mind-body constitution of each individual. An identification and deeper insight into our ‘prakritis’ can help us adapt our lifestyles – diet, exercise habits etc. – in suitability to our ‘prakritis’ so that we can lead healthier lives.

It is an understanding of our individual habits, external body traits, emotions, mental capabilities, temperament and numerous other factors that can help us recognize our ‘prakritis’. Ayurveda recommends specific exercises, massage routines, yoga pranayama & postures, meditation, diet and more for specific ‘prakritis’.

When your ‘doshas’ are in disharmony, particular symptoms are visible with increased Kapha, increased Vata and increased Pitta.

Excessive Vata causes nervous or mental and digestive disorders, weakening of body tissues and low energy. Excessive Pitta causes blood toxification that leads to infections and inflammations. Excessive Kapha causes increased mucus formation, edema, lung disorders and weight gain.

SYMPTOMS WITH IMBALANCED ‘TRIDOSHAS’

EXCESSIVE VATA	EXCESSIVE PITTA	EXCESSIVE KAPHA
Gas formation	Burning sensation in stomach	Increased phlegm
Cramps in calf muscle	Hyperacidity	Cough in morning time
Astringent taste	Fever	Lethargic feeling and failure to wake up early
Body pain	Jaundice	Lethargy and drowsiness
Dizziness	Bitter taste in mouth	Sweet taste in mouth
Insomnia	Itching	Salivation
Unsteadiness of mind	Perspiration	Plumpness or flabbiness
Pain in joints	Gastric ulcer	Gallstones
Fractures in hip joints	Indigestion

Essentially, it is Vata that maintains the balance between Kapha and Pitta. We must, therefore, pay great attention to keeping Vata in balance so that other doshas also remain well harmonized.