Ayurveda is a 5,000 year old consciousness based healing system of India, considered the sister science of yoga. Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word, composed of two words: “ayu” meaning life and “veda” meaning knowledge. We study Ayurveda with yoga to understand mind/body constitution.....

Ayurveda is based upon the principle that we are all made up of nature’s five masterelements or panchamahabutas:

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Akasha - Space

Vayu - Air

Teja - Fire

Jala - Water

Prithvi - earth

 

Most people are born with one or two of these elements dominant, while some have a balance of all three. The pairing of these elements is called dosha.

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Vata dosha – space & air

Pitta dosha – fire & water

Kapha dosha – water & earth

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This constitutional makeup, which was determined at birth, is called prakruti. Some people are naturally grounded, while others are more airy or fiery.

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These doshas are dynamic and fluctuate in and out of balance depending on your environment, diet, age, stress level and lifestyle. An imbalance reflects either an excess or reduction of a dosha. Usually, imbalances arise due to an excess of a particular dosha. This imbalanced state is known as vikruti.

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Ayurveda recommends a customized approach to health by understanding your dosha and treating all three dimensions of the body: physical, emotional and spiritual.

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Take this five-minute quiz to start the journey of discovering your Ayurvedic dosha (mind/body constitution): Vata, Pitta or Kapha. To get an accurate assessment, you will need to see an Ayurvedic practitioner. This self assessment can be a fun way though to begin to explore the doshas. Know that we all have qualities of Vata, Pitta and Kapha and some qualities may be more dominant at different points in your life.

 

Once you've completed the quiz, I'll share some tips on how to balance the doshas.