Ayurveda is the science or knowledge of life and is the oldest comprehensive medical system known to humans. It originated thousands of years ago through the ancient wisdom in India and continues to operate as such in many areas of the country. While Ayurveda is extremely complex, I will try my best to simplify the main concepts for you in this blog post.
The Five Elements
One of the foundational principles of Ayurveda is that everything is comprised of the five elements. These elements include: earth, water, fire, air and space. Traditionally, they are discussed from most subtle to most gross (as in large). This is the order in which life becomes manifest in Samkhya philosophy. This is not a crucial point to understand to begin to understand Ayurveda, but I wanted to note this for reference. So, the cosmos and life as we know it on Earth consists of a combination of these five elements. As such, we contain a unique ratio of these five elements. Our prakriti or prakruti is our unique combination, which I will explain more in depth below.
When I first started to study Ayurveda, I tried to memorize the doshas and their elements and it was only when I came to understand Ayurveda from an elemental perspective that it began to sink in at a deeper level. Simply put, think about the qualities of the elements. For example, if one has a vata imbalance there might be an excess of the elements of air and space. If you think about the qualities of those elements, they are not solid and there is a lot of movement and flow. Movement and flow in balance can lead to creativity, but an excessive amount can lead to anxiety and fear. I will explain this more in a moment and string together various concepts to help drive home this point.
Please know this still might makes zero sense if you’re new to Ayurveda. Just know that each of us is made up of a unique combination containing all five elements. Ideally, we want to be in harmony with our unique combination AND also recalibrate when life, circumstances and even the weather introduce elemental forces that can throw us out of balance. Keep reading to learn more!
The Three Doshas
The three doshas in Ayurveda are Kapha, Pitta and Vata. I personally list them here in this order as the elements that comprise them are in this order of the chakras from root to throat. As mentioned earlier, you will often see them listed in reverse order. This is another reason why I love this work, because it challenges binary thinking (i.e. right or wrong) and allows you to interpret in a way that suits YOUR understanding and needs.
Kapha Dosha
Earth (chakra 1) and water (chakra 2) comprise the Kapha dosha. The Ayurvedic season of Kapha is from later winter into Spring. It governs structure (earth) within one’s being such as the bones, muscles and tendons and supplies the “water” or liquids for all bodily systems such as lubrication for joints. The attributes of Kapha are cool, heavy, slow, smooth, soft, and stable. When in balance, kapha types are loving, calm and forgiving. They have that “mother earth” energy. When out of balance, they can be greedy, envious and be overly attached (to material possessions, people, circumstances, etc.). One way to see this is to envision someone with too much Earth. They are overly attached to the material world.
Pitta Dosha
Water (chakra 2) and Fire (chakra 3) comprise the Pitta dosha. The Ayurvedic season of Vata is from late Spring into Summer. It governs metabolism and transformation (fire and water) within the body and mind such as digestion (food, thoughts, emotions, etc.), absorption, assimilation, nutrition, metabolism and body temperature. The attributes of Pitta are oily, hot, light, spreading and liquid. When in balance, Pitta types are often the leaders, they are understanding, ambitious and intelligent. When out of balance, they can be angry, jealous and over-controlling. Envision a lot of fire energy!
Vata Dosha
Air (chakra 4) and Space/Ether (chakra 5) make up the vata dosha. The Ayurvedic season of Vata is from late Fall into Winter. It governs movement (air and space) within the body and mind such as thoughts, feelings, blood, breathing, blinking, etc. The attributes of Vata are dry, light, cold, rough, subtle and mobile. When in balance, Vata types are creative and flexible. When out of balance, they can be quite fearful, anxious and ungrounded. Envision a lot air and space generating an excessive amount of movement in the mind.
Prakriti and Vikriti
I consider Ayurveda to be the OG of intuitive eating. The foundational principles are to live your life based on YOUR personal constitution. Our constitution or blueprint is referred to as our prakriti/prakruti. This is the truest nature of who we came into this life to be. As this, as I like to say, “learning ground” is where we come to work through our karmic lessons and patterns (samskaras), it is quite easy to fall out of alignment with our true selves. Weather, lifestyles, food, challenges, trauma, etc. all contribute to our vikriti/vikruti. This is our current condition or state of health or current imbalances.
For example:
- In the summer, we can accumulate excess Pitta (fire and water) and become agitated from the excess heat.
- If we’re traveling a lot, we might accumulate an excess of Vata (air and space) leading to feeling more anxious and ungrounded from the excessive quality of movement.
- In the Spring, too much Kapha might lead to feeling lethargic and finding it hard to get up and get going. Earth and water create mud, so think of feeling as though being stuck in mud.
Opposite Action
In my line of work, an invaluable tool and skill is opposite action. This essentially means, do the opposite of what the disordered voice is telling you to do! This helps to rebuild neural pathways in the brain to break free from habitual patterning that keeps one stuck in harmful thoughts, patterns and behaviors.
In Ayurveda, the idea is to find balance in the opposite (again VERY simply put). So if one has an excess of Pitta (fire and water), the focus might be on cooling foods (i.e. watermelon, cucumber, coconut oil), staying cool and doing “less”…to name just a few ideas! Too much Vata will want grounding, think warm cooked foods and root vegetables. Too much Kapha can actually benefit from more movement (as long as you are medically cleared to do so!).
Find YOUR Balance
Ultimately, the key to Ayurveda is learning how to care for YOUR body and to find and maintain a sense of balance for YOUR constitution. What I appreciate most about Ayurveda is that it is quite intuitive. Especially, if you are able to access and trust your inner wisdom. The body often tells you what it needs. It’s just a matter of listening and trusting, which for many people can be extremely hard to do. Most Westerners are not taught to trust and care for their bodies. We are certainly not taught to do so based on our unique mind body type.
Just like the transition from dieting to intuitive eating or recovering from an eating disorder, there will be A LOT of unlearning and relearning in the process. Also know that this is just one approach and another tool in the toolbox. If it resonates, cool! Keep learning more. If it doesn’t, tuck it away in your toolbox. Be sure to check in once in a while to see if it maybe resonates on some level.
Free Dosha Quiz
These “quizzes” or “tests” can give you a sense of your constitution. What is tricky is that you might be answering questions related to your vikriti (or imbalance) and not your prakriti (constitutional blueprint).I suggest taking these tests more than once. I recommend doing it at different times of day, different energetic states, etc. to get an overall idea. Another suggestion is to take it with people that know you well, as we don’t always see ourselves clearly. To get a true assessment, one should see an Ayurvedic doctor or practitioner to get a proper reading. They will look at everything from your tongue to your pulse to accurately assess your constitution!
Disclaimer: This post is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute individualized support or medical advice.
Blair is a registered dietitian, certified intuitive eating counselor, E-500 RYT and Reiki Master. She integrates spirituality with modern day science to help people heal and reclaim their relationship with their body and food.