What Are The Three Doshas?
What Is A Dosha?
In Ayurveda, there are three energies that are the manifestations of life force known as doshas.
Okay, so what does the manifestation of life force actually mean?
Think of it this way; there's an energy that moves through your body that makes things happen. For instance, you aren't willing your stomach to digest food, you don't instruct your eyes to see and transform light, and you aren't responsible (thank god) for every breath your lungs take.
All of these things happen naturally within the system of your body. If you had to manage each of these processes, you wouldn't have time to do anything else. So who manages them? It's your life force that manages itself. In fact, it doesn't even need to manage itself -- it just is.
And while the result of this natural flow of energy through your body is life, there are three different types of energies that come together to make you the perfect whole that you are.
The Elemental Nature Of The Doshas
At this point you may be wondering if the doshas are anything more than an abstract concept. While they certainly aren’t as clearcut and solid as matter, the doshas do have a basis in the living world.
According to Ayurveda, everything comes from nature. That means me, you, the tree in your yard, the clothes you wear all began as natural elements. Everything once came from nature, and everything will eventually return to nature. Therefore, there is an elemental component to all things.
The doshas are no exception, and these energies arise from specific combinations of the five elemental energies -- ether, air, fire, water, and earth.
What Are The Three Doshas?
The three doshas are Pitta, Kapha, and Vata.
To understand how these energies work in your body, let’s look at their elemental components:
Vata is made up of ether and air
Pitta is made up of predominantly fire, with some water to balance it
Kapha is made up of earth and water
So which dosha do you have? The answer is always: all three. In fact, your body wouldn't be able to function if you didn't have all three. What makes you unique, however, is your ratio of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Most people have one or two of the doshas in a higher proportion, and understanding your dosha makeup can help you better understand yourself and how to keep your body and mind in balance.
So let's dive into the doshas in more detail.
The Vata Dosha
The primary energy of Vata is air, and its action in your body is movement. Therefore, you can think of anything in your body and mind that requires movement as working with the energy of Vata. Some examples include:
The movement of your muscles
The flow of nutrients in and out of your cells
The flow of air through your lungs
The movement of blood through your blood vessels
Each dosha has a set of qualities that describe its function, for Vata the qualities include:
Dry
Light
Cold
Rough
Subtle
Mobile
Clear
Vata Body Type
Vata people tend to be slim and may have a hard time gaining weight or keeping it on. They may have smaller eyes, thin hair, and dry skin. Thinking about the qualities of Vata mentioned above, it would make sense that their bodies would tend to be more light and dry then Kapha or Pitta people.
Vata Personality Traits
Vata people can have big personalities. They love to talk, move, walk, and generally keep things in motion. Vata is inherently variable. Therefore, the Vata personality can go from the life of the party to totally wiped out in a short period of time.
Vata people are typically very creative; they love music, dance, art, and anything that can get their creative juices flowing. One downfall of the Vata personality is that it can be difficult for them to complete what they start. They're always on the lookout for something new, and therefore may lose interest before they complete a project or a new venture.
Vata Imbalance
Some lifestyle factors that can cause a Vata imbalance include lack of sleep, skipping meals or fasting, too much stimulation (drugs, electronics, alcohol, sexual), and erratic lifestyles. Therefore, to keep your Vata energy in balance, it's crucial that you follow some type of routine. You can think of Vata as paper in the wind, and routine as your paperweight. Regular meals, regular sleep patterns, and grounding activities are all Vata balancing techniques.
Signs of Vata Imbalance
Dry skin, hair, or nails
Restless mind, feeling ungrounded
Poor circulation
Fear and anxiety
Ringing in the ears
Muscle twitching
weight loss
dizziness / lightheadedness
Constipation, bloating and gas
The Pitta Dosha
The primary energy of Pitta is fire, which shows up in your body and mind as transformation. The seat of Pitta is in your digestive tract, where the food you eat is transformed into nutrients. However, Pitta plays a role in every level of digestion and transforms energy in each and every cell in your body.
The qualities of pitta include:
Oily
Sharp
Hot
Light
Mobile
Liquid
Pitta Body Type
The Pitta body type tends to be of medium build and height, and they have an easier time building muscle. Pitta people can gain weight relatively easily, but they typically can lose it just as fast. The features associated with Pitta are sharp -- sharp nose, chin, eyes (penetrating), and tongue.
They may have freckles or copper/reddish skin tone, and a tell-tale sign of pitta is getting red like a tomato after a workout.
Pitta Personality Traits
Pittas are born leaders. They know exactly how they would like to execute a plan, and can often find the most efficient way to get anything done. The Pitta personality type is often sharp in the mind, and they love list making, goal setting, achievement, and competition (even with themselves).
When they focus too much on perfection, Pitta people can find imbalance emotionally and get easily frustrated or impatient when things don't go smoothly. For a Pitta, personality balance is truly key -- enough work to keep them satisfied, but not so much that their life begins to revolve around achievement.
Pitta Imbalance
Pitta can become imbalanced when there is too much heat in the mind or body. Physically, this can be due to excessive sun exposure (often in the summer season), eating food with too many hot spices, excessive alcohol or drug consumption, and sexual overindulgence.
Mentally, Pitta will find imbalance if there is too much competition, overachievement, and focus on work-life. While a pitta person thrives on getting things done, when the balance shifts towards obsessive, an imbalance in energy will likely occur, leading to anger, irritability, and impatience.
Signs Of Pitta Imbalance
Diarrhea, loose stools
Acid reflux and heartburn
Nausea
Acne
Fever
Insomnia
Excessive perspiration
Excessive thirst
Sharp pain and headaches
Skin blisters
Burning sensations
Irritability
Anger
The Kapha Dosha
The primary energies of Kapha come from earth and water, and show up in your body and mind as lubrication, calm, and unctuous. You can think of Kapha as that which holds your body together, nourishing and grounding you. In your mind, it brings stability and groundedness.
The qualities of Kapha include:
Heavy
Cold
Slow
Oily
Smooth
Dense
Soft
Static
Stable
Sticky
Kapha Body Type
Kapha people tend to put on weight easily and have a harder time losing it. They tend to be well-built and curvy with soft skin and long thick hair. Their features are often round -- big round eyes, round face, round nose.
Kapha Personality Traits
Kapha people are naturally open-hearted and warm. They are loving, nurturing, caring, and peaceful. Of the three dosha types, Kapha's are by far the most grounded. They walk slow, talk slow, and may be shy or reluctant to share too much. They are excellent in supportive roles, while leadership may be too much pressure for them.
The Kapha personality may find itself in a rut at times. It can be easy to fall into a routine and feel stagnant when their lives become monotonous. The irony is that of all three doshas, Kapha's have the strongest stamina and can actually take on quite a bit -- when they can muster the willpower to get themselves going.
Kapha Imbalance
Kapha imbalance comes from stagnation in either the mind or body. Since this dosha is responsible for holding things together and grounding you, the counterbalance is movement and free-flowing energy.
Therefore, the colder months of winter when the body tends to slow down can create an imbalance in Kapha. Spring and rainy seasons also tend to push Kapha out of balance, along with excessive sleep or lack of exercise.
A diet high in sugar, salt, dairy, or processed foods will also create more stagnation in your body and can increase Kapha.
Signs Of Kapha Imbalance
Weak digestion
Constipation
Laziness
Colds and congestion
Sinus problems
Obesity
Lethargy
Excessive salivation
Excessive sleep
Water retention
Swollen joints
Depression
Listlessness
Your Unique Constitution
As mentioned above, you have aspects of all three doshas within your mind-body system. However, the way that they show up will vary due to your unique constitution.
The best way to determine your constitution is by working with an Ayurvedic practitioner. In your first session, your practitioner will assess your constitution by asking you a series of questions, while also taking note of your physical attributes.
Alternatively, you can also use the dosha quiz I created, which should give you a good idea of which dosha (or doshas) are most prominent in your constitution.
Why Understand Your Doshic Constitution?
The benefit of understanding your unique constitution is that it can provide you with a blueprint to keep your physical and mental energy balanced.
Vata people will tend towards specific imbalances, as will Kapha and Pitta. By understanding which doshas are higher in your body, you have insight into what may go out of balance easiest.
Understanding your constitution is primarily used for the prevention and maintenance of homeostasis in your body. If you know what your body tends towards, you can get ahead of potential imbalances. For instance, someone who is high in Pitta will want to be careful in the summer to stay cool and not expose themselves to too much heat. Similarly, for Vata people, the fall can create imbalance as this season is cool and windy.
Giving yourself the gift of these insights can help you prevent imbalances in both your mind and body, and is your first step in living in accordance to your own nature.