“Making your doshas happy will make you happy. This is the secret to balancing the whole mind-body system.”~ Deepak Chopra
Ayurveda, the Science of Life began more than 5,000 years ago. The purpose of Ayurveda is to create a system that drives holistic health and well-being through practiced, scientific knowledge, but the beauty of it is that it does so through natural methods, takes on a preventative approach and recognizes that there is not a one size fits all approach to health. That's why. it's focus is on maintaining a physically and emotionally balanced state by understanding your mind-body constitution, called Dosha and then making diet and lifestyle choices that will keep your Dosha in balance.
According to Ayurveda, their are 5 elements that makeup our internal bodily and external physical world and being, those elements are fire, water, space, earth and air. And even though each person has a variation of all of these elements present in each cell, tissue and organ - we each have our own unique mix of these elements that vary our thoughts, creativity and our mind-body constitution. However, each person will have a primary Dosha.
3 Dosha Types:
VATA ~ Space & Air/Movement & Change (V)
If Vata is your dominant Dosha - you are someone who is always on the go! You are likely to have a thin, light frame and your energy comes in spurts. When in balance, you are lively and enthusiastic, but when out of balance you tend to worry, get anxious and might face insomnia. When out of balance, you are also likely to skip meals, experience constipation, weakness and digestive issues.
PITTA ~ Fire & Water/Transformation (P)
If your primary Dosha is Pitta, you likely have a medium built and when in balance, you have a strong metabolism, strong digestion and a strong appetite. You don't like to skip meals, you sleep well, but don't need a lot of sleep for energy and you are sharp witted, a good leader and decision maker. When out of balance, you might experience, excessive body heat, skin rashes, ulcers, indigestion and emotionally, you may become irritable, argumentative and hot-tempered.
Kapha ~ Water & Earth/Structure & Fluidity (K)
Physically, Kapha types have a strong build and great stamina. When in balance, Kaphas are content, naturally caring, loving, strong, supportive and reliable. Kaphas tend to sleep deeply and hold on to relationships - when out of balance, Kaphas might hold on to relationships and jobs long after they are no longer good for them. Also when out of balance, they are resistant to change, stubborn, may become withdrawn, experience excess weight gain, depression and sleep excessively.