Ayurveda is the holistic and ancient traditional medicine of India. When you go visit an Ayurveda Practitioner, the first thing they do is check which of the Ayurveda 3 body types you are.

The Ayurveda Consultation

In General, experienced Ayurveda practitioners can tell your constitution or body type (dosha combination) simply by looking at your:

• body frame and weight
• complexion
• colour of eyes and hair
• skin type
• body temperature
• posture
• movements and behavior

Traditional Ayurveda doctors usually check your pulse, your eyes, tongue, and nails. Then, they will make you fill in a form or else ask you several questions related to your health and habits to be able to identify your physical and emotional state of being.

Ayurveda 3 body types

When you take the Ayurveda test, you are expected to reply based on how your constitution has been most of your life, and not on how you feel or in what shape or state you are in today.

This is because the Ayurvedic Constitution or Prakruti that you were born with does not change. With factors like stress, age and life change the Prakruti gets unbalanced and becomes Vikruti, and what Ayurveda does, is recommend health and lifestyle solutions to balance the doshas and prevent future disorders or diseases.

The Ayurveda Doctor

The Ayurveda treatment consists of the intake of herbs, massages, dietary changes, and other body-mind practices like meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises.

Since Ayurveda is a holistic science, it treats the body, mind, and spirit on equal terms, as they are intertwined and when the doshas are balanced, you are deemed to be in GOOD HEALTH.

In the below information you will learn about

• what are the 3 doshas?
• why is the Prakruti important?
• the qualities and functions of each and every dosha and
• how the imbalances impact your body and mind

===== TO FIND YOUR BODY CONSTITUTION TYPE, TAKE YOUR DOSHA TEST HERE

The 3 Doshas Explained

The three main doshas or body energies are called Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.

You find people who are dominant in one or mono dosha type; Vata, Pitta, or Kapha, but a combination of 2 or dual dosha types is more common; Vata-Kapha, Vata-Pitta, Kapha-Pitta, and there also exists the 3 or tridosha type Vata-Pitta-Kapha type which is uncommon.

Despite the fact of having two people of the same dual dosha type ex Vata-Kapha, Ayurveda considers and treats each and every person as a unique being, as it is assumed that no person is exactly the same as any other one.

The single dosha dominant type tends to have less but more serious health issues whereas the dual and tridosha types have more but treatable health issues.

So what are the 3 doshas?

In Ayurveda, it is believed that man is part of nature, and there are 5 fundamental elements of nature (mahabhootas) that make up the doshas as follows;

Vata is based on air & ether (space), Pitta is based on fire, and Kapha is based on water & earth.

These five elements are represented in all material on this earth and thus the tridoshas are also represented in us, the human body. One or two doshas are usually predominant. These forces of nature are also present in the environment, the time of day, the seasons, and the stage of human life.

No dosha is better than the other as the 3 doshas do complement each other, and together they control the function of the human being. Each dosha has its particular impact on the mental, body, and biological activities of an individual.

Why is the Prakruti Important?

• to initially determine the body constitution and mental activity of an individual.
• to discover which typical disease every individual is prone to.
• diet and patterns of behavior are decided depending on one´s Prakruti.
• projection of any disease depends on Prakruti.
• consequently, medicine is also prescribed according to Prakruti.

===== DISCOVER YOUR DOSHA TYPE, TAKE THE TEST

Characteristics Of The Doshas (Prakruti)

Qualities, Functions, and Imbalances

Here is a list for your quick reference.

Qualities of the 3 Doshas
Vata	Pitta	Kapha
cold	strong	cold
dry	hot	heavy
light	light	slow
rough	slightly oily	soft
mobile	warm	oily
irregular	irritable	steady
thin	medium built	well-built
Functions
Vata	Pitta	Kapha
imaginative	decisive	stable
creative	impatient	loyal
active	quick	conservative
restless	competitive	routine lover
nervous	passionate	good listeners
mental agility	argumentative	good memory
Common Imbalances
Vata	Pitta	Kapha
insomnia	inflammation	Obesity or heaviness
constipation	Fever and increased body temperature	Laziness or depression
Poor digestion	indigestion	weak digestion
Feeling of exhaustion	skin diseases	excessive sleep

 

===== HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR DOSHA IS? TAKE THE TEST HERE

Wrapping Up & My Dosha Type

I hope it is a bit clear on what are the Ayurveda 3 body types, and the importance of knowing what´s your dosha?

Once you have determined which is your body constitution then the next step is to start learning about which food can aggravate or pacify your imbalanced dosha, what activity you should do or avoid and at what time, how to control your emotions, breathing exercises and other techniques to be able to live a healthier and happier life.

I, for example, am a Vata-Kapha type with nearly equal proportions but dominant in Vata. I am active, imaginative and an extrovert which are qualities of Vata and at the same time I like to have a routine, sleeping and am a good listener (qualities of Kapha). When it comes to imbalances I have the tendency to suffer from constipation and respiratory infections. However, because I have learned about prevention from Ayurveda, I select food and include spices that favour my doshas. I make sure to enhance my immune system before the colder season and also try to avoid any arguments and excess worries.

I hope you find the above article interesting and that you will take the test to find out what is your dosha type. Please do let me know what you think and what´s your secret to keep calm and cope with the daily stress.