Ayurvedic body types are important to know to maintain a right balance between your mind and body. But most of us do not know the right way to understand the dosha. In that case you can talk to your ayurvedic general physician or book an online consultation. There are three types of ayurvedic body types : vata pitta and kapha. This helps you understand yourself better.
What are the 3 Ayurvedic body types?
Understanding your body type is really important to maintain good health. Ayurveda is the oldest life science that is based on all natural things. According to Ayurvedic the body is made up of five elements: water, fire, ether, earth and air. These five elements split into three energies. This vata,pitta and kapha. We have all five energies in our body but in a unique combination. Ayurveda is self-knowledge and self-healing. To understand who we are as it allows us to build a special foundation to know us better. To do the right thing, to do better and to do the right exercise. Five elements, three energies also known as doshas. This is what is called ayurvedic body types. Everyone has all three ayurvedic body types but in a different combination. People seldom have three in equal amounts. Often one is dominant and rests in less quantity. The aim of ayurveda is to create balance of your biological constitution which is your Pakriti. It’s not about knowing the equal amounts but knowing the amount of each in your body and creating the balance between them. For example if you are vata dominant and had pita so vata pitta is your ayurvedic body type. But don’t try to aim for any ayurvedic body type, just try to balance uniqueness! In essence we try to balance our constitution using the right diet and the right lifestyle. To really understand that we need to really understand vatta, pitta and kapha. Your biological constitution is a conception that varies throughout life. Prakriti is your mental and physical constitution. It is the DNA that is given from your mom and dad. This doesn’t change throughout your life but what changes is your inside and outside influence that changes the whole constitution.
Vata, pitta and kapha are the most popular words of the ayurveda. These doshas get their qualities from five elements.
Kapha : When the earth element of the body the solid food that we take interacts with the water element from the water that our body consumes is called kapha. The resultant body of the kapha is as follows : the body is oily, cold, heavy, viscous, smooth, slimy and immobile.
Pitta : When the water element of the body interacts with the fire element which is bodily heat. The properties of both interact to form pitta. The properties of the pitta element are as follows : oily, absorbent, light, odorous, fluid and mobile.
Vata : When the air element of the body interacts with the akash or space the resultant property is vatta. The properties of vatta are as follows : dry, light, cold, rough, subtle.
Ayurveda defines health as balance between these three mixtures
How do I know my Ayurvedic Body Type?
Knowing the ayurvedic body type is like knowing the root cause of any disease. We all are different. We all have different types of ayurvedic body types. We have different lifestyles, habits, illness and personality. These differences in ayurvedic science are called prakriti. People having a vata ayurvedic body tend to have low bone density and little muscular body. These people are creative and active not only physically but also in the thought pattern as well because they have many ideas. These people are prone to illness because they are not physically very strong. They have a weaker immune system. Pitta has a fire element. People with pitta have explosive character and strong digestive systems. They have medium body size and build muscles at a low pace. They have good strength and appear aggressive and determined. They usually tend to have a great sense of justice and work hard for their goals. Since they have a good digestive system they can digest most of the food easily. Kapha has earth and water elements. Those with kapha have a well built body. They are generally very good looking and have healthy skin. So if you have glowing skin, you might belong to kapha. Such people are physically stronger and have robust immune systems. If you have kapha, you can opt for swimming and walking activities. They have a good IQ and memory. They have a great amount of endurance. But do you think that we can put people easily in these three categories? The answer to this question is no!
In Fact most people are combination types. There can be people whose constitution is defined by two ayurvedic body types. There are people who have all the three doshas in the balance. If we know there are predominant dosha, we can balance our diet according to that only. If we do this then our body can be in a complete balance state with nature. Because ayurveda is all about balancing mind and nature. Unknowingly people aggravate doshas. They make bad life choices related to lifestyle. When doshas are unbalanced the body starts building toxins and finally leads to ill health. Take an example of a lady who has kapha and should live in warmer places, dry areas and eat warm food. Unfortunately, if she lives in a cooler place and eats food which is cold will create an imbalance in the body. She will feel dizzy and laziness. She would catch respiratory infections easily. She could show symptoms like cold and cough. There could be continuous conditions of bad health. This includes water retention, mucus formation and feeling of heaviness. Obesity and sadness also accompany this. When someone has vata dosha imbalance then symptoms of this show up as dry skin, insomnia and headache. Tremors, stiffness in neck or legs. Arthritis, constipation and nervousness are other problems in vata dosha. This affects mental stability as well. This includes fear, nervousness, confusion and insomnia. In the same way pitta dosha gets imbalanced, it can lead to inflammation. This can also lead to skin problems and muscle problems. The skin disorders include psoriasis, migraine and fatigue. Acid reflux, jaundice and skin rashes. And now the question that will hit your mind is what is my dosha?
Many of you might have an idea about it also. Since it is easy to identify the dosha, you can also consult your ayurvedic general physician as well to get a better idea. If you learn to observe yourself closely, you will understand your dosha well. The ayurvedic body types are easy to identify. There is enough literature in ayurvedic medicine to understand the same. One you get an idea about your ayurvedic body type, try to balance it by following the proper instructions. You will feel a great deal of change in your body for the same. There will be lethargy and dizziness. Your overall body outlook will definitely change. This will increase your productivity as well. To maintain a proper balance between mind and body, there are several yogic and ayurvedic techniques. Such as changes in diet, herbal remedies, yoga asanas, pranayama and meditation. Understand your predominant doshas and make an effort to see if it is in the right balance. By knowing this you will be in harmony with nature!
