Ayurvedic Doshas and Their Impact on Your Life | The Dance of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha
Updated: Mar 30
So, you’ve taken an online Ayurvedic dosha quiz, and found yourself more confused than ever. Pitta-dominant? Tri-dosha? Now what am I supposed to do about it all?
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Ayurvedic Doshas and Their Impact on Your Life
Ayurveda, the knowledge of life, describes the world as being made up of five elements, Aakash (space), Jala (water), Prithvi (earth), Teja (fire), and Vayu (air). These five elements come together to form three distinct humors referred to as Doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.
Nature does not standardize. Just as there are no two leaves on a tree that are identical, there are not two humans who are the same. Everyone is a comprised of a one-of-a-kind mix of the Vata, Pitta and Kapha doshas. The doshas give shape to the physical body, sleep, digestion, hair, voice, intellect and more.
Dosha is a Sanskrit term that literally means “that which darkens,” "that which accelerates aging," because when the doshas are out of balance, it accelerates aging, leads to health issues and disease.
How Do I Know If I Have a Dosha Imbalance?
Peruse these comprehensive and convenient lists of signs and symptoms of dosha imbalances.
Peruse these comprehensive and convenient lists of signs and symptoms of dosha imbalances. As we are comprised of all Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, there can be an imbalance in any of the doshas, or a combination of dosha imbalances. Read all three lists and see if anything looks familiar.
Enjoy our video on Ayurveda: A Compass For Living
Look at the Saumya Ayurveda logo. The petals represent the five elements, and those elements combine to create the three doshas.
Earth and water comprise Kapha. Fire and water combine and Pitta manifests. Air and ether together create Vata. Kapha governs protection and lubrication such as the immune system, synovial fluid in the joints, and the mucosal lining of the respiratory system. Pitta governs metabolism such as food, touch, and thinking. Vata governs movement inside and outside of us such as the wind outside your window, synaptic movement in the brain and bowel movement.
Simply put, to balance the doshas, opposite qualities are the treatment. Kapha needs invigoration for motivation. Pitta needs to chill out, relax, cool off and let go of intensity. Vata needs grounding and soothing to stabilize.
The Three Dosha Types in Ayurveda
We are comprised of all three doshas.
Vata Dosha – Air + Space
Vata types tend to be thin and lanky. They are mentally and physically active and have active imaginations. Vatas are creative people who often think outside the box. They tend to be easily distracted and have moods that are influenced by the weather, the people around them, and the foods they eat.
Vatas do best when they follow a consistent daily routine that allows them to manage their stress through mediation, pranayama breathing, or calm activities. Vata types or those with Vata conditions frequently get cold hands and feet and can benefit from maintaining a warm body temperature.
Kapha Dosha – Water + Earth
Kapha types are strong, thick bones people with slow metabolisms. They are innately stable, compassionate and loyal, and often act as a support system for others. Kaphas rarely get upset and tend to think before they act.
Because of their slow metabolism and tendency to gain weight, Kaphas do best when they focus on regular exercise, maintain a healthy diet, and keep to a regular sleep routine.
Pitta Dosha – Fire + Water
Pitta types are strong-willed individuals who are highly motivated, competitive, and goal-oriented. Pitta can be intense and aggressive in their drive to attain their goals, but their drive makes them natural leaders. When a Pitta is out of balance, they can easily get irritated and frustrated.
"It's a matter of clearly assessing what each doshas is telling us by way of symptoms, traits, and then determing how to restore balance. Often there are two diameterically opposed qualities at play and that's where it gets confusing for people--an Ayurveda consultation provides skilled guidance.
The doshas dominate at times of day, seasons, stages of life, climate, so it is not a black and white, one size fits all, and that is where the specificity, clarity, and simplicity of Ayurvedic treatment provides people the help they seek." --Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
When the doshas are out of balance, we don't feel like ourselves. We may find ourselves saying, "it's just aging" or, "it's just stress," but these are the signposts on the road telling us to pay atention.
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Which Is My Dosha?
Why am I more confused after taking a dosha quiz?
All three doshas are present in everyone, it is a matter to what degree. Picture a bar graph. We all have three bars, but how high each bar is different for each person. What's more is that the doshic bar graph moves depending on where we live, the season, stage of life and our current condition.
We are even influenced by the time of day. Now picture that doshas are not static, they are energy and as such, they are dynamic. This is why the dosha quizzed tend to leave most people confused and understandably so. "By assessing correctly, the dance of the doshas, a targeted Ayurveda plan is created for you. It is the specificity of Ayurveda that provides clients so often with delightfully fast outcomes." -Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
So, you’ve taken an online Ayurvedic dosha quiz, and found yourself more confused than ever. Pitta-dominant? Tri-dosha?
Having imbalanced doshas can lead to poor health and disease. Imbalances affect our bodies, mind, moods, and more. When we feel out of sorts, it usually means that our doshas needs to be balanced.
There is a saying, "The mind is more in the body, than the body is in the mind." The Saumya 3 Step Meditation Process shifts us from fight-flight-freeze mode, to rest-restore-relax mode. Give it a try for forty days and observe the changes. The more grounded and relaxed we are, the smoother life flows.
"The breath is the connection between the mind and body, so by training the breath, we become calm, focused, and grounded, we slow down the aging process by decreasing stress. These practices are so simple and easy to have as part of our daily life. We actually feel and look younger."
- Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
1. Learn Diaphragmatic Breathing and Change Your Life. When we re-learn to breath diaphragmatically, we move from the flight-fight-freeze mode, to rest, restore, relaxation mode from where we want and need to live.
2. Daily Guided Practices: 11 minutes in the morning and in the evening, as anchors of your daily Ayurveda routine.
3. Ayurveda Daily Routines: Ayurvedic Morning Routine | 6 Rituals for a Calm and Centered Day
"Choose a couple of practices from the routines that provide you with the greatest support. Perform them while applying our two minute meditation technique and your mundane tasks, just transformed into a mellifluous meditation. This is meditation applied to daily life." - Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
Explore More: Ayurveda Breathwork Pranayama
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Veena’s gentle and succinct approach allowed me to easily refine my routines into a more structured foundation that left me feeling more in graceful governance with myself – emotionally and physically.
Not only had she brought forth awareness in how I prepare/ relate to the food I eat, but she also prescribed me wonderful herbs to help calm my anxiety, detox my liver, and heal the ugly night sweats I’ve been experiencing due to hormonal imbalances.
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Understanding Ayurvedic doshas and their impact on your life can create positive and lasting change.
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Veena is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and meditation teacher, and monk.
She is President Emeritus and teaching faculty of the Meditation Center.
Veena fell in love with the traditional medicine used in her family’s home, learning herbal remedies at her grandmother's knee.
These childhood experiences were the seeds of a lifelong passion. For over 30 years, Veena has dedicated her life to the world’s oldest healing system: Ayurveda.
She draws on this ancient wisdom to help others find their compass to a healthy life – and support those left wanting by Western medicine.
An experienced Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, Veena’s deep, intuitive knowledge of Ayurveda empowers her clients to reclaim their fullest, most vibrant lives –mentally, physically, and spiritually. Veena individualizes treatment plans to each person, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, so it fits your life and becomes woven in your lifestyle, naturally.
