The Three Doshas: Kapha, Pitta, Vata
‘These doshas are the active, but waste product, forms of the Five Great Elements—vata arising from air and ether, pitta from fire and water, and kapha from water and earth…’
- Robert E. Svoboda
Doshas are the characteristic imbalance of our state of health. The word dosha comes from the root ‘dus,’ which shares meaning with the English ‘dys,’ as in, ‘dysfunction.’ Since Ayurveda’s aim is to attain a state of equilibrium in the body, working with the doshas is crucial.
Kapha dosha arises from the Earth and Water elements. It is the force in the body responsible for stability and strength, disease resistance, and maintaining equilibrium. Someone with Kapha dosha predominating is likely to exhibit the following qualities: heavily-built, reluctant to travel or make other lifestyle changes, good at saving money, a reliable and loyal friend, and liable to be lazy or slow. Kapha people tend to be the backbone of a healthy community due to their good-natured ability to get along with others and maintain relationships.
Pitta dosha, originating from the Fire and Water elements, is the generative force in the body. It is responsible for digestion of food and the understanding of new ideas. Pitta dosha kindles ’heat’ in the body, be it in the form of emotional heat and passion, motivation and a strong work ethic, or the digestive fire that keeps the body healthy. People with Pitta dosha predominating tend to be light in complexion and prone to premature balding. They are often highly motivated and very capable, emotionally volatile and short tempered, and egotistically driven. Pitta people are the ‘do-er’s of society.
Vata dosha originates from Air and Ether elements. It is the force in the body responsible for distribution. Vata dosha is what makes oxygen and nutrients circulate through the body via the blood stream. It is also the force that sends nervous impulses to and from the brain. People with Vata dosha predominating tend to be unreliable, quick-to-learn yet quick-to-forget, bad at saving money, and full of big ideas but without any action to back it up. These are often the philosophers and day-dreamers. They love to travel, and detest sitting still for very long. Vata-driven individuals tend to have a lot of different friends, but are not especially loyal or dependable. Being very changeable by nature, it is the Vata people who keep a healthy society flexible and on its toes.
Everybody possesses each of the three doshas to varying degrees. Most individuals have one dosha that is dominant and a second dosha whose influence is not far behind. A few rare individuals are ‘tridoshic,’ meaning that the three doshas are naturally balanced in their bodily constitution.
Although we are born with a particular constitution, we can alter it at any time through changes in lifestyle. The balance (or imbalance) in vata-pitta-kapha that we are born with is called our ‘prakriti,’ and the current state of our constitution is called our ‘vikruti.’ These two terms are not far off from the western-psychologist’s understanding of ‘nature-vs-nurture,’ whereby each has equal influence on our state of health and frame of mind as life unfolds.
Ideally, the three doshas will be in a state of equilibrium, for it is a balanced body and mind that is most conducive to physical and emotional health, social productivity, and personal growth and meditation.
- Robert E. Svoboda
Doshas are the characteristic imbalance of our state of health. The word dosha comes from the root ‘dus,’ which shares meaning with the English ‘dys,’ as in, ‘dysfunction.’ Since Ayurveda’s aim is to attain a state of equilibrium in the body, working with the doshas is crucial.
Kapha dosha arises from the Earth and Water elements. It is the force in the body responsible for stability and strength, disease resistance, and maintaining equilibrium. Someone with Kapha dosha predominating is likely to exhibit the following qualities: heavily-built, reluctant to travel or make other lifestyle changes, good at saving money, a reliable and loyal friend, and liable to be lazy or slow. Kapha people tend to be the backbone of a healthy community due to their good-natured ability to get along with others and maintain relationships.
Pitta dosha, originating from the Fire and Water elements, is the generative force in the body. It is responsible for digestion of food and the understanding of new ideas. Pitta dosha kindles ’heat’ in the body, be it in the form of emotional heat and passion, motivation and a strong work ethic, or the digestive fire that keeps the body healthy. People with Pitta dosha predominating tend to be light in complexion and prone to premature balding. They are often highly motivated and very capable, emotionally volatile and short tempered, and egotistically driven. Pitta people are the ‘do-er’s of society.
Vata dosha originates from Air and Ether elements. It is the force in the body responsible for distribution. Vata dosha is what makes oxygen and nutrients circulate through the body via the blood stream. It is also the force that sends nervous impulses to and from the brain. People with Vata dosha predominating tend to be unreliable, quick-to-learn yet quick-to-forget, bad at saving money, and full of big ideas but without any action to back it up. These are often the philosophers and day-dreamers. They love to travel, and detest sitting still for very long. Vata-driven individuals tend to have a lot of different friends, but are not especially loyal or dependable. Being very changeable by nature, it is the Vata people who keep a healthy society flexible and on its toes.
Everybody possesses each of the three doshas to varying degrees. Most individuals have one dosha that is dominant and a second dosha whose influence is not far behind. A few rare individuals are ‘tridoshic,’ meaning that the three doshas are naturally balanced in their bodily constitution.
Although we are born with a particular constitution, we can alter it at any time through changes in lifestyle. The balance (or imbalance) in vata-pitta-kapha that we are born with is called our ‘prakriti,’ and the current state of our constitution is called our ‘vikruti.’ These two terms are not far off from the western-psychologist’s understanding of ‘nature-vs-nurture,’ whereby each has equal influence on our state of health and frame of mind as life unfolds.
Ideally, the three doshas will be in a state of equilibrium, for it is a balanced body and mind that is most conducive to physical and emotional health, social productivity, and personal growth and meditation.