“Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care”
– Lord Buddha
Ayurveda one of the oldest medical systems which originated more than 5000 years ago in India. In Sanskrit, Ayurveda means knowledge of life which is a combination of Ayus(life) and Veda (knowledge).
Unlike Western medicine, Ayurveda is designed to promote good health rather than fight a disease. It aims to treat the root cause of an illness. This traditional science was found by sages and rishis through deep meditation. This knowledge was passed on orally before Charaka and Sushruta transcribed this knowledge into written text around 1000 BC. These texts were called Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita. Samhita in Sanskrit means “union/joined/put together/a collection”.
Ayurveda is considered the fifth Veda after the four vedas : Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda.
The principles of many of the natural healing systems now familiar in the West have their roots in Ayurveda including Homeopathy.
Table of Contents
Practitioners of Ayurveda believe that your body, mind and consciousness are connected. If the three of them are in harmony with the universe, your body is healthy.
It uses diet and nutrition, lifestyle changes, natural remedies, breathing and meditation, detoxification and rejuvenation processes, spiritual counseling to treat a patient.
[Source : Detox Your Body – Ayurveda Way]
It is based on the principle that the body is made of 5 elements – Air, water, earth, fire and space. They are known as panchbhoota in Sanskrit where panch means 5 and bhoota means elements.
According to Yoga and Ayurveda, panch bhootha is associated with overall health of a human being.
It is the subtlest element in which everything happens. It is omnipresent and allows all the elements to interact. It is the contributing element to It Vata Dosha.
In the body, space relates to the below:
It is the dynamic element that is responsible for everything related to movement, change, and actions in the body. This is the main element that gives rise to Vata Dosha.
In the body, air relates to the below parts:
It represents everything that requires digestion and transformation. It it the main element that gives rise to Pittas Dosha.
In the body, fire relates to the below:
It represents to liquid that flows throughout the body. It Is a contributing element to Pittas Dosha. In the body , water relates to the below:
It represents all the visible solid matter. Earth gives your body structure and form. It glues together the cells , formed from Earth and Water. It is the main element that gives rise to Kapha Dosha, In the body, Earth relates to the below:
The combination of the 5 elements determines our unique mind/body type, habits, personalities and vulnerability to certain health issues.
If any of these elements go out of balance, this means there is a health disorder.
These Panchbhootha combine in the human body to form life energies or doshas.
Energy as taught to us in basic biology is required to create movement so that fluids and nutrients get into the cell enabling proper functioning of the cell. Similarly in Ayurveda, there are 3 types of Life energies or Doshas and they make you what you are.
Our physical characteristics and personality are born from the doshas. Typically every human being comprises of these 3 doshas and the same 5 elements. It is the different combinations of these elements which gives rise to a different body type and personality.
The 3 Doshas of Ayurveda are :
In the modern Medicine, the 3 doshas can be correlated as :
To know which Dosha you belong to , take this Dosha Test which is absolutely Free!
Vata essentially refers to movement in body. Vata is such an important dosha that very often when you visit an Ayurvedic practitioner, the first steps will include calming the vata dosha. Managing vata alone can mostly be enough to calm many health symptoms, despite being of another dosha.
On an annual basis , vata is prominent during Fall season. This is the time you need to be very careful about lifestyle and diet.
Pitta is a combination of 2 elements Fire and Water with the former being more pronounced. It regulates all the metabolic processes in the body like hormone balance and temperature.
These individuals are very calm, relaxed and content. They are enjoyable and people love to be in touch with Kapha personalities for their nature. Kaphas are generally understanding and patient. They make the ideal managers who can handle issues calmly without over reacting.
Kaphas are the combination of Earth and Water elements which make them stable. This means that susceptibility to illness is lower than Vata and Pitta.
Finally, we have seen the different elements that make up the physical body and the 3 doshas ruling it. Using the elements and their characteristics in this way, we have a clearer understanding of the different Dosha. By now, you would have gotten a hang of the type of Dosha you are by taking the quiz.
Remember one thing, you are in charge of your own health and if everything is done right, you will be disease free!
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Good explanation of doshas
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