So.... What's your dosha?

Dosha... What on earth is a dosha?  picture credit

That is usually what people say with their eyes when I get really excited and start talking about Ayurveda.  It doesn't bother me though, because it is awesome, one of those awesome things that I don't mind getting weird looks for.  I was introduced to Ayurveda during my yoga teacher training and after I had already been very involved in learning about alternative medicine and healthy diet.  So, where to start with Ayurveda?  To begin, Ayurveda is a system of health that originated thousands of years ago in India.  The basic idea is that in order to treat a person of any ailment, whether emotionally, physically, or spiritually
we need to understand the inherent differences within each person.  We all come from the 5 main elements of the universe.  That might sound strange to some, but even in the Bible there is reference to this : Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
  What then are we made up of?  Space, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth.  Understanding that we are all made from special individual arrangements of these elements helps us understand how to treat disease or just learn how to create a lifestyle more catered to finding balance for our individual needs.

We all have a certain amount of these elements some more or less than others creating the system of the Dosha.  So quickly lets talk about Dosha's:

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 Vata:  Vata is Space and Air, it is the dosha of movement and change.  Similar to the wind people who have a predominant amount of Vata qualities will be thin, fast moving, creative and energetic.  Vata qualities are dry, cold, mobile and light, sound similar to Space and Air?  The vata Dosha expresses these qualities in the body and the mind.    If a person displays the primary characteristics of the vata dosha they will then learn how to find harmony by living a vata balancing lifestyle.  Some quick examples would be eating warming cooked foods, finding and keeping a routine, getting plenty of rest, and doing more gentle forms of exercise like yoga (especially the grounding types like yin yoga), walking, and swimming.  Out of balance Vata will express anxiety, tension, and an overactive mind.

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Pitta:  The Dosha of Fire and Water.  The Pitta Dosha is translated as "that which cooks".  Sounds exciting.  The qualities of Pitta are Hot, liquid, moving, sharp and oily.  Pitta attributes are self motivation, strength, anger, jealousy and courage.  Individuals who have a strong pitta composition tend to be very warm and excitable people with a muscular athletic build of average height.  The self motivation tends to lead Pitta individuals to strong goal setting and achieving abilities.  But because of the heat, pitta individuals can on occasion (more if imbalanced) tend to overheat and explode with episodes of anger and frustration.  Pitta types are fast learners and can get frustrated with those who may take longer to see things their way.  Because of all that heat and liquid it is best for pitta individuals to to live a pitta balancing lifestyle which includes cooling foods like salads, lots of liquids, a moderate amount of sleep, calming activities like being in nature and steady calming exercise. 

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Kapha:  The Dosha of Earth and Water.  When thinking about earth and water you can understand that the characteristics are those of soft, moist, heavy, cold and static.  Kapha individuals display these characteristics in body and mind.  Kapha individuals tend to be sturdy, strong, loving, with large kind eyes.  Kapha types are grounding and calming individuals and help balance out the Vata and Pitta Doshas.  Kapha types because they are so linked to the earth can use more heated physical exercise, they can go to bed early and arise earlier than the other two dosha's.  Out of balance the Kapha can become over attached, lethargic, and depressed easier than the other doshas.  To keep Kapha in balance it is important to do emotional exercises like meditation and writing and make a focus on non attachment. 

There are so many more things which I will blog about more in detail focusing more on each individual dosha.  But for fun today, try taking a Dosha quiz to find out what dosha you are.  For a good one follow this link: http://www.ayurveda.com/pdf/constitution.pdf
Follow the instructions at the top by taking the quiz two times as it states then share your Dosha :)

I haven't had a personal Ayurveda consultation which would be the best way to determine, but from my quiz taking I have found I am a dual dosha of Vata/Pitta.

So... What's your Dosha ;)