Introduction To Ayurveda: Pt2: The Ayurvedic Constitution

Welcome to part two of this three-part introduction to the fundamental principles of Ayurveda.

In part one,

You were introduced to the ten pairs of opposite qualities,

The five elements and the three doshas.

In this session,

We're going to explore the prakriti,

The personal constitution.

As you discovered last time,

We all have all three of the doshas in our bodies and in our minds and we need them all to live and function in the world.

Vata allows us to move,

Pitta allows us to transform and Kapha gives us our physical structure.

But everyone is unique,

No two people are exactly alike and so no two people have the exact same combination of doshas.

Everyone has their own natural combination of doshas that makes them who they are.

In Sanskrit,

The word for this personal constitution is prakriti,

Which means nature.

The prakriti is determined at the time of conception and it's affected by the prakritis of the parents and also by any imbalances in the doshas that the parents had at that time and by past life factors and astrological influences.

Your prakriti is your unique nature.

It's your unique balance of doshas where you are at your most natural and healthiest.

And although there are infinite ways in which the doshas can combine,

For ease of reference the prakriti is usually broken down into seven basic types.

Some people are born with more of the vata dosha and less pitta and kapha.

Some with more pitta and less vata and kapha.

And some with more kapha and less vata and pitta.

And some people have more of two of the doshas and less of the other one,

Where others may have more equal amounts of all three.

So let's take a look at some of the ways the doshas can manifest in the constitution of a person.

We'll start with vata.

Vata's main qualities are cold,

Light,

Dry,

Rough,

Mobile and subtle.

And so,

When vata is a significant dosha in the constitution,

The person will display these qualities in their bodies,

Minds and personality.

Physically,

Someone who is high in the vata dosha will have the quality of lightness.

They may be very tall and thin,

Or very small and short.

And there won't be that much physical weight on the body,

As the air and ether elements lack the gross quality that brings physical form and structure.

Vata's irregularity may also mean that there are some physical irregularities,

Perhaps crooked teeth or structural irregularities.

Vata brings smallness and thinness to the features.

And the person may have a long thin face,

A small nose,

Thin lips and small eyes that dart and move around a lot.

The dry quality of vata means that people with a vata constitution have a tendency towards dryness and may often experience dry skin and hair and brittle nails.

Physiologically,

The irregularity of vata can bring the person irregularities in the way their body functions.

They may have an irregular appetite,

Irregular bowel movements and irregular menstruation.

And the dry quality brings an internal dryness that can lead to a tendency towards constipation.

Vata is also cold and people with a vata constitution easily feel the cold and may often have cold hands and feet and crave warmth.

Because of the light quality,

People with a vata constitution are often light sleepers and may find it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep or have a tendency towards insomnia.

And because of the mobile quality,

Vata people usually move quickly and do things very quickly.

Their energy comes in bursts,

So they'll be very energised but then very exhausted.

And their speech is often fast with a tendency to rumble.

Mentally,

Vata people have a very quick and active mind.

They have good short-term memories and quickly understand new information.

But the mobile quality of vata also means that these people tend to forget things quickly.

If you're taking a class with someone who has a vata constitution,

They're likely to be able to understand a new subject easily and will be able to recall all of the information the day after taking the class.

But a few weeks later,

They may have forgotten all about it completely.

And because of this mobile quality,

People who are more vata tend to like change.

They may have many interests and enjoy changing between different things.

They're unlikely to stay in the same place or to remain doing the same thing for too long.

A vata person may frequently change jobs,

Relationships or homes,

And enjoys travelling,

Moving and new experiences.

Vata people like to keep active and mobile and usually enjoy socialising and communication.

Vata brings a natural enthusiasm and creativity and often a person with a vata constitution will be found working in a creative field or in communications.

The natural connection to the more subtle energies also makes people with a vata constitution good healers.

Due to their mobile nature,

Love of change and many interests,

Vata people often move through life in their own way,

Following their own interests and exploring what they want to explore.

And they're less likely to want to fit into a conventional lifestyle.

When a vata person is balanced,

They're creative and inspired and can light up a room with their natural enthusiasm for life.

And when challenged,

People with a vata constitution tend towards emotions of fear,

Anxiety,

Worry and overwhelm,

And can become scattered,

Forgetful and ungrounded.

We can think of a person with a vata prakriti as being like a bird or a butterfly,

Fluttering from place to place and never being tied down to one thing for too long.

Now let's look at how pitta manifests in the prakriti of a person.

Pitta's main qualities are hot,

Light,

Oily,

Sharp and mobile.

So when someone has a lot of pitta in their constitution,

They'll have many of these qualities.

Someone with a pitta constitution is usually of a medium or average height and build,

But they may have an athletic frame and well-defined muscles.

The sharp quality brings a person with a pitta constitution sharp features,

And they may have an angular jaw or a pointed chin,

A sharp pointed nose and deep-set penetrating eyes.

And the fire element brings bright or light colourings.

They may have red or fair hair and reddish undertones to the skin.

The skin can be sensitive to the sun and someone with a pitta constitution usually burns easily.

And this skin may also have lots of moles or freckles.

Pitta's heat means that these people have a warm body temperature and feel the heat easily.

They like to keep cool and can often be found keeping the windows open,

Even when it's very cold outside.

And people with a pitta constitution have a strong digestive system.

They usually have a strong regular appetite and are able to eat large amounts of food without discomfort and dislike skipping meals.

There's generally a regularity with the overall body functioning for someone who is more pitta,

And they eat and sleep regularly and have good energy levels with a good ability to focus.

Their speech is clear and direct and mentally pitta people have a sharp and active mind.

They have a sharp intellect and are able to digest new information quickly and easily.

If you're taking a class with a pitta person,

They'll be likely to ask a lot of questions around the subject and will often seek out more information on the topic.

And if you were to ask them something about the class at a later date,

They'd be able to recall all of the information in detail.

The mind of a pitta person is logical and organised.

These people enjoy planning,

Managing and working towards and achieving goals.

Pitta people are able to work hard in a disciplined way to reach their goals and they enjoy structure,

Routine and orderliness.

Because of their capacity to organise,

Lead and manage,

Pitta people are often found working in managerial roles or in places that require discipline and order,

Such as in the police force or the military.

And people with a pitta constitution make good teachers and enjoy working in leadership positions.

Someone with a pitta prakriti is likely to advance and grow in their career over their lifetime.

They enjoy progressing,

Achieving and moving up in the world.

When a pitta person is balanced,

They're disciplined,

Logical and organised and are able to carry out their plans efficiently and smoothly.

And when challenged,

People with a pitta constitution tend towards heated emotions of anger,

Jealousy,

Envy and frustration and can become critical and blaming of others or overly controlling.

We can think of a person with a pitta prakriti as being like a tiger or a bull,

Passionately moving forwards towards their goal.

And the third dosha,

Kapha,

Is cold,

Wet,

Heavy,

Gross,

Soft and stable.

So when a person has a kapha constitution,

They'll have a lot of these qualities.

Someone with a kapha prakriti will have a large build and large bones.

They may be very tall and large or shorter but more stocky.

Kapha is heavy and people with a kapha constitution often have the tendency to hold more weight on the body.

They may be naturally heavy or tend towards being overweight,

Finding it more difficult to lose weight.

And the muscles are large,

Stocky and solid.

A kapha constitution brings large round features,

Such as a round face with soft fleshy cheeks,

A large nose with a wide bridge,

Large moist eyes and thick lips.

Moisture is found throughout the body.

The skin is often smooth and slightly damp and there's a tendency towards excess mucus and congestion.

People with a kapha constitution tend to have a cooler body temperature and prefer to be in hot dry climates.

But they're also able to adapt to most climates.

Due to the extra body weight,

They don't suffer from the cold as intensely as those with a vata constitution.

The stability of the kapha dosha brings a quality of slowness and these people tend to move slowly,

Think slowly and their bodies function more slowly.

Their digestion is slow and it may take a long time for them to digest a meal.

It can be six hours or so until they feel hungry again after eating.

Kapha people take in information slowly and steadily.

They tend to have poor short-term memories but very good long-term memories.

If you're in a class with a person who has a kapha constitution,

After a lesson they may be finding that they didn't really grasp all of the information and it might take them longer to learn everything that's being taught.

But once something has been learned and understood,

They will never forget it.

And if you were to mention the class to them again many years later,

They'd still be able to recall all of the information in detail.

People with a kapha constitution have a steady approach to life.

They're able to work slowly and steadily at their projects and have a great level of physical and mental endurance.

The heavy and stable qualities of kapha mean that kapha people dislike change and like to stick to what they know.

They often stay in the same job,

Home or relationship for a very long time or for the whole of their life.

Relationships and friendships are important to people with a kapha constitution and their lives are often more focused on the people around them than on setting and reaching goals.

They're often found working in roles that require them to care for or support other people such as carers and support workers,

Nurses or chefs.

And kapha people can also make very good loving parents.

Kapha people often have a tendency towards attachment and can become very attached to people,

Situations and things and tend to accumulate material possessions and money.

These people usually work slowly and steadily throughout their life and can reap the benefits of their steady work as they get older.

When a kapha person is balanced,

They're calm,

Loving,

Caring,

Devotional and loyal.

And when challenged,

People with a kapha constitution tend towards the heavier emotions of melancholy,

Sentimentality,

Greed and sadness.

And can become overly attached or possessive.

We can think of a person with a kapha prakriti as being like an elephant or a tortoise moving through life at a slow and steady pace.

You may have found that one of these descriptions sounds a lot like you or a lot like someone you know.

Or you may have found that you can identify with two of them or even all three of them.

When someone has a lot of just one of the doshas in their constitution,

They'll strongly resonate with one of the descriptions and not so much with the other two.

So they can describe their prakriti as whichever that dosha that they're identifying with is.

So either vata,

Pitta or kapha.

When someone has more of two of the doshas,

They'll identify with two of the descriptions and the prakriti can be described as whichever those two doshas are.

So vata pitta,

Pitta kapha or vata kapha.

And if someone really identifies with equal amounts of all three,

They would be classed as tridoshic.

And as we saw before,

There are really infinite ways that the doshas can combine.

But these seven labels are useful to be able to identify which doshas are the ones that we most need to pay attention to in our daily lives.

Finding your constitution can be very straightforward for some people or it can be a little more complicated for others.

Especially if you have long-term health problems which are affecting the levels of doshas in your body right now.

The best way to assess your constitution is to make an appointment with an Ayurvedic practitioner who can properly assess your body,

Mind,

Personality and your health history.

But there are also lots of self-tests online,

Including the questionnaire in my course on Insight Timer titled Ayurveda Healing Through the Senses,

Which guides you through all of the different factors to look at to get an idea of your prakriti for yourself.

Your prakriti is the balance of doshas that was unique to you at the time that you were conceived.

It never changes and you'll feel at your best and healthiest when your doshas are at the levels of your prakriti.

But the states of the doshas are always changing.

From the moment of conception we're affected by the impressions we take in through our senses,

By our environment,

By our diet and by everything that happens to us in our life.

The doshas also follow natural cycles through the day and the year and sometimes each dosha is naturally higher than the others.

The state of the doshas as they are at any given time is called the vikriti in Sanskrit.

And in part three we're going to look at what happens when a dosha increases too much and the different treatment methods that Ayurveda uses to bring the doshas back into balance.

Thank you for joining me here today and I look forward to meeting you again in session three.