The Doshas and Your Ayurvedic Body Type

Then there are the three doshas (bodily humors): vata, pitta, and kapha. The doshas, or some combination of them, can be identified in various seasons, climates, landscapes, activities, plants, and animals.

“All three doshas are present in everyone, but the ratio between them varies a great deal from one person to the next.”

Each of them embodies a combination of elements and qualities to create a functional entity—an energetic force of nature.

Benefits of Ayurvedic Medicine

“At the heart of the Ayurvedic approach to wellness is the idea that like increases like and that opposites balance.”

The beauty of the Ayurvedic approach is that it is as elegant and intuitive to the novice as it is to the seasoned Ayurvedic practitioner. For those relatively new to Ayurveda, the tradition offers a clear path to improved wellness and vitality.

The same set of principles guides the skilled Ayurvedic practitioner in directing potent remedies to specific organs, tissues, and channels throughout the physical and energetic bodies.

The twenty qualities mentioned above provide the most straightforward illustration of how the concept works, and their grouping into ten pairs of opposites makes for a fairly intuitive grasp of how this wisdom can be applied in practical terms.

Beyond its traditional roots, there are many other reasons why you might be interested in exploring an Ayurvedic lifestyle. Now that you have familiarized yourself with some of the basic principles of Ayurveda, let’s explore some practical benefits Ayurveda has to offer.