In Ayurveda, doshas are the three energy patterns of life. They represent seasons, planets, functions of your body, moods and more. We are all made up of a unique mix of doshas, usually having a predominance of one or more. The three doshas are Vata (air and ether), Pitta (water and fire) and Kapha (earth and water). 

Why is this helpful? For a practitioner or Ayurvedic doctor, it guides us on where a problem is and how we can treat it. I wouldn’t give the same treatment plan to a Kapha person as perhaps I would to a Pitta person. Diseases are imbalanced doshas, and it is the imbalance we look to balance for treatment. All sound a bit complex? It can be. For the purposes of an individual, the advice is to learn about yourself. Learn to identify when you are in and out of balance. For example, I am a Pitta/Kapha constitution. When I am balanced, I can take life’s shenanigans in my stride. In fact, I feel the joy of the ebbs and flow. When I am imbalanced, I get angry quickly in the summer, and I put on weight in the winter. These are just a few examples of what helps me identify how I am. 

Equally, the doshas are responsible for different functions in your body. Vata is responsible for movement, the nervous system, breathing, downward movement of the excreta and menstrual process. Pitta is responsible for metabolism, heat in the body, digestion, vision, the liver and more. Kapha is responsible for the growth and stability of the body, the liquid in the body that supports the organs, regeneration. Vata is responsible for automaticity, pitta is responsible for metabolism and Kapha is responsible for homeostasis. 

The purpose of today’s blog is to mainly let you know that your constitution isn’t the be all and end all. Dosha quizzes are fun but not something to get attached to. In Ayurveda it is your digestion that is the centre of your health. Hence my dosha vs dosa title (thanks Sadguru for that joke!). You can tell someone the biggest secrets in the world but if their stomach is rumbling with hunger they won’t be as focussed. What you eat (and what you digest) has an affect on your body, emotions and thoughts.  

In a nutshell, to bring yourself in to balance, you would address your digestion and change what you eat, having foods that are easy to digest. Foods that are cooked, and simple combinations, are easier to digest. Different kitchen herbs have different medicinal properties. An example of this is the famous digestive Ayurvedic tea CCF tea which is made up of 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander and 1 tsp of fennel. CCF tea is perfect to drink after a meal, as it helps balance bloating and IBS. Ayurveda is a massive subject and to heal ailments, that is why we have Ayurvedic doctors with several years of medical training. The small preventative changes are the ones that Indian households know. My parents’ generation know exactly which herb to consume in soaked water to lower cholesterol, which teas to make for different problems etc 

So get to know your doshas if you fancy it, but definitely get to know your digestion more! Everyone is different and it is recommended that you eat to your digestion. In Ayurveda there is not a one size fits all. It is an individualised approach.