Anytime you have an Ayurvedic consultation or speak with an Ayurvedic health specialist, you will find them using the terms, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. In short, Vata is comprised of air and space elements, Pitta is comprised of fire and water, and Kapha is comprised of water and earth. The consultant may tell you that you have a Vata imbalance or a Pitta imbalance. But what does that really mean?

You are not meant to look at the doshas to see whether you have too much of it or too little of that dosha. That factor is left up to the Ayurvedic consultant. What is most important for you to know is which dosha is imbalanced and how to bring your physiology back to a state of balance.

When you are told that you have a Vata imbalance, for example, it means that Vata is not functioning in its balanced state. The main functions of Vata are movement, communication, and transportation. In the physiology, these functions are expressed through the nervous system, circulatory system, respiratory system, and the elimination portion of the digestive system. In terms of disease names, neuropathy, constipation, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and arthritis are just some examples of an imbalanced Vata. (Although all of these diseases can also be caused due to an imbalanced Pitta and Kapha, or a combination of any of them). An imbalanced functioning of a dosha is primarily seen as an improper functioning of an organ or organ system.

The best way to reverse an imbalance is to avoid the causative factors. For example, staying up late can cause brittle hair and nails, and having too many ice-cold drinks can cause constipation and indigestion. The bottom line is that if you know that something isn’t good for you, then don’t do it. The next key is to know the qualities of the doshas. Vata, being comprised of air and space, tends to have the qualities of dryness, roughness, light, subtle, moving, changing, irregular, cool, and brittle. If you have a Vata imbalance, anything cold and dry will aggravate your imbalance and will make it worse. So if you know you have a Vata imbalance, do not have dry or cold foods and drinks.

The same principle applies to Pitta and Kapha imbalances. If you have a Pitta imbalance, then avoid salty, sour, fermented, and spicy foods, as all of these will make the Pitta imbalance worse. For Kapha imbalances, avoid heavy, sweet, and unctuous foods, as these foods will aggravate Kapha and will also make you feel heavy and lethargic.

Once you know your imbalance, whether its one dosha or a combination of the three doshas, it is important to avoid the causative factors and know which qualities will balance the doshas. A balanced functioning of all three doshas means a balanced functioning of the physiology.

I often get asked, what is my prakriti? And I often find myself explaining to others the difference in Ayurveda between prakriti, meaning nature, and vikriti, meaning imbalance. Prakriti isn’t simply which predominant dosha am I. Prakriti is about your essential nature. When a Vaidya, or Ayurvedic physician tells you that your illness is due to Vata-Pitta, for example, then that does not mean your prakriti is Vata-Pitta. This means that your vikriti is Vata-Pitta.

“Sharir indriya sattva atma. Samyogo dhari jivitam. Nityagascha anubandascha. Paryayair ayur uchyate.” This quote from Charak Samhita means, “the body, sense, mind (sattva), self. The togetherness of these sustains the quality of life. These are the ongoing, holding together qualities. These are said to be synonyms of life (ayu).” This is prakriti, the wholeness. In Prakriti Vigyan (Vigyan meaning theoretical knowledge), wholeness systematically expresses itself, from ego to intellect to mind and then to the five elements beginning with space, air, then fire, water, and then earth. Prakriti is the natural functioning of the human physiology. Thus, Prakriti Vigyan is “the science of understanding how wholeness expresses into the physiology, in proper sequence.” Vikriti Vigyan is “the science of understanding how expression could get out of sequence.” Vikriti is essentially being deviated from the wholeness and it is thus imbalance. In this state, the sequential unfoldment of wholeness will occur in a disorderly fashion because instead of being self-referral, it is disease referral. Vikriti Vigyan looks at how close or far one is from the state of perfect health or balance. Prakriti Vigyan takes a look at the source, the wholeness, which is closest to perfect health.

You will often hear many Ayurvedic practitioners speak about Ojas. Ojas is the final and most refined product of digestion and it is also the togetherness of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Ojas is that which connects the body and mind, the physical expression and consciousness. Ojas also represents your inner strength, by representing the immune system. The stronger your immune system, the more Ojas is expressed. When you face an illness, it means that Ojas is not functioning to its full potential within your physiology.

Where do we see Ojas? Ojas is the glow we see on a pregnant woman’s face. Ojas is the innocence the children express. Ojas is the bliss and laughter we often see when we are around our loved ones and friends. Anytime you see true bliss, true love, true laughter, and/or a true glow or radiance, you are seeing Ojas. These are just a couple ways in which Ojas expresses itself.

When you can intake any sensory perception and be able to metabolize it into bliss, you are promoting and creating Ojas. No matter what you see, hear, taste, touch, smell, you should be able to metabolize all experiences into bliss and then only will you have a perfect digestion and therefore be able to create Ojas. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi says, “The ability to metabolize all sensory experience into the experience of bliss is the ability for prevention. All the five channels of perception – the five senses – must be so clear that all experiences through any of the five senses always inspire bliss.” Absolute bliss is directly correlated to Ojas.

If Ojas is the final and most refined product of digestion, then that means that diet is also correlated with the promotion of Ojas. Maharishi continues to say, “Diet is anything that is taken in from any field of perception, through any sense of perception, any mode of mind, and any mode of intellect.” Therefore, if you are happy with what you eat, when you eat, where you eat, and how you eat, then you should be able to metabolize your meal into bliss, which means the end result of your digestion is Ojas. But remember, diet is more than what you eat. Diet includes any experience you have, because your body must digest and metabolize all that you intake.

Ayu is the Sanskrit word for life and Veda is the Sanskrit word for knowledge. Therefore, Ayurveda is the total knowledge of life. Ayurveda is natural, preventative based medicine originating from India.

The foundation of Ayurveda emerges from the five elements of space, air, fire, water, and earth. In turn, these five elements dynamically interact to form doshas, or bodily humors. There are three doshas, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Each dosha has its own functions, influences and qualities that can be seen both in the human physiology and in the environment.

Vata is comprised of air and space and its functions include movement, communication, and transportation throughout the physiology. Vata qualities are dry, rough, cold, light, subtle, moving, clear, and brittle. The blood flow through the arteries and veins, the nervous system communication and the transportation of nutrients are just a couple examples of how Vata works in the physiology.

Pitta is comprised of fire and water and its main functions include digestion, transformation, and metabolism in the human physiology. Some of the qualities of Pitta are heat, sharp, flowing, sour, pungent, and slightly oily. Everything the body intakes, whether it’s tangible as food or intangible, such as experience, our bodies have to process it. This is where Pitta works. Its job is to metabolize everything so that we are able to extract the most nourishment.

Kapha is comprised of water and earth and therefore, its main functions include structure, cohesion, and lubrication. Kapha qualities are heavy, cold, soft, sweet, oily, stable, steady, and sticky. Many of our favorite desserts, such as ice cream, cake, and pies are Kapha increasing foods. Kapha provides the support and structure, along with lubrication for our muscles and tissues throughout the physiology.

Although the three doshas have individual functions and qualities, they cannot work alone. For maximum body efficiency, all three doshas have to be working together in a balanced state. In Charak Samhita, the main Ayurvedic text, states, “Doshas are three: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. In their balanced state they maintain the body. When imbalanced they afflict the body with imbalances and diseases.” (Charak Samhita, Vimanasthan, 1.5).