How Does Ayurveda Work and its Three Forces Known as Doshas?
By Shankar
How Does Ayurveda Work? Ayurveda means “science of life”. According to Ayurvedic philosophy, there are five fundamental elements. They are known as ether (space), air, fire, water, and earth.
These make up the universe as well as human nature. These five elements are combined in pairs to form three forces known as doshas. Dosha literally means ‘that which changes’. The three doshas are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.
- Vata dosha has the elements of air and ether
- Pitta dosha has the elements of fire and water
- Kapha dosha has the elements of water and earth
Vata dosha:
Vata dosha is made of air and ether. The characteristics of Vata dosha in a person are dry, rough and delicate skin. They also have dry and rough hair, nails, hands, and feet. Their body is light weight, which means they are thin and underweight.
Their muscles and bones are light and like warmth. They have light sleep. They act, think and talk quickly and like to be in warm places. People with balanced Vata are creative and enthusiasts.
Pitta dosha:
Pitta dosha is made of fire and water. People with Pitta dosha are fair complexioned, have warm and oily skin which is sensitive. They have rashes, acne, burns, and inflammation on certain parts or on their whole body.
Such people are sharp at grasping things and have high memory power. Pitta’s act, think, and talk in a sharp manner and are very ambitious. They have normal sleep, like cool things and tend to have irritable mind.
Kapha dosha:
Kapha dosha is made of water and earth. People with more Kapha have heavy muscles and bones, and tend to be heavy and overweight. These people have smooth thick skin that is oily plus have oily hair. Kapha’s tend to have sinus and excess mucus.
They are very sluggish, act, think, and talk slowly and calmly. Kapha endowed people have a calm nature with calm mind, are supportive, caring, and loving in relationship. Kapha’s are known for their loyalty. They have deep sleep.
Persons with balanced Kapha are calm natured. Qualified Ayurveda practitioners find out the dosha of a person. Then check the exact balance of these three doshas. They do this in a person before starting a treatment.
So How Does Ayurveda Work?
The above elements are combined in a beneficial way in each individual. It is important to assess the right balance of the doshas in a person to have the right medication. Ayurveda follows this as the first step in diagnosing the exact health condition of a person.