A Moment of Yoga - Ayurveda

Ayurveda and the 3 Doshas
    As was stated earlier, animating all creation is a state of pure energy awareness. It is beyond time space, it has no beginning or end, and no qualities. At the proper time, the dance of creation begins, animating the 5 elements and a physical body takes shape around the awakened spiritual energy.
According to Ayurveda the resulting physical body has specific, observable qualities that are a mixture of the unique combination of each of the 5 elements. Every physical entity has a unique combination of elements in differing degrees. This combination of elements is called the prakriti. 

The prakriti has been further refined around 3 distinct archetypes based on the attributes of the 3 Middle elements:
Kapha – stability - related to Water and Earth
Pitta – metabolism - related to Fire and Water 
Vata – motion - related to Air And Space 

    Every cell must have some component of stability. (kapha) otherwise it would disintegrate. Every cell must have some metabolic function (Pitta) otherwise it could not grow and sustain. And every cell must have some motion (vata) otherwise it would be dead. 
Just as every cell has each of these qualities in some degree, every living being also has a combination of these 3 doshas. The combination is different for every plant animal and person. For example someone’s prakriti may be: 25% Vata – 50% Pitta – 25% Kapha – giving them a predominance of Pitta Dosha. 
    Not only does a person’s predominant dosha indicate their physical body type and constitution, it also indicates what will be their main psychological attributes or imbalances. The term dosha actually means “imbalance.â€? As was stated earlier, it is a state of disequilibrium which caused our body to be created out of the pure harmony at the center of our being. Our purpose in life is to re connect to that natural state of harmony, to return to God, if you will. Ayurveda helps us to return to our natural God like state by teaching us how to see beyond, and eventually balance our doshas, our imbalances. 

The 3 Doshas and the 5 Elements
    Kapha (water / earth) - The Kapha Dosha is mainly Water, with a little Earth, as the Water is contained in the bodily tissues. (Earth) 
Body type: Like water, their skin is moist, and retains fluid easily. Body tissues are made of kapha, thus they have a heavy body. In nature, water and earth makes mud. The body’s mud is phlegm. Kapha types become congested the easiest. They are often the healthiest body type overall but they can have a tendency to diabetes later in life from having indulged in sweets. They are usually slow moving, yet steady. 
Positive Psychology: They are generally very pleasant to be around as the water element rules emotion. They can be passive and gentle in nature and tend to sentimentality and nurturing. They are slow to get started with things, but once a task is begun they have the most endurance of all the doshas. Most Kapha types love to cook, and eat! 
Negative Psychology: Their negative psychology comes from too much Earth “damning upâ€? their emotional flow. They are the most stubborn of all dosha types and can tend to depression, denial, passive aggression and attachment. Often times they will try to make due in the most difficult of situations for fear of changing them. Denying problems even exist as they cling to destructive patterns they are stuck in. Sometimes the hardest thing for a kapha type to do is analyze a situation objectively. As they lack the opposite element of ether. This is the first step toward positive change. They can be unwilling to acknowledge a problem even exists. 

    Pitta (fire / water) – The Pitta dosha is mainly Fire and a little Water, as the bodies’ Fire is contained in the hot fluids. (Water) 
Body type: Like fire, their bodies will be warm, with a rosy complexion. They will be of medium build with well - developed muscles. They are usually focused and persistent with sharp penetrating eyes and voices. Pitta is the digestive force in the body, which functions through the bile and acidic digestive fluid. They tend to have heart attacks, high blood pressure and hypertension from overexertion and trying to do too much. 
Positive Psychology: They are passionate, gregarious, playful and warm, with keen intellects and sharp minds. They are born leaders. They are courageous, driven and ambitious as well as logical and very direct. Although they may tend to argue, they are usually right in their assertions. They digest thoughts as effectively as they digest their food. 
Negative Psychology: Their negative psychology comes from not enough water (emotion) and too much passion. With their strong digestion comes a strong appetite and desire nature and a tendency to do too much. These things can deplete their energy. Sex, success, sports, you name it, they want it all and they want to win. They can be overly competitive and aggressive, self – centered, resorting to criticizing and blaming others for their problems. Their basic combative nature is their most destructive trait, which if not reconciled, can lead them to hostility anger and violence. 

Vata (air / ether) – The Vata dosha is formed by Air and some Ether, as Air is contained and moves through Ether. 
Body type: Like air moving through space, their bodies will usually be light, dry and thin. They can be of a pale complexion with veins clearly visible. Their skin tends to be cold like the wind. Vata is the body’s motion, thus Vata types will move quickly and usually speak rapidly and often. They are generally flexible yet in pain with joints that crack. They are prone to arthritis and other drying conditions. 
Positive Psychology: They are flexible and creative, communicative and sensitive. They are very adaptable and curious. As being ruled by Air (the mind) and Space (consciousness) they are naturally attuned to the vibrations around them and the most open and sensitive of all doshas. Their perceptions can lead to remarkable breakthroughs. They are the least ego centric of the doshas. 
Negative Psychology: Their negative psychology comes mainly from too much Ether element. When Vata becomes deranged these natives become very ungrounded which leads them into fear, nervousness, anxiety even paranoia. Extreme vata types can turn ordinary life situations into a series of insoluble problems in which they feel trapped. This leads to more stress and problems to analyze over and over again. Their constant mental worry leads to a deeper and deeper disconnect from their bodies, as a lack of the Earth element, and their true nature. 
Balancing the Doshas

    Until the point where we have traveled far along on the spiritual path, our responses to unexpected situations will be fear based. Fear being an unbalanced state, we will exhibit the qualities of our predominant dosha, our predominant imbalance. One of the quick tests that you can do to figure out your predominant dosha type is to ask yourself. “When faced with a new and challenging situation do Iâ€?:
A. Become anxious, worried or frightened (Vata)
B. Become argumentative, even angry (Pitta)
C. Deny that anything is wrong or try to make peace (Kapha)
There is no wrong answer or better dosha. Each has a lesson to teach and 2 lessons to learn. (the other 2 doshas!) There are times when it is best to flee in fear, (vata) fight with courage (pitta) or be a peacemaker, (kapha) but usually we are acting out of our deep unconscious programming, not through any balanced sense of wisdom and clarity. A common analogy compares the 3 doshas to animals. Kapha is a turtle, Pitta is a bull and Vata is a rabbit

Kapha type – Kapha is Water and Earth – Water is cool, Earth is heavy and unmoving with a lot of mass. So hot and lighter foods and less of it are best for them. Fasting is good, so are stimulating spices to get them moving. Even black tea or caffeinated beverages may be prescribed. 
Pitta type – Pitta is mainly Fire – Fire is hot and dry and variable in motion. Pitta types need cool, moist heavier food. Nourishing but cooling, heavy oils and grains help to put out their fire. They can digest almost anything so they do not need help with digestion, but no stimulants or hot spices. 
Vata types – Vata is Air and Ether – Air and Ether are light, dry and cold. Vata types need heavy, grounding food that is moist and warm. They also need to eat smaller meals but more frequently because of their weak digestion. Some spices can be used to stimulate their poor digestion.