What are Doshas?

Understanding the doshas is fundamental to the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda, yoga’s sister science, which says that the universal life force takes the form of three different energies or doshas. 

These doshas are vata, pitta, and kapha.

As humans, it's said that our constitution is a unique combination of the three doshas, something we are born with. Though we have some of each, most of us have one or two that are predominant. Several factors affect their proportions in us – climate, age, diet, seasons, environment, and many others.

The Composition of the three Doshas

Everything in nature is composed of five building blocks. These are the five elements – ether, air, water, fire, and earth.

Similar to nature, the doshas contain all of these five elements. However, each of the dosha is predominantly characterized by one energy and composed of two elements.

Vata is characterized by Wind (Air) energy. Its primary elements are Air + Ether. It embodies the mobile nature of air.

Pitta is characterized by Fire energy. Its primary elements are Fire + Water. It reflects the transformative nature of fire.

Kapha is characterized by Water energy. Its primary elements are Water + Earth. It embodies the binding nature of water.

The Qualities of the three Doshas

Since each dosha is predominantly composed of two elements, certain qualities of each element show themselves in each dosha. 

Here are some of the qualities embodied by each of the doshas:

Vata (Air and Space)

• Characterized by the qualities of dry, cold, rough, mobile, subtle, clear, and light
• The season that best represents Vata is autumn as it is cool and crisp
• Vata predominant people are usually slim, energetic, and creative. They are prone to being forgetful, anxious, and highly sensitive to the cold.

Pitta (Fire and Water)

• Characterized by the qualities of hot, oily, sharp, light, liquid, mobile, and spreading. 
• The season that best represents Pitta is summer because of its hot and sunny days.
• Pitta predominant people are usually muscular, athletic, and strong. They are prone to being impatient, aggressive, and sensitive to hot temperatures.   

Kapha (Water and Earth)

• Characterized by the qualities of heavy, smooth, slow, oily, stable, soft, cloudy, cool, dense, and gross
• The season that best represents Kapha is spring because of coming out of hibernation after a long winter
• Kapha predominant people are usually caring, thick-boned, and strong. They are prone to being impatient, aggressive, and sensitive to hot temperatures.   

Balancing the Doshas

When the doshas are in balance, there is good health. However, due to factors like improper diet, poor lifestyle choices, and stress, the doshas can get imbalanced. This creates a disturbance for the body, mind, and energy and leads to poor health.

The fundamental rule in Ayurveda is that like attracts like. In terms of the doshas, this means that if there is an increase in one of the elements of the dosha, its corresponding properties also increase.

For example, vata is characterized by ether and air and takes the qualities of cold, mobile, and dry. Exposure to cold, dry, and windy weather can increase vata in the body.

Another Ayurvedic principle says that opposites balance. This makes balancing the doshas not only simple but also intuitive. The key to balancing an aggravated dosha is reducing the qualities it takes while amplifying the opposites. 

We can exercise these choices in our foods, herbs, and experiences.

Using the above example, the opposites of vata qualities are oily, smooth, warm, and moist. In order to balance vata aggravation, warm and humid weather should be preferred.

Opposing Qualities in Ayurveda

There are ten essential qualities in Ayurveda along with their opposites. You can use these to balance any aggravation in the doshas.

Seeking to know yourself better? We can use the power of astrology to learn about ourselves, plan important events, and make the best life decisions for ourselves. Gain more self-awareness with our Astrology readings.