What is a dosha in Ayurveda?
Dosha in Ayurveda means the energies, which are formed by a combination of the different elements of air, ether, fire, water and earth.
These energies fundamentally construct and govern the workings of our entire bodily system. Additionally, the doshas can be observed in the very essence of all other sentient beings and nature itself.
As humans, we have all three doshas present in our bodies, Pitta, Kapha and Vata. These are made up as follows:
Pitta – fire and water
Kapha – water and earth
Vata – air and ether
What makes each of us unique however, is every individuals ratio or unique combination of the doshas. Some of us are dominated strongly by one dosha alone, while others share bi-doshic, being equally dominant in two doshas and for some, there is an equal balance between all three, making a tri-doshic body type.
Our doshic make up is made up from a combination of our parents genetics, our mothers pregnancy and health, our family history, time of conception, extrinsic environmental exposure and karmic factors too.
If you observe within your family, you will see that everyone is unique in their own way, despite sharing genetics. I am conscious that within my immediate family, our body frames, weight, hair colour and structure, skin, metabolisms and health susceptibilities all vary to some degree, albeit I can also see commonalities in dosha.
I am also conscious that as a mother, if my dosha is out of balance, if I am too fiery for example, because my Pitta is out of balance, then this will influence my children’s doshas and my youngest son, who is also Pitta-Kapha, will show more signs of fieriness too. If I am displaying a Vata imbalance and feeling anxious, then this will enhance my eldest’s tendency towards anxiety. This is the reason, as a mother and caretaker, we might take our own doshic balance seriously, because any imbalance affects those around us.
Ayurveda - an incredibly intelligent science - acknowledges our dosha individuality as the key foundation for lifestyle, well-being and healing strategies, not least for the individual but for the whole family.
If you are keen to explore your doshic imbalance then book in for an Ayurvedic session with me. During this session we will talk at length about your state of health and concerns, so that I can be clear on your imbalance and treat to this. It is only once the imbalance has been balanced that we may gain insight into your true constitution. For more information please click here.
I am biased of course, but working with Ayurveda since 2006 has been life changing. It is thousands of years old and has a philosophical underpinning, and offers a way of life that leads to greater consciousness as well as healing.
