What are the Doshas of Ayurveda?
The doshas of Ayurveda are commonly discussed and they are best understood when we first understand the Pancha Maha Bhutas, the Five Basic Elements that make everything in the universe. Ayurveda explains how these elements (bhutas), ether, air, fire, water, and earth, combine in unique ways to create the functional energies that are responsible for all movement, transformation, and structures in the world. This is referred to as the theory of Tridosha: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, and applying this theory to the human body helps us to understand the holistic and interconnected way our bodies work.
Vata is the combination of ether (akash in Sanskrit) and air (vayu). The qualities of ether (the space between air particles) and air are cold, subtle, light, and mobile. The action of vata is movement, which makes sense because air is always moving. Vata is responsible for all movement and transportation in the universe, including the movement of a car driving by and our knees bending back and forth when we walk
Fire (tejas) and a little bit of water (aap) combine to create Pitta, the energy of transformation. Pitta is hot, sharp, oily, and acidic. With a predominance of the fire element, it is easy to imagine how this energy is responsible for transforming materials in the world from one form to another. This is seen plainly when we cook, as rice cooks over a fire, it is transformed from a raw state that is hard and inedible to a cooked state that is soft and nourishing. Within our bodies, the internal fire transforms whole foods into digestible nutrients that give our body energy and the ability to heal and grow.
Kapha is responsible for the physical structure of everything in the universe as it is made of the most dense element- earth (prithvi)- and water (aap). Kapha has the qualities (gunas) of the bhutas that it is composed of, making it heavy, cold, wet, and stable. Kapha provides structure and lubrication to the physical world. While Vata and Pitta explain how the body moves and grows on a subtle, energetic level, the earth element of Kapha encompasses the tangible, physical aspects of the body. The cellular building blocks, muscles, ligaments, really all parts of the physical body that you can touch and feel are from the physical manifestation of Kapha. The theory of tridosha is an all encompassing, holistic perspective of the world and can be applied to understand all aspects of the body and universe.
To better understand how holistic this theory is, we can apply the theory of tridosha to a flower blooming. Vata is responsible for the growth of the flower, from the seed opening, the stalk breaking through the soil, the water and nutrients being transported from root to stem, and the leaves and petals unwinding. Pitta is responsible for the transformation of the sunlight and water into usable nutrients for the flower to grow and bloom and this fire element gives the fabulously bright color to the petals. Kapha provides the physical, tangible structure of the flower, protecting and nourishing all of the internal processes. From seed, to bloom, and even into decomposition, the tridosha are responsible for all aspects of the flower’’s life. The same applies to human beings.
Within the human body, vata is responsible for the movement of the food from beginning to end of the digestive process. Vata engages for the contraction and relaxation of muscles, for the movement of our joints, for walking, for the circulation of blood, oxygen, nutrients, and prana (life force energy) throughout the body. Pitta is responsible for the transformation of the food we eat into nutrients that are assimilated into creating the tissues of the body and into the energy we need to live. On a more subtle level, pitta is responsible for transforming the visual inputs to our eyes into images that our brains can understand. Kapha provides the physical structure of our body and also the lubrication and protection that is necessary for daily functions. Kapha is seen in the synovial fluid lubricating the joints and the protection provided to the mucous membranes and nervous system. These functions are crucial for protecting our organs and tissues and ensuring that they stay healthy and nourished.
Each individual has a unique distribution of the tridosha, with one or two of the doshas usually being more dominant. In Ayurveda, this is referred to as a person’s prakriti, or natural constitution. The doshas that are more dominant will be responsible for each person’s physical and mental composition, and will often give insight as to which diseases or imbalances that person is more prone to. The prakriti is considered when an Ayurvedic healer is creating a chikitsa or treatment plan, making sure to account for an individual’s unique body constitution and what will best nourish each person.
