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April 2008 |
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The first question Ayurvedic doctors ask is, “Who is my patient? What is this person’s essential nature?” They look for clues that will reveal the patient’s constitutional type or dosha, which is like a blueprint of the innate tendencies built into every aspect of one’s mindbody system. Keep Reading
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Living Perfect Health
A powerful way to nurture our experience of bliss is spending time in nature. Connecting with the natural world heals the body and mind, allowing radiant joy and divine love to flow through every aspect of our being. Read more
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What's My Dosha?
Every day people around the world ask themselves, “What’s my dosha?” or “What is a dosha and what does it mean to me?” A definition of this Sanskrit word is “mindbody constitution” or “mindbody personality.” According to Ayurveda – the 5,000-year-old "science of life” – there are five master elements or mahabhutas that make up everything within our bodies and everything outside of our bodies: space, air, fire, water, and earth. Space carries all the aspects of pure potentiality – infinite possibilities; air has the qualities of movement and change; fire is hot, direct, and transformational; water is cohesive and protective; and earth is solid, grounded, and stable. At the moment we are conceived, these five master elements are sprinkled into our DNA and our physiology. Of course, because they are sprinkled by a divine hand, each of us has a different amount of each master element in our mindbody constitution. Certain combinations of the elements occur more frequently than others: These are space and air; fire and water; and water and earth. These three combinations are referred to as the doshas. So when someone asks, “What’s my dosha?” the answer is found by assessing which combination of the master elements is predominant in their body and mind. If it’s mostly space and air – we call that Vata; if it’s primarily fire and water, we call that Pitta; and if it’s mostly water and earth, we refer to that as Kapha. The three doshas are Vata . . . Pitta . . . Kapha. Since each of us has all five of the master elements within us, we also have all three doshas. But typically, each person has one primary dosha. 
Aside from this being a fun way to look at ourselves and everyone and everything in our lives (dogs and cats have doshas, as do cars, houses, and geographic locations), figuring out your dosha is a helpful way to maintain balance in your life. It’s like holding up a mirror to your bodymind and seeing what needs to be adjusted and healed. Once you know what your innate tendencies are, you can make more nourishing choices. One easy, natural technique that balances all of the doshas is meditation. A spacey Vata, a fiery Pitta, and a lethargic Kapha can each move forward on the path to balance through a regular meditation practice. This issue of Namasté celebrates balancing yourself through the doshas. David delves more deeply into the characteristics of each dosha, while Deepak explores Ayurveda’s focus on the individual’s unique constitution and inner intelligence. This month our featured workshop is Journey into Healing, a mind-body immersion where Deepak, David, and guest experts such as Vasant Lad and David Frawley give you a deeper understanding of Ayurveda, the doshas, and natural practices for health and well-being. By nurturing ourselves and finding dynamic balance in our lives, we are also caring for our extended body – the environment around us. This April 22 is Earth Day, and we invite you to celebrate and try our recipe for Mother Earth's Apple Pie. Also read our Living Perfect Health feature to learn how different kinds of nature experiences can help you balance your dosha.
After you have taken the quiz, send an email to mydosha@chopra.com and let us know your dosha. We will randomly select one entry to be our guest at our Perfect Health program, where you will spend a week at the Chopra Center, living Ayurveda and learning about your dosha in an intimate environment. Each day our Healing Arts Masters will indulge you in Ayurvedic massage therapies, using dosha-specific balancing herbs and oils. You will be pampered with healing treatments and set on a path to maintain and increase your well-being when you return home. We wish you great peace and happiness in the month ahead, and as always, we welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions at feedback@chopra.com.
Namasté, P.S. Please share your comments, questions, and suggestions with us
Dosha Q&AQ: Can our primary dosha change over the course of our lifetime? Growing up, I was mainly Kapha and was overweight and sluggish. As an adult, I’ve practiced the martial arts and changed my diet, and now my metabolism burns hotter and my movement is more quick and agile. My body has undergone a total makeover and I think I’m now a Pitta type. A: It may help to clarify a common misunderstanding about doshas and the difference between prakruti and vikruti. First, everyone possesses all three doshas. At the moment of conception, each of us has a unique combination of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha that stays the same for the rest of our life. This is known as your prakruti (a Sanskrit term that means “nature” or “the first creation”). Your prakruti is your base point and it determines what will keep you in harmony with your nature and what will cause you to get out of balance and become sick. Trying to change your prakruti would be like trying to change your stature from short and stocky to tall and thin, or changing the color of your eyes or the texture of your hair. In contrast, your vikruti is the current state of imbalance in your doshas. When patients come to the Chopra Center, we’re mainly concerned with assessing their vikruti and finding out what imbalances need to be addressed. Ayurveda teaches that the secret to perfect health is maintaining balance in the body and mind and living in tune with your unique nature. By exercising and changing your diet, you have done a great job correcting your Kapha imbalance and improving your health. We recommend taking our dosha quiz to get the most current assessment of your vikruti.
Featured Workshop: Journey into Healing
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The Ayurvedic sages declared, Ayurveda amritanam – “Ayurveda is for immortality.” Although we might have hoped for a formula for eternal youth, the essence of this statement is: the purpose of Ayurveda is to create a balanced physiology that can support enlightenment.
Grow Younger,
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Take our Dosha Quiz 
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