What's Your Dosha? [Food + Yoga Series]
There's 3 of them - Pitta, Vata, Kapha. Each person has their own unique constitution comprised of those 3 doshas. Beyond dosha's, there are also 5 elements - earth, water, fire, air, and ether. Each dosha has the mental and physical characteristics of the elements that it's comprised of (see photo above.)
What's your dosha?
Every person is made up of all 3 doshas, but most people will have a dominant dosha. I have two doshas that are dominant (Vata & Kapha) while I have a lower Pitta dosha. So when someone says "I'm a Vata/Kapha" it doesn't mean that they only have those two doshas, it just means that's their dominant dosha. There are some people out there that are tri-doshic, or equal in all 3 dosha's. Find out your dosha by taking this quiz.
It's all about balance.
Alright, you've found your dosha - congrats! Comment below & share your results!
In Ayurveda, your health is achieved by balancing your doshas. Since everyone has their unique dosha composition, balance doesn't look the same for everyone. For example, since I'm Vata/Kapha, so my version of balance be maintaining a higher Vata/Kapha & lower Pitta. If my Pitta became higher than my Vata, or Kapha, that would mean imbalance for me. Imbalances can manifest both mentally & physically.
How do you balance your dosha?
Ultimately, a simple, no b.s. approach to balancing your dosha is just to eat seasonally. Let your food be thy medicine, right?(Thanks, Hippocrates.)
Every season & food increases/decreases certain dosha's. For example, summer is Pitta season, meaning everyone's Pitta dosha is going to be higher than normal. If you think about it, what foods do you naturally crave in the summer? Something cold & sweet, raw veggies, and lots of cool liquids, right? Those also happen to be the exact foods that will balance an aggravated, or higher, Pitta dosha. See the chart below for a quick overview of each dosha & their characteristics:
This is just the tip of the iceberg- there's so much more to Ayurveda, but hopefully this gives you a little insight into this fascinating, ancient, healing practice.
Since it's officially Pitta season, you can expect lots of Pitta pacifying recipes & tips from me this summer! Don't forget to share your dosha quiz results below :)
I studied something similar during holistic nutrition and healing course, but there the elements were separate. I am a combo of fire and air... so I think I might be a vata pitta here! We'll be looking into it! I wonder if it's similar. Would love to dig deeper into the Ayurvedic world and ancient healing practices.
Ah, sounds like it! So cool that you took holistic nutrition! I'd love to take a formal class - we covered it in culinary school, but I always want to learn more!
If you ever find the time I can highly recommend a holistic course! It is wonderful! You learned so much new things I didn't learn at the University! I studied pharmacy and biology and I couldn't be happier to have done the 4-year evening/weekend course! My husband has MS and through changing our lifestyle he was able to get off his sick-making weekly injections. It has been more than 3 years now and he has never felt better in his entire life. No meds... just fresh foods and exercise! Ohh and a lot of laughter and happiness! Powerful stuff!
Wow!! That's incredible! It really is amazing that food can heal us - or make us sick.
pitta hereee :) i made an ayurvedic post as well :)
Nice!!! It's your season then! :)
Interesting read. I think i'm interested in Yoga. I hope to learn a lot from your submissions. Thanks for sharing.
following you!
That's very interesting. Great post and great sources!