Ayurveda teaches that humans and our environment are made up of five elements referred to as air, fire, water, earth, and ether (or space). Each of these corresponds to one of our five senses. They combine to give rise to three main physiological tendencies, or doshas, known as kapha, pitta, and vata. These relate to the levels of energy (prana) affecting the body. Each dosha is most evident in specific organs of the body: kapha, for example, predominates in the lungs and chest.
The detection of imbalances in our doshas is one of ayurvedic medicine’s main ways of diagnosing ill health. It is claimed that, while all three doshas are found in everyone, their relative proportions vary from person to person. The doshas influence a person’s emotional and physical characteristics, as well as their lifestyle and habits. Under the ayurvedic system, the predominance of vata dosha makes a person slender, intuitive, energetic, and prone to mood disorders and constipation. |