Ayurveda Body types:
Ayurveda is the oldest type of medical system in India and now gaining popularity in other parts of world. Ayurveda follows the concept of understanding the “Doshas” in order to understand the body and mind. The three Ayurvedic body types, or “Doshas”, are Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Each type of “Dosha” has a unique set of characteristics. Body type of a person depends on their physical and emotional status. To maintain good health and state of mind, it is necessary to know your “Dosha”, in order to follow suitable diet, exercise and lifestyle.
Benefits of knowing Ayurvedic body type:
Knowledge of “Dosha” types helps one to understand own nature and it assist in managing the lifestyle and wellbeing.
Vata type body & mind – This nature is governed by air and space elements.
Body built up – Most people belong to this class find it difficult to gain weight. They have tendency of fast metabolism. They are thin with prominent bony structures, they tend to be cold most of the time and have dry skin and hair. They also have little muscle tone. Their pulses are fast and weak.
Lifestyle – They are very active, mobile, restless and energetic. Their sleeping, eating and personal habits are usually irregular and erratic. They sleep lightly and are easily get disturbed. They are more prone to become stressed, anxious and their sleep becomes irregular.
Verbal communication –Their mode of communication is generally very fast, they are talkative and like talking a lot.
Mental state – Mentally and emotionally they are little bit quick. They are fast in gathering or displaying information’s or emotions. They are very fast learners but their retention of information is poor.
Nature – Vata people are generally shy, modest and are low in confidence. They are often impatient but very flexible and adaptable to change. They usually feel stressed or worried under unfamiliar or bad situation. They are highly creative and sensitive.
Pitta type body & mind – Pita body type is governed by the fire and water element.
Body built up – People belonging to this class are of medium build. They have good muscle tone and they always feel warm. They have premature grey hair or they become bald in early age. They have reddish complexion, enjoy high energy level and have a good digestive system. Their skin is soft, warm often develop freckles, moles and are sunburned easily.
Lifestyle – Their desire for food and drinks are very strong. Their sleep is moderate and is not easily disturbed. Their pulse is strong. They often dominate any conversation. They dislike hot weather, sunlight and heat.
Verbal communication – They usually speak loudly and with passion.
Mental state – They are extremely intelligent, focused and ambitious people. Emotionally, they are passionate about life. They tend to be perfectionists and can get irritated easily.
Nature – They are mostly extroverted people and like to become the centre of attention. They often acquired position of leaders in the society. They are competitive sports and games loving people in both ways: spectators or participants.
Kapha type body & mind – Kapha body type is governed by water and earth elements.
Body built up: People belonging to this class usually have the largest of all the body types. Physically they have wide hips and shoulders. They have thick and wavy hair. They generally have a very good stamina. They are often overweight and tend to gain weight very easily. Their teeth are strong and very well formed. Their pulse is slow and steady.
Lifestyle – They usually have a moderate or low appetite and their digestion is very slow. They enjoy eating luxury foods which tastes and smells good. In physical activity they are very slow. However, they are also very sluggish, lethargic and difficult to motivate. They love to sleep a lot.
Verbal communication – They have melodious voice tone.
Mental state – They are slow learners, but their memory is very great. Emotionally, they tend to be very loyal and stable.
Nature – They like to be in familiar surroundings. Typically, they are very content people and their emotions are slow to become excited or aroused. However, they can be sentimental, nostalgic and romantic in nature. They are highly tolerant and forgiving and in general have medium intelligence. They prefer to belong to a group, club or community. They hold on tightly to their family or familiar associations.
Importance of Dosha in the body – All three “Doshas” are very active and constantly change due to change in one’s actions, food, thoughts and activity. When we fail to treat our body well and manage it haphazardly by eating too much junk food, inappropriate food items or follow unhealthy patterns, this can lead to physical and mental imbalance.
In order to maintain good health, it is important to manage your current state of “Dosha” proportional to your birth state. If there is a difference between the two conditions, then an imbalance can occur. “Vikruti” is the term used to denote this imbalance.
