According to Ayurveda, everything is composed of five elements: air, water, fire, earth and space. These elements combine to form the three doshas; vata, kapha and pitta, and these account for the differences in the way out body responds to things.

What is Ayurveda?  Ayurveda is a philosophy where one may stop or avoid unnecessary suffering/pain and live a long, healthy life. As a popular medical systems, Ayurveda has undergone continuous research, development and refinement over past 5,000 years. Originally from India, (ancient Hindu) Ayurveda is currently experiencing world-wide popularity as a revival sweeps in all continents.

Pitta Defined – In ancient Hindu ayurvedic text, the Charaka Samhita, defines the characteristics of Pitta dosha: hot and a little unctuous (sahasnehamushnam); sharp, burning (tikshnam); liquid and acidic (dravamlam); always flowing in an unbounded manner (saram); pungent and sharp (katuhu). Pitta contains fire, but it also contains water. It is the source of the flame, but not the flame itself. Compare Pitta to gasoline–it is not hot to the touch, but it can be the source of flames.

• Hot - tendency to warm, flushed skin, inflamation or overactive metabolism
• Sharp - in mind and speech
• Moist - perspiration may be profuse
• Sour - bad breath and sour body odor if excess Pitta is present. 

Vata Defined – In ancient Hindu ayurvedic text, the Charaka Samhita, defines the characteristics of Vata dosha: dry and rough (rookshaha); cool (sheetoha); light–lacking weight (laghuhu); very tiny, penetrating molecules (sookhshmaha); always moving (chalota); broad, unlimited, unbounded–akash means unbounded space (vishadaha); and rough (kharaha).

• Cold - tendency to cold hands and feet; a dislike of cold climate
• Moving - giving good or bad circulation depending on balance
• Quick - ability to pick up new information, quickly forgotten;
• Dry - tendency to dry skin, dry hair, dull eyes, moderate sweating.
• Rough - with tendency to rough skin, and coarse hair.

Kapha Defined – Kapha dosha controls the moist tissues of the body, so a Kapha imbalance may show up as a cold, allergies, or asthma. This is worse in Kapha season, March through June. Cold and wet weather aggravates Kapha. They should not dwell in the past or resist change. They need lots of exercise and need to be careful not to overeat. Kaphas need stimulation to bring out their vitality. Kapha dosha teaches us steadiness and a sense of well-being.

• Heavy - any heavy disorder suggest Kapha imbalance, whether obesity, or a heavy, oppressive kind of depression
  
• Sweet - leading to weight gain or diabetes if too much sweetness is added to the body
• Steady - self-contained. Body processes do not swing to the extremes;
• Soft - such as soft skin and hair, soft manners, a soft look in the eyes and an undemanding approach to situations
• Slow - slow movement, deliberate thinking.

 
Know your dosha www.desidieter.com

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