The most notable and accessible principle of Ayurveda is that of the Doshas. The Doshas are three sub-categories of nature–Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, and express combinations of the five elements, being earth, water, fire, air, and ether. The three Doshas are present in all things in nature, including human beings, but in different proportions. Those proportions combine to make up each person’s unique personality, mental and physical makeup, called Prakruti or constitution. When an individual’s proportion of the three Doshas goes out of balance (usually an excess of one), disease results. Ayurveda works through diet and lifestyle to maintain the proportions unique to each individual. Yoga is a very useful lifestyle tool in establishing and maintaining this balance, and in Adaptive Yoga, constitution is often a major consideration in sequencing, style, and modification.

Vata is made up of air and ether, and therefore its qualities are light, dry, and cool. In humans, Vata shows itself in long, thin bones and muscles, lightness of disposition, and versatility. Vatas tend to be tall and thin, enjoy movement, both physically and mentally, so easily jump from one interest to the next. When Vata is in excess, however, it can exhibit spaciness, nervous disorders, fear, difficulty in concentration, and lower than healthy body weight.

Primarily made up of fire, Pitta is the combination of fire and water, in this case water refers to the more oily nature of liquid. As fire burns the oil that feeds it, Pitta is light, oily, and warm. Pitta people tend to be short, or of medium height and build, are very passionate, and have great mental focus. When out of balance, excess Pitta can lead to anger, ulcers, heart disease, and in extreme situations the heat can burn moisture out of the system, at which point, dryness or excessive Vata can become a problem, and over quenching excessive heat with heavy, cool items can lead to Kaphic imbalance in Pitta.

The combination of earth and water makes up Kapha, and is literally translated as “that which sticks”. Cool, heavy, and moist are the characteristics of Kapha, and Kapha people tend to be a little slower than their Pitta and Vata friends, but are very stable, loving, and reliable personalities. Physically Kaphas are also typically short or medium height, but have thick bones and tend to be overweight, but it should be noted that not all overweight people are inherently Kaphas, or that all underweight people are Vata. This is most evident in the naturally Kapha individual who diets incessantly to try to meet a more socially accepted Vata-type body, or the always on the go Vata who ingests heavy, oily foods out of comfort, convenience or both, and becomes overweight. Excessive Kapha does not always show in the body as weight, but also as heaviness, lethargy or fatigue, depression, mucousy colds and flu, calcification, and low immunity. Unfortunately, the Kapha disease process can be deeper in the body, since it is slower to set in, and therefore also slower to treat.

All lifestyle factors play a role in balancing or imbalancing the Doshas, such as time of day, year, and life cycle, diet, climate, geography, activity, occupation, and social interaction. As can be seen in the Kapha/Vata weight issue example above, the initial simplification and categorization of elements can become very complex depending on the individual, lifestyle, history, and the relative balance or imbalance of the three Doshas. Yoga helps to make one more aware of imbalances when they occur, and gives viable and powerful tools to re-establish balance. However, not all practices are suitable for all types. For instance, a highly Kaphic individual will most likely gravitate towards restorative yoga, but would likely receive the most benefit from a mixture of actively held poses and vinyasa-style yoga to bring heat and lightness to the body/mind. Conversely, Vatas tend to prefer vinyasa practice because it makes them feel light and doesn’t force them to concentrate on one thing for very long. In the middle ground, the heat and strength achieved through power yoga attracts Pittas, but they need to learn how to slow down, take it easy, and not hold on to things for too long, so a varied, light vinyasa practice coupled with easy restoratives will usually benefit Pittas the most. When establishing a lifelong practice, one should begin with the kind of practice most aligned with one’s predominant Dosha, and gradually move toward a practice that reduces that Dosha when it becomes out of balance.

Ayurveda encompasses many more principles shared by both yoga and Ayurveda, and understanding the Doshas is just the beginning! For those who are interested in understanding Ayurveda and Yoga’s applications, Michael gives workshops intended to make Ayurveda’s principles applicable to the practice of Yoga. Michael does not at this time give individual Ayurvedic consultations, but will give recommendations for practice, modifications, diet, and lifestyle in private sessions. Whether made explicit at the time or not, Ayurvedic considerations are always part of Michael’s teaching process.