The Knowledge of Doshas
She was normally very quiet and kind until one day her Pitta rose and she said,” you don’t know me” with annoyance in her tone.
Oh, but I did. As much as I knew myself and everyone else around me. Perhaps not the intricacies of their inner lives but it was the year 2014 and I had stumbled across the knowledge of doshas.
The concept of doshas are a part of a very old medical system called Ayurveda that stems from India. They are like humors or constitutions in the body that each person is born with and that fluctuate over time with the exception of your primary dosha.
Fire – Pitta and Water
Vata- Air and Space
Kapha- Earth and Water
It sounds simple yet strange. Do I mean we all have these elements floating within us? In a figurative way, yes. Much like traditional Chinese Medicine the elements are used to explain the ways our bodily systems are governed and the way herbs, foods and certain points activated can help stimulate or depress certain activities.
What does this have to do with you?
As we grow more frustrated with the current health system of red tape, expenses and being given life long sentences for prescription drugs we turn to alternative medicine for prevention and at times for treatment.
Each dosha resides in us which is a world of tendencies towards:
- disease and illness
- temperament
- what we like or dislike in terms of food and activities.
For five years I have been studying the dosha combinations. So much so that it has inadvertently become part of my massage practice and I can tell you where your muscles will always hold tension as long as I know your top two dosa combinations.
The dosha combinations are the following:
- Vata/Kapha
- Vata/Pitta
- Pitta/Vata
- Pitta/Kapha
- Kapha/Vata
- Kapha/Pitta
Each dosha has a certain pulse that runs through your body and can be measured through touch and found strong or lacking. Your dominant dosha will remain with you over time but your bottom two (remember, there are three) may change due to:
- hormone changes
- trauma
- external environment
Taking the time to understand each dosha combination will help you understand those around you better. It will not excuse their behavior if they are cruel or clearly in the wrong but it will allow you to see the Achilles heel in them.
Knowing the doshas will also give you grace for yourself, understanding that we all have the capacity to be weak and desperately need the strength of others to help us in areas we simply cannot grasp.
Ayurveda should not replace some of the fantastic modern technologies that we are so privileged to have but it serves to guide us towards also using a more elemental aspect in our health. One that is connected with our natural world. We were all born unique and yet we have so much in common.
