Today I decided to brush up on my basic understanding of Ayurveda, and particularly the 3 doshas or predispositions that we find defining temperament and physical characteristics in our body and mind. I listened to a very informative Youtube lecture by an Indian young man which you can watch here.lasting an hour.
TL;DW
To save you time, I compiled notes on this lecture which was filled with detailed descriptions of the 3 doshas. You can copy all the notes below, if you want a reference. It really helps us to analyze ourselves, from what our physical weaknesses may be, to how our mind works by nature, and thus the type of work or activity we may prefer to do.
I am definitely fully pitta by nature, according to the detailed analysis presented today. When you know your dosha, you can learn how to balance yourself by avoiding that which throws you off balance, and thus really keep in good shape - body, mind and consciousness. My lecturer even suggested which type of yoga is preferable for each dosha, and lots of other fascinating tips.
Check out the lists below. You may have some self-aware moments.
Ayurveda is a really good medical tradition from India and the ancient Vedic tradition because it treats the person as a whole unit, body, mind and soul, with wholeness. It also specifies what food is medicine for you and greatly specializes in the details of food preferences for each dosha.
Some of you may know these details, having done your own research before on Ayurveda. Nevertheless, I learned a lot and wanted to offer this reference for the reader and the blockchain. You never know who may be able to benefit from some profound insights about themselves.
**10 gurvadi gunas or pairs of opposite qualities **
1 Guru heavy laghu light
2 shita cold ushna hot
3 snigdha greasy ruksha dry
manda slow tikshna fast
slakshna smooth Khara rough
sandra solid dravya fluid/liquid
mridu soft kathina hard
sthira stability kala movement
sukshma subtle sthula obvious/gross
visada friction picchila slimy
5 maha bhutas/elements from most subtle:
astral/ether - akasha -friction and sublte
air - vayu- kala ruksh lagu khara...
fire - agni -tejas transformation, ushna ijan Fst laghu light dravya fluid
water - apa/jal/pani – shita mana slow, guru heavy, dravya
“soft smooth greasy slimy”
earth - bhu /pritvi – sthula, slow sthira
Kapha – snigda sthula slachna guru
Pitta (also has vayu and a little kapha) ushna, tikshna, laghu, dravya,
Vata vayu and akash a bit. Vishagh sukshma, ruksha khara
manas - primitve brain, sense gratification,
3-7 am/ pm vata is dominant
11-3pm/ am pitta
7-11 am/ pm kapha
4 characteristics to diagnose your dosha:
1 vrittis - symptoms. spontaneous bubbling thoughts dependent on food we eat too
2 malas – excretions
3 agni – fire (of digestion)
4 manas - mind
Whatever is suffering or not normal, figure out the time of day and the season of the year; shows what seasonal doshas are disrupting your doshas.
vata vritti – migraine – vaso dilation, cramping in vascular smooth muscle – erratic movement,
mouth - dry
breath- astringent
asthma wheezing
heart - irregular , weakness of the muscle
digestion – wrong microbiome increases bloating, hard pellet stool, pain
urine – brown infrequent
sweat none
phlegm small
mind – hyper vigilant or stimulated, like a mouse, anxious, paranoid, sense of impending doom
sattvic/when at its best - will be relaxed and creative
best at dhyana yoga, visualization
pitta - more inflammation headache, meningitis, bleeding, fever
sour breath
mouth halitosis too much acid
pneumonia fever blood pressure, blood in stool, inflammation
sweet breath
heart inflammation, rheumatic fever
digestion – hot rapid voracious, acid production, ulcer, halitosis acid reflux, diarrhoea, loose stool, dysentery hyperactive pitta, burning, itching
urine frequent burning
sweating is profuse
phlegm moderate
mind – annoyed upset by noise or bright light, temperamental, hard to predict, agitated whimsical, When balanced or sattvic they display ambition, courage, solar chakra active, movers and shakers, rock the world out of misery of tamas, rapid strong transformation,
best at pranayama
kapha too much salivation
congestion headache
phlegm, swelling lung, congestive diseases
digestion soft stool, slow, low tejas/fire, sturdy tastes, weight gain, constipation, not moving well, mucous stool, soft
urine clear lot
congestive heart failure, coughing of phlegm,
phlegm copious
mind – tag along easy going happy, can get upset into depression, seclusion, less outbursts, some bit of anxiety (vata is there), lovers of good food music but even weight lot although unintentional due to depression.
When Sattvic: makes them great followers loyal, submissive, trustworthy,
best at bhakti yoga with its good tasty “prasadam” food, fine music...for the senses.