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PART TWO: UNIT 7 DOSHAS: BODILY HUMORS Earth, water, fire, air, space, manas (mind), buddhi (intellect), and ahamkara (ego), these are the eight fold divisions of My manifestation. --Lord Krishna, Bhagavad Gita Ayurveda informs that each of us is unique. We have different karmas, different metabolic constitutions, different rhythms, different likes and dislikes, and different responses to nourishment and the environment around us. Ayurveda provides guidelines to help us identify our constitutional nature, enabling us to choose and live wisely on the earth. The teachings of the doshas are the science of Ayurveda, the earth s oldest extant tradition of healing, healthful living, and longevity. Understanding the doshas helps us to understand how to get and stay healthy - in other words, to life a life of balance. According to Ayurveda, the cosmos and the human body are variants of the same energy principle. The human constitution, prakriti, is comprised of the five elements manifested within the body as three forces - doshas. They are vata (air/space), pitta, (fire/water), and kapha, (water/earth). Knowing which dosha is dominant in your body helps you to understand your metabolic constitution and its physical rhythms. All Ayurvedic diagnosis begins with the doshas, a classic example of energy and matter in dynamic accord. The Sanskrit word dosha literally means, fault, or defect, since doshas become visible when they are in a state of imbalance. When the doshas are out of balance, they manifest as disorders within the dhatus. Doshas are considered supporters of the organism while performing their functions as they move out of the body as waste products. In a state of balance or health, we cannot detect the doshas. In a state of disequilibrium, however, the doshas become visible as mucus, bile, wind, and other bodily discharges. If we ignore these early signs of disorder, imbalances can quickly become full-blown disease. The three doshas coexist to varying degrees in all living organisms, and each is formed by union of two elements in dynamic balance. Air and space form the Vata dosha. In Vata dosha, air expresses its kinetic power of mobility which is Vata s primary nature. Dryness is an attribute of motion and when in excess, it introduces irregularity, changeability into the body and mind. The elements of fire and water form the doshas known as Pitta. In Pitta dosha, the fire expresses its transformational power, which is Pitta s primary nature. Heat is an attribute of fire and when in full force it produces irritability, impatience of body and mind. Earth and water elements form the Kapha dosha. Both elements express a stabilizing force. Heaviness is an attribute of stability which is Kapha s primary nature. Each dosha has a primary function in the body. Vata is the moving force, Pitta is the force of assimilation, and Kapha is the force of stability. Together, they are an impressive example of seemingly adversarial forces coexisting in potential harmony. Vata is the most dominant force in the body, since air, its main element, is much more pervasive in the world than fire and water. Vata tends to go out of balance much more quickly than Pitta and Kapha. Vata governs bodily movement, the nervous system, and the life force. Without Vata s mobility in the body, Pitta and Kapha will be rendered lame. It is most influenced by the rajas principle. Rajas, is one of the three gunas, the primary constituents of nature, and it is the activity- oriented principle. Pitta governs the enzymatic and hormonal activities, and is responsible for digestion, pigmentation, body temperature, hunger, thirst, and sight. Pitta acts as a balancing force for Vata and Kapha and is most influenced by the sattva principle, 37
i i i i is the highest of all. Kapha governs the body s structure and stability. It lubricates joints, provides moisture to the skin, heals wounds, and regulates Vata and Pitta. Kapha is most influenced by the principle of tamas, which is the principle of inertia. Vata, Pitta, and Kapha pervade the entire body, but their primary domains are in the lower, middle, and upper body, respectively. Vata dominates the lower body, pelvic region, colon, bladder, urinary tract, thighs, legs, arms, skeletal and nervous systems. Pitta pervades the chest, umbilical area, lower stomach, small intestine, sweat and sebaceous glands, and blood. Kapha rules the head, neck, throat, chest, upper stomach, fat tissues, lymph glands, and joints. Determining Your Metabolic Type Directions: Review all three categories of the Metabolic Quiz set out below and answer yes to the questions that you feel most accurately reflect you. The category that yields five or more answers in the affirmative indicates your dominant metabolic type. Ask a spouse, parent, or friend to double check your assessment so that your scores will be as accurate as possible. For example, if your scores are 5 for vata, 3 for pitta, and 2 for kapha, then your Ayurvedic metabolic type is predominantly vata. As you progress in your knowledge of Ayurveda, you may find it helpful to be aware of your secondary type. In the example just given, for instance, you would categorize yourself as vata-pitta. Your Ayurvedic Constitution No two people are alike. The dosha that is dominant in you determines your metabolic type. Knowing your type provides you with helpful tools for maintaining a healthy life of balance. It also helps in diagnosing disease. The proportion to which vata, pitta, and kapha exist within you makes your constitution different from someone else s. Once you are born, your constitution remains constant throughout your lifetime, but the condition of your doshas can change owing to disharmonious factors in your lifestyle and environment. The practices of sadhana can help bring back the doshas into a state of harmony and certainly can help maintain your health. Although each of us is endowed with our own unique set of rhythms, influenced by both our metabolic traits and our psycho-spiritual nature, our physical rhythms fall into three distinct metabolic types: quick and irregular (vata); fast and decisive (pitta); and slow and methodical (kapha). Metabolic Type: Kapha Do you get easily flustered when doing more than one thing at a time? Do you have excellent endurance capacity? Do you learn slowly and forget slowly? Do you gain weight easily? Do you crave crunchy foods? Do you love to help people in physical or emotional need? Do you sleep long and deeply? Do you have watery, sensual dreams? Do you become possessive on occasion? If you answered five or more of these queries in the affirmative, your rhythms are slow and methodical. To determine your metabolic type, spend a few minutes answering the questions in the chart below. Be honest with yourself; there is no right or wrong answer. Remember that your evaluation will be colored by the qualities of your present lif style. Six months after you make the lifestyle changes we recommend through observing the sadhanas discussed in this book, take the quiz again. Your answers at that time will be more in keeping with your true constitutional nature. 38
Metabolic Type: Vata Do you get easily flustered during most activities? Do you have a very short attention span? Do you learn quickly and forget quickly? In review, to maintain good health, primary consideration must be given to your metabolic type; the seasons, their tastes and rhythms; those activities which are generally nurturing to your metabolic type throughout the year; the changes necessary from one season to the next; and the required daily and seasonal routines. Do you have difficulty putting on weight? Do you love to make slurpy sounds while eating? Do you feel close to people in physical or emotional pain? Do you sleep poorly? ELEMENTAL SOURCE OF METABOLIC TYPES Do you have flighty and fearful dreams? Do you tend to be a loner? If you answered five or more of these queries in the affirmative, your rhythms are quick and irregular. Vata!! Pitta!! Kapha! Air/Space Fire/Water Water/Earth QUALITIES OF METABOLIC TYPES Metabolic Type: Pitta Do you excel in doing more than one activity at the same time? Do you tend to remain completely focused on your tasks? Do you learn quickly and forget slowly? Do you gain weight easily and lose it easily? Do you get ravenously hungry and love to eat? Do you like to be around successful people? Do you sleep lightly and moderately? Do you have violent, fiery dreams on occasion? Do you tend to be ambitious? Vata (Like Wind)!! Kapha (Like Water)!Pitta (Like Fire) dry!!!! oily!!!! hot cold!!!! cool!!!! oily light!!!! heavy!!! light mobile!!! stable!!! intense erratic!!! dense!!!! fluid rough!!! smooth!!! fetid bitter!!!! sweet!!!! sour astringent!! salty!!! pungent pungent!!! sour!!!! salty If you answered five or more of these queries in the affirmative, your rhythms are fast and decisive. 39
QUALITIES THAT NURTURE METABOLIC TYPES Vata Nurtured by fire, water, and earth consistent moist heavy smooth hot sweet salty sour Pitta Nurtured by water, air, space, and earth calm cool substantial aromatic sweet bitter astringent Three-Fold Energies of the Universe Gunas Sattva, Rajas, Tamas Three-fold energies of universe that Maha Maya (Mother of Creation) wields to create, sustain and dissolve existence. Sattva Creative Potential Energy Pure, gentle energy in a state of balance. Characteristic: Sattvic being is compassionate, light, joyous and giving, with a vast vision of the whole. Rajas Kinetic Energy Active, progressive energy in a state of movement. Characteristic: Rajasic Being is progressive and aggressive, goal-oriented with limited vision of the whole. Tamas Destructive Potential Energy Inert, destructive energy in a state of concealment. Characteristic: Tamasic Being is negative, self-obsessive, and resistant to change with a fragmented vision of the whole. Kapha Nurtured by fire, air, and space stimulating dry warm light pungent bitter astringent 40
Doshas and Daily Cycles Knowing your metabolic constitution, you are guided further to study the effects of the daily cycles on your doshas and learn how these rhythms influence your vital tissues (dhatus) and primary organs. The Seven Daily Cycles The earth is a mobile force which circles the sun, just as the moon circles the earth. The daily and seasonal cycles are created by the earth s dynamic relationship to both the sun and moon. Each day we experience six phases of expansion and contraction, all of which are controlled by the sun. At dawn, when the sun is about to rise, the dry, cold, mobile aspects of Vata, gathered through the night, are prevalent. At daybreak, the cool and heavy energy of Kapha begins to flow out of the body as we rise from rest. At midday, when the sun is at its peak and saps the body with its heat, Pitta prevails. In the early afternoon, as the sun s energy begins to wane, the dry, cold energy of Vata once more dominates. At sunset, when the sun has descended on the horizon, Kapha begins to pour back into the body to induce the body to rest. Finally, at midnight, when the sun is farthest away from the earth, Pitta once more prevails. Controlled by the vibrational heat waves of the sun, the body s heat is at its peak at midday and midnight, the two times at which Pitta is at its height, since the bodily fire is naturally increased during these two pivotal junctions of the day. The junctions of day crossing into night, and night into day, are dominated by both Vata and Kapha. 42
The Daily Course of the Organs and Doshas As the earth orbits the sun, the energy fluctuations that occur directly affect the bodily organism. Each organ and dosha is susceptible to the dynamic energy transaction, which occurs naturally throughout the course of the day, a different dosha and organ being affected in a cyclical manner every two hours The doshas are also affected during the natural course of digestion Vata, Pitta and Kapha each controlling a specific aspect of the process. 43
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