The Basics§
Striving for Balance§
HE WORD AYURVEDA, DERIVED FROM THE SANSKRIT ROOT ayus, MEANing “life” or “longevity” and veda, meaning “science” or “sacred knowledge,” can be traced back to India five thousand years ago. A description of this practice is found in ancient Vedic texts such as the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita, which offer richly detailed depictions of the physiology and interrelated systems of the body, the variations in human constitution, as well as the use of herbs and herbal mixtures, in addition to rituals for achieving and maintaining health. It is a complete system for managing all aspects of health including healing disease, increasing longevity, performing surgery with precise instruments of the doctors’ own making, and addressing ethical dilemmas and spiritual development.§
Ayurvedic medicine embraces the ancient system of koshas (sheaths) and chakras as part of its understanding of the subtle and physical bodies. The five sheaths make up the biofield, or subtle energy body; the chakras are the energy centers that transmit the information from the biofield to the body. A third part of this diagnostic system is the doshas.§
Ayurvedic medicine considers the human body also to be made up of the five elements (ether, air, fire, water and earth), which combine to form three fundamental physical-mental-emotional types, or doshas: vata, pitta and kapha. Discussion of the doshas can be found as far back as siddha medicine, so it’s likely that this philosophy developed earlier and then was partly adopted by ayurvedic medicine. Creating balance between the physical, mental and emotional in each of us requires a dynamic harmony among the five elements in the body as expressed through the doshas. Ultimately, these five elements that exist in the universe also exist within us. But while the sheaths and chakras are energetic, the doshas are emblematic of what is happening in the entire human biofield. Here we can draw another parallel to epigenetics: What geneticists call a phenotype is the observable physical interpretation, or characteristic, for a set of genes in the DNA. In ayurvedic medicine, the doshas offer the observable physical interpretation, or characteristic, of the entire human biofield. Where a geneticist would say that our DNA offers instructions that our bodies follow, an ayurvedic practitioner would say the biofield performs that function. Ultimately, both terminologies express the same fundamental concept—that the body is an expression of information gathered at a primary level.§
Ayurvedic medicine takes this idea one step further, however, in that it uses the doshas—which delineate different body-mind types, each with specific responses to diet, seasons and the environment and each with its own set of predispositions to illness—to make diagnoses and offer health plans for explicit changes in lifestyle, diet, stress and environment in order to cultivate the highest potential of health in a person.§
Each dosha type is defined as a combination of two of the five elements that constitute the universe and a correlated set of qualities. Vata, for example, is a combination of the lighter elements, ether and air. This dosha governs all movement, including blood flow, contraction of the heart, breathing and communication of cells through nerve impulses. Pitta is a combination of fire and water and represents digestion, metabolism and transformation, including appetite and endocrine functions. Kapha is a combination of the heavier elements—earth and water—and regulates structure and cohesion of the body, including strength, fluid balance and weight. Although ayurvedic medicine asserts that each person is made up of all three doshas, there is typically one that is dominant. But, just as life isn’t static, people can have a combination of two doshas, with one dosha rising to be more powerful at different points in life. Disease, it is believed, is caused in the body by either an excess or deficiency of vata, pitta or kapha, an imbalance which ultimately causes cellular dysfunction.§
At the core of ayurveda is the belief that, by engaging in a meditation practice and by altering our diet and lifestyle according to the dominant dosha or doshas within us, we can modify our genes and alter disease. As an ayurvedic practitioner, I don’t tell all of my patients to eat a vegan diet or that they should all walk ten thousand steps a day; those prescriptions would not benefit every dosha. Instead, I would suggest to someone with a vata physiology to do gentle yoga, while I may tell someone else with a kapha build to aim for twenty thousand steps a day. Ayurvedic medicine also offers behavioral recommendations to improve the mental health or life circumstances for a particular constitution. Again, I would not give the same advice to everyone. A patient who is having trouble with budgeting—be it with time and energy or, speaking more literally, with money—will need different counsel based on the dominant dosha. A vata patient, for instance, is more likely to give far too much away in all circumstances and, therefore, I would advise that person how to not spend down so many resources, financial or otherwise. On the other hand, kapha individuals are more likely to be overly cautious, depleting themselves in a counter-intuitive way by spending much of their time and attention on hoarding their energies and coffers. I would encourage this person to behave a bit more freely, offering more of themselves in relationships and making charitable donations. In this way, the doshas offer not only detailed epigenetic prescriptions but holistic approaches to health and well-being.§
The ayurvedic plan offered for each dosha contains thorough instructions for daily and seasonal routines—including the time to go to bed and when to wake up, the time to eat, the time to exercise, and the time to meditate, among other activities. Diet and nutrition are advised, right down to the texture and qualities of the food. The season and even geographic location of the person are considered when tailoring a diet for each dosha. The ayurvedic plan also has recommendations for behavior, including how to interact with peers, as well as those who are younger and older. Broadly, advice and guidance should be given to those who are younger, and respect should be given to teachers and elders. Love and compassion should be extended above all else. These behaviors, ayurvedic medicine signifies, affect health on the physical level. They not only make the world a better place—they also restore the mind and body.§
Food as medicine: (above) ayurveda places great stress on natural foods, like this dosa and chutney at the Vellore clinic; (below) oil is slowly poured into the nostrils of a patient to cleanse and detoxify the sinuses§
Pitta Dosha§
ITTA INDIVIDUALS EXEMPLIFY MANY OF THE QUALITIES OF fire: hot, intense, penetrating, sharp and agitated. Pittas have a powerful intellect and a strong ability to concentrate. As such, pittas are high achievers, ambitious and driven: think Steve Jobs. Success, accomplishment, and satisfaction in one’s activity are important for pitta individuals.§
Pittas are usually of medium size and weight. They have very strong digestion when they are in balance and naturally warm body temperature. Pitta individuals have soft and fine hair and are prone to early graying or balding. Pitta has a lot of energy. One of pitta’s main challenges is not using up more energy reserves than is available due to their naturally competitive and passionate nature. When out of balance, pittas may suffer from skin rashes, burning sensations in the gut or skin, excessive body heat, and heartburn.§
Pitta is dominant, perhaps appropriately given the blazing nature of this dosha, during the summer. The tendency of pitta is to get overheated and impatient; the basic principle, therefore, for keeping pitta in balance is to keep it cool—physically and emotionally.§
Two cooling bija mantras that are useful for balancing this dosha are: Aim (pronounced aym), which opens the voice and lungs and clears the senses, and Srim (pronounced shreem), which can boost overall energy and concentration as well as feelings of nurturance.§
