Your Ayurvedic constitution and how can it benefit you?

What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda, otherwise known as the science of life, is a 5,000 year old ancient holistic healing system originating in India and is said to provide the age old history to longevity, mental clarity, digestive health, beauty and balance that in today’s society we have often lost. It is the only surviving ancient system of medicine and is used by 80% of Indians and Nepalese today, being the only medicine system in India for many years. It involves knowing your mind-body type and eating and living accordingly as to balance the three constitutions we all have governed by the five elements all life is made of; fire, earth, air, ether and water. It involved the use of medicinal plants in treatment and should be considered when treating each individual person.

Your dosha or constitutional mind-body type shows your personality, physical and physiological strengths and weaknesses and how you can best cater for them. The three types are Kapha, Pitta and Vata and it is thought that they become predominant in different life stages, different seasons and different times of the day. For example, Pitta is dominant upon waking and in adolescence as we have more energy and fire as well as from June to october. Everybody is a mix of all three but one will usually stand out as the strongest, there can also be duel doshas and tridosha where two or all three are similar or equal and ayurveda gives knowledge on how to balance each combination.

The three doshas

Kapha represents heavy, moist, solid, grounding energies that can be loving, nurturing and steady when balanced but are prone to sluggishness, fatigue, depression, weight gain, attachment, fear and low mood and energy if unbalanced. Kapha energy favours heavy, warm and stodgy foods and can have sluggish metabolism, excess mucus and slow bowel movements. Kapha has the elements of earth and water which are heavy and solid, flowing and steady but also can be quick to change and become unstable, become stuck and stagnant. To balance kapha, energising spices and teas such as cayenne, mint and chilli plus light fresh salads and food, and daily activity can all bring balance and more pitta fire and vata air to your life.

Pitta represents heat, fire and intensity, when balanced can express motivation, determination, bubbliness, laughter and warmth but when unbalanced can express anger, control and tension. Pitta people are filled with energy and can eat a variety of foods, they often have quick digestion and bowel movements. Pitta has the elements of water and fire, strong, quick and intense but can also be warm, loving and efficient. Cooling foods, spices and herbal teas such as mint and cucumbers are balancing for pitta as well as fresh fruits and vegetables.

Vata represents creativity, light, dry and quick thinking, when balanced can be expressive, light and happy, calm and peaceful but when unbalanced can be erratic, anxious, unreliable and feel overwhelmed, lonely and disconnected. Vata constitutions can often skip meals and have irregular eating habits and bowel movements and digestive problems and emotional problems are strongly linked. Vata has the elements air and ether, allowing freedom and flexibility and openness as well as sudden change, flakiness and uncertainty. Balance vata with rest, self-love, consistent warm food and spices and routine as well as space to be spontaneous and adventurous.

You can take several dosha quiz’s online to confirm your constitution and then implement small changes to help bring more balance to your life. Some foods and activities may need to be limited but unless particularly aggravating this is not a strict exclusion diet and lifestyle and a variety of tastes and activities can be used, it can simply show you what to increase and decrease to help balance your body. It can be useful to keep a diary of your activity and diet and how you feel after each so you can start to pinpoint behaviours and foods that may be making you feel e.g. tired, flared up, erratic or causing digestive issues.

Balancing doshas

Organic, fresh, wholefoods are always best to maintain high health and avoid digestive issues and health problems. Water should also be room temperature, clear of any contaminants and structured, for e.g., if filtering out all contaminants including minerals, ¼ tsp of Himalayan salt should be added to 1 litre of water to restructure it. Herbs and spices should be added after cooking to retain their nutrients. Each dosha is balanced by adding behaviours and foods that enhance the other doshas and in this way you can think about what you need at the time depending on your behaviour, food, dosha, feelings and health.

	Kapha balancing	Pitta balancing	Vata balancing
Tastes	Bitter pungent astringent	Sweet astringent bitter	Sweet sour salty
Examples	Greens, eggplant, zucchini, olives, turmeric, basil, barley. Ginger, cayenne, garlic. Broccoli lentils, cauliflower, tofu, beans, apples, pomegranates.	Fruits and sweet vegetables such as squash, sweet potato, grains. Broccoli, lentils, potatoes, cauliflower, legumes, tofu, beans, pomegranates. Greens, zucchini, olives, turmeric, basil, barley.	Fruits and sweet vegetables such as squash, sweet potato, grains, tofu, lentils. Vinegar, citrus, pickles, fermented foods. Celtic or himalayan salt, sea vegetables. Nuts and seeds, oils and spices.
Helpful behaviours	Exercise, fasting, taking warm foods and water, adding spices to food and water, deep breathing, unblocking energy with meditation, acupuncture and finding inspiration and improving expression. Get moving and see/chat to friends and family, find positive, uplifting activities and use positive thinking.	Eat regular meals in the daytime. Fasting, drinking lots of water, light foods, minimal condiments. Relaxing yoga and exercise, reading, meditating, journaling, walking in nature, creating a peaceful and calm environment and rest will all calm pitta. Dancing, team sports and games all help express healthy pitta.	Eat warm, regular meals, drink fresh fruit juices and water with lemon, set goals and keep a journal to track your emotional and digestive wellbeing as well as your progress on goals. Have a consistent routine with room for free, creative and spontaneous activity.
Helpful herbs and spices	Nearly all spices and herbs are balancing and energising for kapha.	Cooling herbs and spices such as chamomile, mint and fennel. Turmeric, cumin, cilantro, vanilla, cinnamon and basil are all balancing for pitta.	All spices and herbs are balancing for vata.
Limit	Oily and greasy foods, processed foods, animal based foods, dairy, sweet, sour, salty and heavy foods.	Salty, sour and pungent tastes. Alcohol, coffee, animal products, garlic, cayenne, salt and sour fruits.	Processed sugar, dairy, caffeine, alcohol, cold drinks.
Example breakfast	Oats with soy milk, ginger, cinnamon and honey.	Overnight oats with banana, cinnamon, cardamom and maple syrup.	Rice porridge with coconut milk, cinnamon, ginger and maple syrup or rice with soy sauce, maple syrup and rice vinegar for savoury.
Example lunch	Lentil salad with steamed veg and garlic ginger olive dressing.	Quinoa tabbouleh with dried fruits and fresh vegetables, mint cilantro and olive oil dressing.	Steamed mixed vegetables with rice noodles and a, vinegar, soy, honey or maple dressing.
Example dinner	Tofu and cauliflower curry with brown rice with some heat.	Potato and chickpea coconut curry and brown rice.	Quinoa and squash patties with sauerkraut and pickles with baked sweet potato chips.
Drinks and snacks	Apples, small amounts of nuts and seeds. Chai tea, water.	Snack on fruits and vegetables such as cucumber. Cool herbal teas and water.	Snack on fruits, small amounts of nuts and fruit juices, warm herbal teas and water with lemon.

Many people are predominantly two doshas and if so a combination of the above foods and activities should be taken accordingly. For example, vata-pitta can focus on warm sweet tastes and moist, grounding foods in winter and cool, drying foods in summer. It may help to think, pitta fire needs cooling, kapha needs energising and vata needs warming, as it can be confusing at the start and some advice can seem contradictory but if taken lightly and applied slowly and where possible and appropriate can bring much stability, happiness and balance to the body.