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Discovering your body type is the most important step towards achieving better health because your constitution tells you how nature intends you to eat and live. Knowing your body type helps you to know your particular predisposition to disease. You can then take appropriate steps to nip the disease in the bud. Are there some 'body types' who are more cancer prone? Not everyone who smokes gets lung cancer. Why do thin people have high cholesterol? Why do some people who eat more calories remain thin and others who barely eat gain weight? It must be something that goes beyond calories. Ayurveda tells you that by nature a Vata woman will be thin and a Kapha woman will be big if not heavy.
Vata Pitta Kapha Each of the doshas will demonstrate a certain behavioural pattern that is unique to that body type. Vata: Vata people are usually thin-framed but sometimes overweight. They are prone to worry and may suffer from insomnia (lack of sleep). They are usually restless and almost always anxious. All body aches and joint pains, excessive gas problems are attributed to this dosha. Vata types should get sufficient rest and avoid overwork as it gets them out of balance. Vata people when in balance are perhaps the most adjustable as they are imaginative, sensitive, spontaneous, resilient and exhilarated. They will never miss a chance to flash a huge smile and greet people with joy.
Pitta: Anyone with a radiant complexion, shining hair, and bursting with energy has the Pitta constitution. They are warm, loving and have a happy disposition when in balance. They have a good appetite, are in total command of the situation, very intelligent and with good powers of concentration. When Pitta goes out of balance they are typically short tempered, impatient and demanding. They like to argue and have a strong opinion about every topic. When in balance they are confident, enterprising and joyous. Kapha: They are the coolest people you can meet. They have a sturdy frame and tend to put on weight easily. They remain calm, collected and relaxed even under stressful situations and therefore enjoy sound health. They are sensitive to feelings of others, take a long time to make a decision and seek emotional comfort from eating. They enjoy high-carbohydrates meals and tend to oversleep. When out of balance they tend to become very complacent, dull and thick headed. When in balance, they are loving, forgiving, courageous and sympathetic. According to ayurveda, our doshas express our nature as a whole. Each person is constituted with a certain nature or prakriti from birth. However, with time and growth these change. Similarly a person who belongs to a certain body type may exhibit the characteristics of another body type due to external factors like stress. So, a person with a Vata tendency might show a Pitta or a Kapha tendency. As doshas rule our behaviour, it is important to make our doshas happy. Things could go haywire if the right balance is not struck and problems such as depression and insomnia will grow into our prakriti.
Balancing the doshas: It is often mistaken that balancing the doshas means getting equal amount of Vata, Pitta and Kapha. But you cannot change the ratio of doshas you were born with. Ayurveda tells us to keep as close to the balance point as we can. We need to learn to stop the doshas from getting out of balance as they are always responsive to our habits. Imbalance in the doshas can lead to a lot of problems. n If Vata is unbalanced then there is pain, spasms, cramps and chills. n Unbalance in Pitta may lead to inflammation, fever, excessive hunger and heartburn. n If Kapha is unbalanced, then there can be congestion, heaviness, lethargy and oversleeping. However, when symptoms develop into chronic conditions, diagnosis based on body types is useful. Vita, Pitta and Kapha people tend to be susceptible to different disorders.
Vata types are prone to insomnia, chronic constipation, anxiety, cramps and high blood pressure. Pitta types are prone to rashes, acne, heartburn, early balding, hostility, poor vision and heart attacks. Kapha types are prone to obesity, chest colds, painful joints, depression, diabetes and high cholesterol. But there is no one-to-one relationship between a disease and body. This means that being a vata type does not mean that you are doomed to get insomnia or arthritis. Illness is individual and depends on the complete pattern of your life. Further, major disorders such as cancer are a result of more than one dosha becoming unbalanced. Balance in the doshas is very important as one is disturbed the others will soon follow. Know your imbalances It is very important to know the reason for the imbalances in the doshas, which are a root cause of many illnesses.
Causes of vata imbalance: n Constant stress and mental strain. n Alcohol or drug addiction. n A sudden change in your life. n Poor sleep. n Great deal of cold, raw and dry foods in diet or eating a great deal of spicy, bitter foods, salads, beans, potatoes; leafy green vegetables constitute bitter foods. n Skipping meals and ignoring the body's hunger needs. This increases vata. Causes of pitta imbalance: n Constant stress and fighting stress with anger and frustration. n Living under pressure. n Consumption of impure food and water. n Eating too much hot, spicy and oily food. Your diet mainly consists of sour or ferments foods such as sour cream and vinegar. Causes of kapha imbalance: n Major kapha problems such as diabetes, allergies and obesity run in the family. n Excessive weight gain and depression because of it. n Your diet contains large amounts of sugar, salt, fatty or fried foods. n Constant stress and reacting to it with by withdrawing and feeling insecure. n There is great need to posses, store and save things. It iss only after we know the reason that we can change and cure the illness. In the whole process, the doshas can be balanced and we can look forward to a healthy living. What we have from birth cannot change. However, we can have a life of good health and happiness by controlling the doshas that have a big effect on us. A right balance can save us from a lot of problems later. It is important to remember that any dosha can cause any symptom but at the end of it all it is up to us to control and change the cause of imbalance. If prevention is better than cure, then balancing your doshas could be the best prevention ever. — The writer is a nutritionist. She treats obesity and related health disorders online. She can be reached at ask@health-total.com / www.health-total.com
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Ayurveda has identified three body types or doshas which we are born with. Each dosha demonstrates certain behaviour, unique to that body type. As doshas rule our behaviour, it is important to keep these in balance
Get to know your body
type: Ayurveda has identified three body types or doshas which
we are born with. We inherit our body types, which govern our
behaviour.
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