Learn About Ayurveda, The Tridoshas and The Ayurvedic Body Type

Ayurveda is a popular name in the field of modern alternative medicinal therapy and it's known for the effectiveness of its treatments. One of the principal reasons for its popularity is that the Ayurvedic treatments are 100% natural. Also, the Ayurvedic methodology is individualistic thus the treatment is unique for everyone and it’s designed in a manner that's most suitable for them. This ancient holistic medicinal therapy strives to maintain the inherent balance of an individual in order to keep them healthy and energetic. Ayurveda is effective and useful for treating a myriad of medical conditions like obesity, stress, joint pains, allergies etc.

Ayurveda is an ancient system of medicine that originated from the Indian Subcontinent and its been in practice since last 5000 years. In spite of being ancient, Ayurveda is considered as one of the most effective alternative medicine therapy of the modern days. The Ayurvedic treatment is based on the premise that the energy inherent to the human body exists in a state of balance and an imbalance in the energy is the root cause of every ailment. The treatment strives to correct the energy imbalance as a way to cure the disease.

Ayurveda explains that there are following three types of Doshas in the human body

• Vata Dosha- Vata is responsible for all types of communication and movements in the body that includes the flow of information through the nervous system and the brain, breathing, and the movement of the heart, muscles, and tissues. The basic nature of Vata is dry, cold, subtle, clear, mobile, rough and light.
• Pitta Dosha- Pitta is responsible for the digestive process, metabolism, and nutrition as well as the sensory inputs and its understanding. The basic nature of Pitta is liquid, hot, oily, light, spreading and sharp.
• Kapha Dosha- Kapha is responsible for the lubrication of body parts, maintaining the immunity and protecting the tissues. The basic nature of Kapha is heavy, cloudy, dense, stable, slow, oily, gross, soft, smooth and oily.

A human body in its natural state has a balance of these three Doshas or Tridoshas and this natural state inherent and unique to every human being is known as Prakriti. An imbalance in Dosha disrupts the Prakriti and is projected as an ailment. The Ayurvedic treatment employs lifestyle and dietary changes along with herbal Ayurvedic medication to restore the Dosha balance. The treatment not only cures the ailment, but it focuses on curing its root cause thereby promoting overall good health.

The body type of an individual is identified by the dominant Dosha of their Prakriti. The three body types on the basis of Doshas are as follows

• The Vata body type,
• The Pitta body type and
• The Kapha body type.

The body types exhibit the characteristics of the predominant Doshas whether it's physical, mental or emotional. Awareness of the body types helps in understanding the symptoms of Dosha imbalance. It is also beneficial for identifying the things that may cause Dosha imbalance. This helps in taking care of potential health problems and treating existing problems.