Like the great cosmic forces, all of us possess all the three doshas, Kapha, Pitta and Vata, to constitute our mind and body. Kapha comprises the flesh and secretions in our body, i.e. essentially the water component.
Pitta comprises our fire component, i.e. gives warmth to the body and its ability to transform substances. Vata is the air component and regulates our energies and activities. The content of each dosha in our body varies with each individual, and the predominance of a particular dosha shall determine our appearance and disposition.
The first step of Ayurveda treatment at Arya Vaidya Sala Baddi, is to identify the natural constitution of the individual in accordance with the doshas. This plays an important role in determining the course of action for prevention of disease, maintenance of health and treating/ curing diseases. This also helps the physicians to prescribe a healthy way of life to the patients.
There are 7 main types of dosha combinations. An individual may have one single predominant dosha or a combination of two predominant doshas in relatively equal proportions. A balanced amount of all three doshas also exists. These combinations include:
v
1 1. Pure Vata (pure air)
v 2. Pure Pitta (pure fire)
v 3. Pue Kapha (pure water)
v 4. Vata-Pitta (air-fire)
v 5. Vata-Kapha (air-water)
v 6. Pitta-Kapha (fire-water)
v 7. Vata-Pitta-Kapha (VPK)
It should however be noted that mixed dosha types do not necessarily indicate better or worse health. It helps the physicians to determine the treatment. Generally efforts to balance a particular dosha may exaggerate another dosha, thus in combination type it is best to increase the third, lower dosha. For example Pitta-Kapha type should try to increase Vata dosha.
There are different levels of exaggeration of doshas and the terms used by different physicians are generally relative. For example there is a lot of difference when we say hight Vata as insomnia and high Vata as paralysis. Also the doshas merely provide us as a basis to start the examination, a more detailed analysis is often required.
For example high Vata can induce dryness which in turn causes stiffness and rigidity, while one of its other attributes include quite the opposite symptoms such as excess mobility causing tremors.
Generally we know our bodies well to determine its Ayurveda constitution through physical attributes such as frame, weight and lifestyle.
Although the basic composition of doshas remains the same throughout a lifetime, sometimes conditions such as a long illness can alter it.