Ayurveda
The Science of Self-Healing
Ayurveda and the Tridoshas
Ayurveda is a traditional Indian medicinal system. It is based around recipes and yoga to help fight and prevent disease. This system focuses on balancing your tridoshas. The etymology of the word tridosha comes from the Sanskrit words tri and dosh, which together mean "three pollutants". The tridoshas represent the elements. Your vata dosha represents air and ether, which is the most important dosha because if it is imbalanced for long enough it can imbalance the two other doshas. Your pitta dosha represents fire and water. Finally, the kapha dosha, which is the heaviest because it provides the body's structure, represents water and earth. When all of these are balanced, it is called Dosha Shamya. in this state, you experience health on mental, physical, and spiritual levels. This state is not stable, though; your balance between the doshas changes all the time. When the doshas increase, it is called vriddhi, and when they are decreased it is called kasaya. Both of these cause sickness.
Did you know...
The science of Ayurveda was even mentioned in the four Vedas.
(the Vedas were the primary texts of Hinduism that date back to 1500 B.C.E.)
(the Vedas were the primary texts of Hinduism that date back to 1500 B.C.E.)
Difference in Tendencies for the Tridoshas
The Pitta , Vata , and Kapha people are vaguely similar, but because they are centered around different tridoshas, the have different tendencies in taste, financial status, body form, and even what the dream about. For example, a Pitta person would have tendencies to enjoy sweet foods, but a Kapha person would rather have something more pungent. Preferences in taste overlap, and in result of this, both Kapha and Pitta people like bitter foods. A Vata person prefers sours foods, but shares the interest in sweet foods with a Pitta person. As for body structure, Vata people tend to have thiner frames, and Kaphas would have thicker frames. In financial status, Vata people tend to spend quickly, therefor do not remain wealthy. Kapha people have tendencies toward saving rather than spending, therefore are usually rich. Pitta people are generally moderate in all aspects, besides excessive thirst. How the tridoshas affect dreams is relevant to the elements that their tridosha represents; Vata people usually dream about movement in the forms of running, flying, and jumping, whereas a Pitta person would have dreams that are fiery or about war and violence. Kapha people tend to have dreams about water in the forms of rivers, laves, or oceans, which usually involve swimming and/or romance.
Did you know...
The word Ayurveda comes from the Sanskrit words âyus and veda which mean "science" and "life". So, Ayurveda is just the science of life.
Healing
Because the tridoshas are so different, you need distinct methods for healing the patient's own tridosha. For example, in foods, because Vata people prefer sour foods, you can eat more sour things to balance your Vata. If you have a deficiency of Vata in your body, you will be thirsty, weak, and/or experience insomnia because this tridosha is associated with the top part of your body and the lubrication of it. The Pitta tridosha is usually associated with your stomach. It is also associated with the element of fire, so eating spicy foods will aggravate the Pitta part of you, and if you are not balanced in this tridosha you may experience hunger, anger, stomach pains, and you could get ulcers. You could balance this tridosha by eating sweet things. If it is not balanced for long enough, you will get colder and weaker. Finally, the Kapha tridosha. This tridosha is associated with the organs you need for digestion. You can balance this tridosha by eating bitter foods. If left unbalanced, you could experience coldness, tiredness, the feeling of heaviness, distaste for foods, and numbness of limbs. These can also be balanced with various yoga positions.
Works Cited
Tridosha in Ayurveda. --
"Vata"- http://www.indianetzone.com/5/vata.htm
"Kapha"- http://www.indianetzone.com/5/kapha.htm
"Pitta"- http://www.indianetzone.com/5/pitta.htm
Basic Concepts. "Simple Facts about Ayurveda -- http://www.ayur.com/dosha/tridosha.html
The Theory of Ayurveda. "Introduction to Ayurveda" -- http://pubmedcentralcanada.ca/pmcc/articles/PMC3331283/pdf/ASL-10-144.pdf
"Vata"- http://www.indianetzone.com/5/vata.htm
"Kapha"- http://www.indianetzone.com/5/kapha.htm
"Pitta"- http://www.indianetzone.com/5/pitta.htm
Basic Concepts. "Simple Facts about Ayurveda -- http://www.ayur.com/dosha/tridosha.html
The Theory of Ayurveda. "Introduction to Ayurveda" -- http://pubmedcentralcanada.ca/pmcc/articles/PMC3331283/pdf/ASL-10-144.pdf