Ayur means life and veda is science. Ayurveda is the timeless science of life – an understanding of the world you see around you.
This understanding helps you maximize the quality of your life and understand the roots of your character traits, body type and mental tendencies.
The first time I got an Ayurvedic consultation, within moments, I had tears in my eyes. The doctor had taken my pulse and without asking any questions, listed off everything that was going on in my life physically, mentally and emotionally.
Suffice to say, the knowledge of Ayurveda goes much deeper than you think.
Table of Contents
How does Ayurveda fit into the understanding of the universe?
If you’ve been following along with the yoga philosophy articles on this blog, you’ll know there’s much more to the world than meets the eye.
In particular, there are 5 layers of your existence called panchakosha.
Most articles on Ayurveda focus on the annamaya kosha or the physical layer. This means they talk a lot about food, herbs and routine.
In reality, Ayurveda goes much deeper than this into the energy layer of your existence and into your mind and tendencies.
To start to build an understanding of Ayurveda, let’s look at the foundations.
The Five Elements
The foundations of Ayurveda are the five elements that the manifest universe is made up of – essentially everything you see around you.
The five elements with their qualities are as follows.
| Element | Qualities |
|---|---|
| Ether (space) | Clear, light, subtle, immeasurable |
| Air | Mobile, light, cold, dry, subtle |
| Fire | Light, hot, sharp, dry, subtle |
| Water | Cool, fluid, soft |
| Earth | Solid, gross, dense, hard |
The five elements in Ayurveda make up the three doshas.
What are the doshas?
The 3 doshas are energies or energetic forces made up of a combination of the five elements. The doshas make up your body and the world around you.
The unique combination of doshas that make up your body is called your composition or prakriti – your nature.
Your prakriti decides more or less everything about you from your likes and dislikes, your physical features, your appetite, your mental tendencies, and so on and so forth.
When the three doshas fall out of balance, disease manifests in the body and the mind.
The three doshas are vata, pitta and kapha.
| Dosha | Elements | Qualities | Function in the body |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vata | Ether, air | Cold, dry, light, rough, subtle, mobile, clear | Energy of movement |
| Pitta | Mostly fire, some water | Hot, oily, penetrating, sharp, agitating, dispersing, liquid | Energy of digestion and metabolism |
| Kapha | Water, earth | Heavy, slow, smooth, oily, cool, dense | Energy of lubrication |
Where do you see the doshas?
You see the doshas in the physical world, in your mind and in time. Let’s explore each of these in turn.
The doshas in your body and environment
As mentioned above, your body is made up of the 3 doshas.
At any given moment, you have prakriti and vikruti. Prakriti is your specific combination of the three doshas: the qualities you’ll learn about when reading about prakriti are qualities you possess when your doshas are in balance. Vikruti is the state of your doshas at this very moment. This takes into account any imbalances because of diet and routine as well as seasonal and age effects.
Food also possesses qualities that are linked to the doshas.
As the entire universe around you is composed of the 5 elements, it goes without saying that food and other substances have inherent qualities.
Based on your composition or prakriti, certain foods, products, and activities will be more suited for you.
The doshas and your mind
To a spiritual practitioner and anyone trying to manage their mind and emotions, this part of Ayurveda is particularly interesting.
In Ayurveda, health lies in balance: balance of the mind, body and emotions. An imbalance in any one of these three things leads to an imbalance in the other two.
Similarly, an imbalance in your doshas manifests in the body, mind and emotions.
| Dosha | Mental signs of imbalance | Bodily Symptoms of Imbalance |
|---|---|---|
| Vata | Anxiety, nervousness, fear, loneliness, insecurity, hyperactivity, confusion, racing mind, interrupted sleep, fear of commitment, forgetfulness | Excessive gas, bloating, constipation, dry skin, split ends, cracking skin, cold hands and feet, eczema, cracking or pain in the joints, heart palpitations, insomnia, and more |
| Pitta | Perfectionism, discontentment, irritability, impatience, judgement, criticism, jealousy, hostility, rage, obsessive-compulsive behaviours, depression | Intense hunger, excessive thirst, acid reflux, heartburn, low blood sugar, skin rash, acne, increased sun sensitivity, hemorrhage, melanoma, burning, red or bloodshot eyes, hair loss, dizziness, poor vision or blindness, hyperthyroidism, chronic hypertension, and more |
| Kapha | Lethargy, drowsiness, sluggishness, excessive sleep, laziness, depression, withdrawal, loss of consciousness (diabetic coma) | Nausea, excess salivation, indigestion, diabetes, anorexia nervosa, hyperglycemia, excess mucous, runny nose, congestion, chronic sinus infections, hypertension, cold sweats, weight gain, severely high cholesterol, leukemia, heaviness in the eyes, and more |
There are scales of imbalance from mild to severe. When left unchecked, any imbalance can lead to disease and poor quality of life.
The doshas in time
The three doshas are not static. They move and change with time. The concept of vikruti (your deviation from your prakriti at any given time) is proof of this. You are changing over time and so is everything around you.
As such, there are vata, pitta, kapha times of day, year and life. In each of these times, the qualities of the associated dosha are predominant.
Let’s take a look at what this means.
Times of Day
At different times of the day, different doshas are predominant. By aligning with these energies, you can make the most of your day.
Vata: 2 – 6 am
During this time, the air is considered to be at its purest. The activities of the day have completely settled and the world is still. This time of day is considered to be best for spiritual pursuits as it is easiest for the mind to settle.
Kapha: 6 – 10 am
During this time, kapha is active. The energy is cool, moist and heavy. Waking up during this time will allow this energy to accumulate and you may end up feeling heavy and lethargic. It’s best to wake up before or early in kapha time. A small breakfast is best to counteract the heaviness of kapha and if you like to exercise in the mornings, you will have extra stamina during this time. Planning is also best done during kapha time as kapha is meticulous and thorough.
Pitta: 10 am – 12 pm
This time of day is when pitta, in all of its fiery glory, is active. The sun is at its peak and you have the most energy during this time. It’s wise to use this energy to get your most important tasks done. Your digestion is also strongest during pitta time and it’s best to eat lunch between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm.
Vata: 2 – 6 pm
At 2 pm, vata time swings around again and you may start to feel a little restless. The light and mobile qualities of air are predominant. It’s a good time for creative work and to get some movement into your day. Smaller tasks that don’t require as much brain power are also good to do during this time. Towards the end of vata time, you may start to feel tired. It’s a good idea to wrap up your work day by the end of vata time.
Kapha: 6 – 10 pm
When you think kapha, think of water and its tendencies of being cool, heavy and nurturing. This time of day is when the heaviness starts to creep in. It’s time to have a nice, light dinner and spend time nurturing relationships. Go through your bedtime routine and be in bed by 10 pm latest.
Pitta: 10 pm – 2 am
The fires of pitta become active once again during this time. This is when your stomach does the bulk of its digestive work. You’ll also find that if you have a tendency to work late (past 9:30 pm), you may activate pitta’s intensity and find it difficult to settle the mind enough to sleep.
Times of year
Different times of the year are also dominated by different doshas.
Vata: early fall – mid winter
Fall is characteristically vata. This is when the seasons are changing and the cold and dry attributes of vata become more predominant.
During the fall and winter seasons, you’ll see that your body naturally wants heartier, warming and grounding foods. Nature provides a lot of root vegetables during this time to meet this need and counteract the lightness and mobility of vata.
This time of year is a great time to detox the body as the mobility in the atmosphere will lend mobility to the energies of the body and aid in the detoxification process.
Kapha: mid winter – late spring
Winter is a time when all of nature is resting. This is true of your body as well. The increase of kapha dosha shows up as heaviness in the body and mind. In Ayurveda, like increases like; to counteract seasonal depression and kapha’s tendencies toward lethargy and stagnation, it’s important to exercise regularly, eat in moderation and limit heavier foods.
By the time spring comes around, kapha will have accumulated in the body in the form of mucus and the body will naturally want to detox. Favour the astringent taste and light, drier foods to aid in the elimination of excess kapha from the body.
Pitta: late spring to early fall
Pitta is the predominant dosha in summer. Days are hot and it’s easier to get agitated. Eat lighter, less spicy foods to counteract this tendency of pitta.
It’s also a good idea to drink more water and cooling fluids to help keep yourself cool mentally and physically during summer.
Periods of life
Apart from daily and yearly cycles, the doshas can be seen in different periods of your life.
Kapha: Childhood
This period lasts from when you’re born to about when you turn 16 years old. This phase of your life is characterized by growth of your physical body as well as your mental faculties. This requires an enormous amount of energy and this is fulfilled by the kapha qualities of structure, growth and nourishment.
Pitta: Adulthood
The pitta period of your life extends from about puberty (the end of kapha time) up until the age of 50. This period of your life is characterized by transformation and achievement. All the inputs into your system are transformed into a cohesive personality, then, that personality goes on to achieve things in the world. These are very characteristic pitta tendencies.
Vata: Old Age
The vata period of your life extends from 50 years of age to the end of your life. During this time of life, you will naturally be drawn toward spiritual pursuits. You’ll want to share your wisdom, teachings and gifts with the world. This is beautifully aligned with vata’s expansive, subtle qualities.
Ayurveda as a system of health, wellness and medicine
Ayurveda’s thorough understanding of the physical universe makes it an extremely effective system of health that has stood the test of time. It offers information and resources pertaining to diet, routine, women’s health, self-care, medicine, preventative care, surgery and more.
Ayurveda offers a holistic approach to health that is based on the understanding of the building blocks of nature. It’s the bottom-up approach to health that the western world is missing. Western medicine focusses on symptomatic care and cookie-cutter diets whereas Ayurveda treats the root cause of disease and prescribes diet, routine and lifestyle based on your particular composition.
The goal of Ayurveda is to restore balance to the body and it does so by utilizing the medicinal qualities of food in conjunction with the body’s inherent healing capabilities. Nothing in Ayurveda is an irreversible life sentence. Disease is viewed as imbalance rather than something to be feared.
Ayurveda as a Tool for Spiritual Growth
Whether your goals include living a healthier life, aligning with nature’s rhythms, or progressing on the spiritual path, Ayurveda is a critical tool that will help you achieve this goal.
Ayurveda is considered the sister science of yoga. The vast knowledge and deep understanding of human consciousness contained in Ayurveda work hand-in-hand with the knowledge of the mind, karma and spiritual evolution contained in yoga scriptures to help you move forward on the spiritual path.
Observance of Ayurvedic principles will help you eliminate imbalances in your body and mind. Regardless what your specific goals may be, this is the ultimate goal of yoga and spirituality.
Pairing yoga and Ayurveda can help you with:
- Releasing stress and trauma stored in the body
- Breaking free of self-limiting beliefs
- Reconnecting with your Authentic Self
- Burning through your karma
- Finding purpose in life
- Raising your level of consciousness
- Learning how to let go and finding peace and happiness
- Finding fulfillment in life
- Reaching moksha or spiritual enlightenment
And more.
By integrating the small changes into your life prescribed by yoga and Ayurveda, you’ll start to see positive changes in your mind and body very, very quickly.
Eliminate Imbalances in your Body and Mind
Break free from self- limiting beliefs, burn through your karmas and finally find fulfillment in life by immersing yourself in ancient sciences and spiritual practices inside Parm’s Spiritual Academy.
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