What's My God Given Constitution?
What's My God Given Constitution?
Ayurveda is the Science of Life, the Science of Self- Healing. To heal one’s self & live free of limitation, one must first understand their own unique constitution.
Your unique mind-body constitution, or dosha, comprises the five great elements. The way these elements present themselves at birth depends upon many things, including where you were conceived and born, how the planets were aligned at your birth, the state of mind of your parents when you were conceived, the food they ate prior to conceiving you, and even your past lives.
The primary dosha you are born with is known as your prakruti. As we grow, we typically enter into a state of imbalance, or vikruti, due to the influences of our environment, the food we eat, the emotional state of our home, and so on. By adopting the practices of Ayurveda, you can move yourself slowly but surely back toward your natural way of being, your prakruti.
The three doshas are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.
Although one dosha is usually dominant, each of us is made up of all three. Below, you will find a simple quiz that can help you identify your dosha, and then you can review the chart below, which includes a brief rundown of the characteristics of each dosha, including signs of balance and imbalance.
Through an Ayurvedic lens we view the Universe to be made up of Five Elements: Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. As above so below, everything on Earth is made up of these elements, including yourself. The Universe is the macrocosm and each person is a microcosm, containing the Universe within, whilst being intrinsically connected.
When the doshas are disturbed by a person’s lifestyle choices and/or environmental conditions, signs of imbalance manifest in both the mind and body. An imbalance can result in a disease or a general feeling of being unwell. The idea isn’t to bring all three doshas into equal balance within you. The goal is to be the best unique makeup of yourself that you can be. You can do that by keeping your doshic balance in check through Ayurvedic practices.
Directions: In your Notes App or on a piece of paper, jot down the A, B, or C answer that most defines what your body type resembled after puberty (or for females, after having children if applicable). If you are tossed between two choices, ask someone for their opinion of how they might describe that particular quality.
OR FOR A MORE THOROUGH ASSESSMENT, PLEASE CLICK HERE TO ACCESS BANYAN BOTANICALS DOSHA QUIZ.
REMEMBER TO SAVE YOUR RESULTS!
DOSHA ASSESSMENT
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body size:
A. I have a thin build.
B. I have a medium build.
C. I have a large build.
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weight:
A. I tend to have a low body weight. It’s difficult to keep weight on.
B. My weight is normal. I’ve maintained my general weight for the last 10 years.
C. I am on the heavy side. It’s difficult for me to lose weight.
-
hair:
A. My hair is thin and dry, frizzy, brittle.
B. My hair is fine and prone to early graying.
C. My hair is thick and full and a little oily.
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skin:
A. My skin is thin; I can see my veins. I tend to have dry skin and wrinkles.
B. My skin is warm. My cheeks are red and warm to the touch. I am prone to skin
problems.
C. My skin is thick; I cannot see my veins. It is cold or cool to the touch, and smooth with few wrinkles.
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Eyes:
A. I have small eyes; they tend to dart around. I don’t hold a steady gaze.
B. I have an intense and penetrating gaze. I tend to look directly at people.
C. My eyes are large and pleasant. I tend to gaze warmly at people.
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tongue & mouth
A. My tongue is thin and can have a dark coating. I tend to have a dry mouth; my lips dry out and crack.
B. My tongue is rosy, medium thick, and pointy and can have a yellowish coating. I have a warm, moist mouth; my lips are thin and reddish, and tend to get inflamed.
C. My tongue is thick and rounded and can have a white coating. My lips are smooth, moist, and thick.
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JOINTS
A. My joints creak and crack. I am bony and not very flexible.
B. I am flexible and have loose joints.
C. My joints are well lubricated and thickly padded.
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NAILS
A. My nails crack and can split easily. They are dry and thin. The nail bed is whitish.
B. My nails are flexible. They tend to grow long. The nail bed is reddish.
C. My nails are strong, thick, and shiny with a large cuticle.
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BODY TEMPERATURE
A. I tend to feel cold even on hot days.
B. I feel hot. I wear shorts and T-shirts, even in cold weather.
C. I feel comfortable in most climates, but I most dislike cold, damp days.
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WHEN STRESSED
A. I have butterflies in my tummy. I am anxious and worried. I forget to eat. I blame myself when things go wrong.
B. I get agitated and frustrated. I feel impatient with myself and others. I blame others when things go wrong.
C. I withdraw. I overeat. I blame myself or others when things go wrong, but I convince others that nothing is wrong.
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USUAL MOOD
A. I am spontaneous, enthusiastic, and lively. I am fine with change.
B. I am intense and purposeful. I like to convince people. I get easily frustrated
with others. I like things to go my way.
C. I am easygoing, good-natured, and calm. I like routine. I tend to nurture others, sometimes at the risk of not caring for myself.
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SLEEP PATTERNS & DREAMS
A. I awaken easily, and it is hard to get back to sleep. I have flying dreams. Some of my dreams are filled with anxiety and worry.
B. I sleep for short periods of time and feel rested. I dream of challenges, competition, heat, and fire.
C. I sleep deeply, sometimes 10 hours or more, and it is difficult to wake up. My dreams are slow, easygoing, romantic, and caring.
DOSHA ASSESSMENT TOTALS EXPLAINED:
Mostly A’s indicate Vata.
Mostly B’s indicate Pitta.
Mostly C’s indicate Kapha.
Even the difference of one number in your total reveals your dosha.
For instance, if you choose 7 A’s and 5 B’s, you are Vata.
If you choose an equal amount of two doshas, you may be bi-doshic (to be sure you will likely want an Ayurvedic Practitioner to do your assessment).
An equal number of A’s, B’s, and C’s is tri-doshic; only a small percentage fit into this category.
If are tri-doshic, you will need to pay particular attention to the changes in season to keep your doshas in balance.
To be sure that you are bi- or tri-doshic, ask someone to answer the questions in the quiz for you, and total those answers for a double-check.
Again, REMEMBER TO SAVE YOUR RESULTS!
ELEMENTS & ATTRIBUTES OF THE THREE DOSHAS
Vata = Air + Ether
Dry
Light
Cold
Rough
Subtle
Mobile
Clear
Pitta = Fire + Water
Oily
Sharp (penetrating)
Hot
Light
Mobile
Liquid
Kapha = Earth + Water
Heavy
Slow
Cold
Oily
Slimy (smooth)
Dense
Static (stable)
Cloudy (sticky)
Commentary by Michael Dick, AYURVEDIC PRACTITIONER & TEACHER AT THE AYURVEDIC INSTITUTE:
What are elements and attributes and what do they have to do with the doshas?
The ancient seers asserted that only substance or matter can produce an effect. If you can experience something then this experience occurs because you have come in contact with substance or matter. These seers conceived of substance or matter as having five forms. Today we say these are the continuum between energy and mass. Ultimately everything is a form of energy; conversely, all states of mass have some form of energy. This is some of what is meant by the famous equation E = mc2 –that mass and energy are interchangeable.
The seers felt that there are five states they called Space or Ether, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. These represent the five possible states of matter. We understand them as unique by the way we experience them; we use the terms “attribute” or “quality” to describe these states of matter. We know that fire is hot and that water and earth are cold. These attributes–hot, cold, etc.–describe the way we experience each of the pure types of elements. There is a set of attributes for each element. This is shown in the tables above.
The seers also declared that certain combinations of elements have unique physiological properties and functions in nature. Substances that are predominantly composed of Ether and Air have very dynamic properties and effects. These have come to be called “vata substances.” Some substances perform digesting, metabolizing, and transforming functions and are called “pitta substances.” Similarly, kapha substances are composed of water and earth elements that have the functions to support, lubricate, secrete, etc. Knowing what elements a substance is made of is important to understanding the kinds of effects it produces. These effects are sometimes described in terms of the attributes. Thus, the elements and their attributes can help you to understand why a certain effect is produced. You can use this same logic to counteract an effect with substances or activities that contain its opposite attributes, bringing balance and health. Using the elements and their attributes in this way, we have clearer understanding of the realm of cause and effect, anatomy and physiology, structure and function.