Key Point

• According to Ayurvedic principles, when we are aligned with nature, the body and mind have an incredible capacity to heal and thrive.

There is a Vedic saying, “Do less and accomplish more.” In the modern world, this can be interpreted as “Work smarter, not harder.” Ayurveda provides us a framework to optimize health by aligning with nature so we can create flow versus always pushing ourselves as culture dictates. Understanding Vedic philosophy and the rules of nature can help us make better daily choices and give us the knowledge to help our clients do the same.

As we begin this issue’s suite of Ayurvedic-themed articles, let’s start by offering some basic foundational information on this ancient healing system.

Origin Story

Originally shared as an oral tradition, the first written texts of Ayurveda were in Sanskrit, recorded more than 5,000 years ago. It is believed they are the oldest medical recordings known in human history. 

Ayurveda is comprised of two Sanskrit words—ayu or ayus, meaning “life,” and veda, meaning “science, wisdom, or truth.” As the “science of life,” some have coined Ayurveda as the original lifestyle medicine, with a belief that when we are appropriately aligned with nature and our individual, true nature, the body and mind not only have an incredible capacity to heal but also to thrive. The ancient sages understood and respected the laws of nature, and modern science is now validating much of this knowledge. 

Like its sister sciences of yoga and meditation, Ayurveda is rooted in consciousness with a goal toward self-realization. It challenges us to explore our inner and outer worlds and to metabolize all our human experiences on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual level. Our biology shifts and changes as we experience things like fear or love, pain or pleasure, joy or grief. The practice of Ayurveda respects our unique constitution and therefore is uniquely individualized and experiential. While Ayurveda is a highly complex system, there are some basics we can learn and immediately apply to our daily lives and our treatment rooms. 

The Five Elements of Nature (Mahabhutas)

Ayurveda identifies five core elements of nature and their qualities as a language to describe our experiences of the body and mind. These include space/ether (akasha), air (vayu), fire (tejas or agni), water (jala), and earth (prithivi). 

Space (Akasha)

Space can be thought of as the place of potentiality and creativity. Space is necessary for anything to happen. If we think about the human body, all cells move within space. We are actually more space than matter. When we set intentions for healing, we access the space where anything is possible. In our minds, there is also space—the space between our thoughts—that gives us the potential for the next thought. This space is what we access through meditation and what we bring into our daily lives. When we let go and allow for space, we allow for creativity. 

Air (Vayu)

What is the first thing that can occur in that space? Movement. Air is the change that occurs within space. This is represented in the body as circulation or respiration. Prana, or life-force energy, moves through the vehicle of the breath. Thoughts also have movement. We move from one thought to the next, having a multitude of thoughts, with some research suggesting more than 6,000 thoughts per day.¹

Fire (Agni)

As all elements are intertwined with each other, space and air are necessary for fire to burn. Movement causes friction, which causes fire. Agni is the cornerstone of Ayurveda and the principle of transformation. Fire is where one substance is transformed into something completely different, such as wood turning to ash. In the body, this is represented as digestion or detoxification. In the mind, this is where ideas and creative solutions occur. 

Where there is healthy agni, there is vitality and optimal balance. In Ayurveda, we call this vitality ojas. Conversely, the accumulation of toxic waste or sticky sludge is called ama. A healthy agni burns off ama, both in the body and the mind. We can accumulate toxic thoughts. But if we have a healthy agni of the mind, we’re able to metabolize our thoughts and emotions and transform them into opportunities.

Water (Jala)

When fire and air condense, it creates water. Water has a cohesive quality. It’s fluid and continuous. It is lubricating and provides nourishment. In the body, this is represented as synovial fluid, blood, or lymph. In the mind, the cohesive nature is how we’re able to stitch together our thoughts and remember things from day to day or create story and meaning. 

Earth (Prithivi)

As matter condenses and becomes more solid, it begins to form structure. The solid quality of the earth element in the body is represented by bones, muscles, skin, and hair. In the mind, this is represented as the structure of our thoughts. 

Understanding Your Personal Constitution—Doshas

How does this relate to us as individuals? Ayurveda says that each of us contain these five elements, but we each have our own “recipe.” Individually, your recipe might hold more prominent qualities over another. Your individual recipe is your “dosha” or personal constitution. A dosha has natural tendencies we find in nature, and it describes how our genes express themselves in relation to our life experiences. When out of balance, they present as “too much” of that quality. The three doshas are vata, pitta, and kapha.

Vata

The vata dosha contains the qualities of space and air. The main principle here is movement. This can be translated in the body as respiration, circulation, elimination, or speech.

Qualities of space and air are described as light, dry, cold, mobile, quick, irregular, changeable, and rough. Vata body types have a thin frame and thin muscle tissue, dry skin and hair, cold hands and feet, and variable sleep and digestion. Those with a vata dosha have lots of thoughts and move quickly from topic to topic. The vata dosha may resist routine but welcomes new experiences. 

When in balance, the vata dosha is energetic, creative, adaptable, spontaneous, shows initiative, and is a great communicator. When out of balance, the vata dosha has an overactive mind, is anxious or worried, or has insomnia. In the body, a vata out of balance may be dry, constipated, bloated, or overly sensitive to foods and chemicals. When stressed, they might say, “What did I do wrong?”

Pitta

The pitta dosha contains the qualities of fire and water. The main principle here is transformation. This can be translated in the body as digestion and detoxification. It also represents hunger, thirst, visual perception, and regulation of temperature in which we digest experiences.  

Qualities of fire are described as hot, intense, sharp, and penetrating. Mixed with water, pitta qualities can be acidic or oily. Pitta body types have a medium build and are typically muscular. Pittas love routine and are precise, direct, and intense. They have strong digestion and are considered “the goats” who can eat anything. They sleep sound, have sharp intellect, and are courageous and decisive. 

When in balance, the pitta quality is bright, warm, friendly, charming, and often a great leader. When out of balance, the pitta quality is angry, irritable, critical, judgmental, aggressive, and rigid in decision-making. In the body, unbalanced pitta shows up as inflammation, acidity, indigestion, redness, or hot flashes. When stressed, they might say, “What did you do wrong?” 

Kapha

The kapha dosha contains the qualities of water and earth. The main principle here is protection and structure. This can be translated in the body as muscle, bones, fascia, and other body tissues. It’s also the lubrication and cushion throughout the body.   

Qualities of the kapha dosha are described as solid, stable, smooth, cool, heavy, slow, and grounded. A kapha personality may appear laid-back and easygoing. They are loyal, strong, supportive, and content. They are the nurturers, have good stamina, and enjoy routine. A kapha body type has thicker tissue, bigger joints, and smooth skin and hair.  

When out of balance, the kapha quality appears depressed, complacent, lethargic, or stubborn. The body is overweight, congested, and dull. When stressed, they might say, “I don’t want to deal with it.”

Applications in Daily Life

How do these dosha qualities translate to our daily lives? In learning about the dosha qualities, you may have already started to identify with certain components. According to Ayurveda, your prakruti, or your natural state, is determined at conception. This is your nature for most of your life. Like an oak tree, it began as an oak sapling. As it matured and aged over time, it changed, but it always remained an oak tree. It didn’t suddenly become a palm tree.

Any of the doshas within us can get out of balance. Our doshas are influenced by the choices we make. Your vikruti is your current state of balance or imbalance. You could be balanced in the body but not the mind or vice versa. Because experiences are constantly happening and our body-mind is constantly shifting to adapt, by tuning in and asking ourselves, “What am I experiencing right now? Is that in balance or out of balance?” we can begin to make conscious choices that help us align to our true nature. 

In Ayurveda, there are two concepts we can apply to making choices. Samanya is “like increases like.” Vishesha is “opposites decrease each other.” Once we make choices that bring us toward balance, our natural state is revealed to us. 

We can begin identifying and working toward balance by accessing our five senses. Our senses are how we experience the world, and they are the gateway to our own healing. As we navigate our senses to guide our choices, here is an easy tip: To balance the body, look to taste and touch; to balance the mind, look to sight, sound, and smell. 

Applications in the Treatment Room

How do we apply this toward our work with clients? In the treatment room, you could take this knowledge to enhance the client’s experience. 

If you know your client has a primary vata dosha, find ways to nurture that. For this massage client, you could select music that has a slow tempo with deep grounding tones. During the session, use a warm sesame, almond, or avocado oil and use long slow strokes. With the client’s permission, you could enhance the experience with aromatherapy notes from basil, clove, geranium, lavender, orange, rose, or vanilla. For color in the treatment room (think sheets, bolsters, pillows), using earth tones and images of earth (mountains, desert, trees) can be pleasing to the vata dosha. 

For a pitta dosha, you could select stringed instruments with a medium tempo for your treatment room music and a cool coconut, olive, or sunflower oil for your massage medium. The client with this primary dosha prefers medium to deep pressure. You might choose aromatherapy notes from sandalwood, mint, rose, and jasmine. Cool, soft colors (blues, whites, greens) and images of water are pleasing to the pitta dosha.

For a kapha dosha, think “stimulation.” A kapha dosha will enjoy music with more drums and percussion. Safflower, sunflower, or mustard oil with more vigorous strokes will be most pleasing for this client. You could choose aromatherapy notes from eucalyptus, camphor, juniper, and rosemary. This dosha is also drawn to bright red, oranges, yellows, and images for fire and sun. 

Ultimately, your treatment room can have a balanced blend of colors and images that appeal to all three doshas, but this gives you an indication of what appeals to each constitution. 

You Are Your Own Best Healer

Every choice you make to delight or deaden the senses directly affects your biology. Your thoughts, emotions, and interpretation of experiences also affect your biology. Remember, your well-being is not just about diet and exercise. It’s about how you metabolize all your experiences. Only you are living the experience of you. You are the expert of your own life. You are your own best healer. My hope is that these foundations of Ayurveda can help give you an easy framework around the laws of nature and empower you to make choices that move you in the direction of vitality, joy, and a vibrant life. 

Note

1. Julie Tseng and Jordan Poppenk, “Brain Meta-State Transitions Demarcate Thoughts Across Task Contexts Exposing the Mental Noise of Trait Neuroticism,” Nature Communications 11, no. 1 (July 2020): 3480, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17255-9.