For better understanding of human diseases Ayurveda divide living being in three categories. 1 VATAA Vata person is highly talkative, but lacks articulation. 2 PITA Pitta persons have a good appetite and digestion.They have an unnoticeable enthusiasm but lack creativity. 3 KAPHA They are bestowed with an excellent memory, but grasping may be poor.

Characteristics of body types

For better understanding of human diseases Ayurveda divide living being in three categories.

1 VATAA Vata person is highly talkative, but lacks articulation.

2 PITA Pitta persons have a good appetite and digestion.They have an unnoticeable enthusiasm but lack creativity. 

3 KAPHA They are bestowed with an excellent memory, but grasping may be poor. 

For a better understanding of your Ayurvedic constitution and to cross-check the results of the test, listed below are the principal physical and psychological characteristics of persons with predominantly single Dosha constitutions.

Vata

·         Dark complexion, dry skin & thin built very tall or short, non- muscular body, with thin and bony limbs.

·         Scanty, wavy, dry, coarse and brittle hair.

·         The face is usually long and angular, often with an underdeveloped chin. The neck is thin and scrawny. Nose is small and narrow.

·         Small eyes with curious looks, narrow or sunken, dark brown or gray in color, with dull luster.

·         Skin is generally thin, darkish and cool.

·         Fast, unsteady gait, with short fast steps.

·         Hoarse, low or cracked, rapid voice. 

·         The face is usually long and angular, often with an underdeveloped chin.

·         Vata people have restless minds and weak memories.

·         Food intake is generally irregular.

·         Sweet and Salty tastes are generally preferred by Vata constitution.

A Vata personality bubbles with enthusiasm but lacks confidence. They are highly creative but lack the consistency needed to translate ideas into action. They have an excellent grasp but may not have good memory and retention. They excel in the field of fine arts but are poor performers in sports.

A Vata person is highly talkative, but lacks articulation. The confidence level of Vata prakriti is fragile. Anxiety levels of a Vata personality are normally high. Their endurance levels and tolerance to stress is poor.

Vata temperament is more often driven by impulsiveness. Thus, they are very generous. Also, they manage bodily energies in a poor fashion.

Due to lack of mental & physical consistency and endurance, their performance levels in every sphere of life tend to fluctuate often. Often dissatisfied with and unable to sustain friendships, they spend money quickly, often on trifles.

The health conscious Vata types need to remember that a salad meal is not a complete meal. This may help in losing weight but alongside it will give backaches, joint aches and cracking joints - a sure indication that Vata is vitiated.

The Vata prakriti child is typically never satisfied, always cranky and has a wiry appearance. He or she is more prone to diarrhea and teething troubles with accompanying stomach distention or loose motion.

Vata constitution is prone to an imbalance in Vata. As a result, they are more frequently subjected to:

·         Constitution problems, Flatulence.

·         Respiratory problems.

·         Anxiety neurosis & stress induced problems.  

·         Immunity disorders. 

The Vata element in human personality contributes to cultural and scientific evolution of society through its creative approaches. In today's context, we need the creativity and imagination of Vata personality in the fields of advertising, creative designing, research, academics etc. But they can't take up high task professions.

Factors that increase Vata:

Vayu vitiated due to intake of pungent, bitter, astringent, too rough and cold food articles, little or no food, too much traveling on foot, no routine in your life, eating to much dry, frozen or leftover food, suppression of urges, sexual intercourse, envelops the Agni and thus makes it sluggish.

Because of the above kind of food hyperacidity associated with coarseness in body, dryness in throat and mouth, hunger, thirst, blurred vision, tinnitus, frequent pain in sides, thighs, groins and neck, visuchika (piercing pain in abdomen), cardiac pain, emaciation, debility, abnormal taste in. mouth, cutting pain in abdomen, greed for every food Item, lassitude, tympanitis during and after digestion subsiding after taking meal, suspicion of vatagulma (tumor), heart disease or splenomegaly arise. The patient passes stool as liquid, dried, thin, and undigested, with sound and froth frequently and with difficulty after a long time. He also suffers from cough and dyspnoea.

 Doshic Imbalances

Any imbalance in the doshas is likely to have a negative effect on your mind and emotions. If in excess you are more likely to display negative energy of a quality associated with it. If the predominant dosha of your constitution becomes in excess more easily than the others, you will tend to experience its negative aspects more than the others.

Negative emotions aggravate the Dosha associated with them. For example, high kapha may mean you are more possessive; but possessiveness in turn increases kapha even more. The way to break this vicious circle is to pacify the aggravated Dosha.

Increased consciousness of Ayurveda and your personal constitution will now enable you to rate the qualities of your moods as V, P, and / or K. Checked as frequently as on a daily basis, this is a very useful way to monitor even small changes in a dosha, and take steps to restore the balance sooner than later. Relate the qualities of your moods to the qualities in other aspects of your life. Since "like increases like" if you are impatient or critical (pitta), check if you have eaten pitta-genic foods or been exposed to pitta-provoking experiences.

Excess Vata leads to:

·         Nervousness

·         Shivering

·         Moodiness

·         Anxiety

·         Confusion

·         Delusion

·         Grief

·         Weeping without reason

·         Impairment of sensory function

·         Loss of consciousness

·         Insomnia

·         Dry and rough skin

·         Low vitality

·         Lack of desire to work

·         Lack of communication

·         Insecurity

·         Lack of creativity

·         Lack of integrity

·         Sadness

With decreased Vata giving rise to:

·         Nausea

·         Depression

·         Irregular gastric activity

·         Lethargy

·         Feeling of cold

Pitta

Fire   and water are the constituents of Pitta.

Natures of the Pitta prakriti people are as follow:

·         Bright complexion, delicate skin, medium built. The skin is fair, soft, lusterous, warm, and tends to burn easily in the sun – has freckles, many moles, and a tendency to rashes. Moderately well developed physique with muscular limbs

·         Bright eyes with penetrating vision.

·         Little, brown colored straight hair.

·         The bodies are hot and sweaty.

·         Fast & steady gait. 

·         Penetrating & commanding voice and precise, convincing speech.

·         Pitta prakriti people are usually brave in nature.

Pitta persons have a good appetite and digestion. Stress eating is the phenomenon of Pitta constitution.

They have an unnoticeable enthusiasm but lack creativity. There decisions are quick, bold and success oriented. They excel in every activity they choose. For that purpose, they employ all resources indiscriminately. 

A Pitta person is very articulate but is generally reserved about sharing. This personality is dominated by high level of conviction. An equally dominant feature is overconfidence. Argumentative, but with a sense of humor, their selectively excellent memory makes them fast learners. They are moderately passionate in their sexual pursuits.

Pitta personality always has a focused, self-centered mind. Cunning is a part of its target orientation. It is said always beware of brown hair people. They are thankless to the contributions by others.

Pitta constitutions do not allow you to be generous. They are proud of their achievements.
Relations with Pitta prakriti are also highly materialistic. They are generally shrewd and purposeful. One needs to oblige their supremacy to involve them emotionally. Pittas have an intellectual and precise disposition due to a very alert, focused mind. Sharp and knife-like anger, they are irritable, jealous and aggressive by nature.

A child with a Pitta prakriti is delicate but very intelligent. He/she cannot tolerate heat and cries if forced to wear warm clothes, rashes erupt at the slightest provocation and constipation is a word that does not exist in his/her vocabulary. The suckling Pitta prakriti child is so sensitive that if the mother eats spicy food, he or she gets ulcers in the mouth accompanied by fever - a sure sign that the Pitta Doshas of the child is upset.

By intake of pungent, uncooked, burning, sour, alkaline food etc Pitta gets aggravated and extinguishes the fire by flooding over like hot water. Thus the patients have yellowish tinge. Pitta constitution is frequently prone to an imbalance in Pitta. As a result, they are frequently subjected to:

·         Acidity and Peptic ulcers.

·         Inflammatory conditions in other organs.  

·         Psycho-somatic diseases, due to persistent stress.

·         Skin diseases like hypersensitive reactions, Photo-dermatitis.
 

In case of excess Pitta one suffers from:

·         Ambition

·         Anger

·         Hate

·         Jealous

·         Envy

·         Lack of discernment

·         Fear of failure

·         Ego

·         Judgmental tendencies

·         Critical tendencies

·         Burning sensation

·         Craving for cold and chilly things

·         Fever

·         Excessive thirst

·         Excessive sweat

·         Bad body smell

·         Loss of sleep

·         Skepticism

·         Frustration

·         Fall of hair

·         Increase gray hair

·         Yellowish skin

While decreased Pitta results in:

·         Indigestion

·         Loss of luster of skin

·         Irregular bowel movement

·         Lack of enthusiasm

·         Laziness

·         Abnormal loss of body heat

·         Feeling of cold

"

Kapha:

Kapha main constituents are earth and water

Earth       +       water      =        Kapha.

Kapha prakriti people are as follow:

·         Fair complexion, oily skin with a heavy built, pale or white and cold.  

·         Large eyes with a dreamy vision. 

·         Thick, black colored  & curly hair.

·         Slow & steady gait.

·         Prolonged, feeble voice with low, slow, rhythmic speech.

·         The neck is solid, with a near tree-trunk quality.

·         Teeth are big and white and set in strong gums

·         Food habits are generally poor.

·         Tend to eat less and can withstand hunger and thirst.

·         Aversion to sweet and sour dishes is a common feature in Kapha personality.

They are bestowed with an excellent memory, but grasping may be poor. 

Kapha patient are generally slow, steady, considerate - stable, they do not haste in any work. They think before doing any work. If they decide to do, then they are determined to do. They are bestowed with an excellent memory, but grasping may be poor. 

Long hours of deep sleep and a strong, enduring sex drive comes naturally. While they do save money, it does get spent on food. And there can be times when an element of dullness, given that a kapha mind is usually too content to seek fresh mental stimulation.

A steady and reliable mind is an asset with Kapha prakriti, but it lacks self-initiation. Their decision is measured and always correct. Kapha prakriti has an excellent endurance and exemplary stress tolerance. There temperament is highly conservative. Kapha prakriti tends towards perfectionism. They are highly quality conscious.

Kapha prakriti is caring and deeply involved in emotional relations. However, they fail to convey emotional feelings due to a reserved attitude. The temperament is highly reliable and faithful.

Kapha aggravated by intake of food, which is heavy, too unctuous, cold etc. over-eating, and sleeping just after meals extinguishes the fire. Then the affected person digests the food with difficulty and is inflicted with nausea, vomiting, anorexia, sliminess and sweetness in mouth, cough, spitting and coryza. He feels his heart is stretched, abdomen as still and heavy and has foul, sweet eructation, malaise and lack of desire for women. He passes stool as broken mixed with ama and mucus and heavy. Though not emaciated he has debility and lassitude.

Often Kapha’s, disorders appear in spring.

Kapha’s disorders appear in beginning of day and night.

Kapha element in human personality provides a constructive stability in all phases of human endeavor. It is the root of determination and excellent endurance. In today's context, we need the stability of Kapha prakriti in all productive areas.

Aggravated Kapha in turn causes:

·         Boredom  

·         Lack of interest 

·         Carelessness 

·         Lack of compassion 

·         Secretions from the mouth 

·         Lethargy 

·         Felling lack of support or love 

·         Improper digestive function 

·         Obesity 

·         Nausea 

And decreased Kapha gives way to:

·         Thirst

·         Cramps

·         Giddiness

·         Dryness of mouth

·         Dryness of body

·         Body aches