The Indian science of Ayurveda is the art of living in harmony with nature. Everything in nature is formed from various proportions of these five elements: space, air, water, fire and earth. These elements are also present as biological energies within us, where they are called doshas: Pitta, Vata and Kapha.
What is a Dosha?
The three doshas, or mind-body types, reveal our personal energy patterns—sort of like the way Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® identifies our personalities (ISFJ, anyone?). While we each have a mix of all three doshas, usually one primary dosha dominates our personality and health from birth. According to Ayurvedic principles, we can achieve balance in our health and our lives by nurturing our particular dosha. Here is a brief summary of each dosha.
- Pitta (fire and water; summer/early fall): Hot, intense, sour energy. Pitta people tend to have a medium build, sensitive skin and strong appetites. They are passionate, dynamic, organized, efficient and impatient. Pittas are charged up, always moving from one activity to the next.
- Vata (space and air; fall/early winter): Light, dry, changeable energy. Vata people tend to have a slight build, dry skin and easily disturbed sleep. They are quick, creative, enthusiastic, anxious and daydreamy. Vatas love change and tend to lose focus quickly.
- Kapha (water and earth; late winter/spring): Heavy, slow, moist energy. Kapha people tend to have a large build, thick hair and soft skin. They are slow, patient, forgiving, resilient and methodical. Kaphas are grounded and sociable, preferring a calm, steady pace to life.
Your dosha reveals much about how you interact with your environment. For instance, since I am a Pitta, summer is my bane – too much heat in the environment combined with my fiery dosha puts me out of balance and often leads to me being irritable and aggressive.
During summer, I need to find ways to get back in balance, which may include doing yoga or meditation and eating sweet, cooling foods such as cucumbers, melon, avocado, basmati rice and salads. I also try to arrange my activities to benefit my dosha. This means heading to the beach in the evening for a picnic rather than during midday sun. Exercising in the morning when it’s cooler. Choosing to eat more fresh, raw foods rather than cook over a hot stove.
Our environment affects us, so if we pay attention to what we are tasting, feeling, wearing, hearing, etc., we can achieve balanced energetic health. A Pitta dosha in balance is warm and intelligent; out of balance leads to criticism and aggression. A Vata dosha in balance is creative and full of vitality; out of balance leads to fear and anxiety. A Kapha dosha in balance is loving and forgiving; out of balance leads to jealousy and stubbornness.
Recognizing the doshas of your family members (my husband is a Vata, and Sofie is a Pitta with a strong secondary Vata energy) can help in your relationships with them, including how you parent.
Parenting by Dosha
Your children each have their own dosha, so what works for one child may not work with another. A fiery, competitive Pitta child may need a parent’s calm energy to soothe them. A stubborn Kapha child prone to temper tantrums may do well with daily exercise. A flighty Vata child may benefit from grounding touch and massage. While parenting, we can easily fall into labeling or criticizing our child’s unwanted behavior when, in actuality, it may just be part of their dosha. Your son’s difficulty in getting up in the morning may be less about laziness and more aligned with his Kapha dosha. Your daughter’s lack of focus in school may be due to her dreamy Vata-based dosha, which is super creative but doesn’t work so well within a structured classroom.
Every dosha needs balance, and learning more about these mind/body types will provide you with some tools on parenting according to energy.
Pitta Children:
- Need alone time every day to center themselves.
- Need calming influences.
- Learn best by visual means or reading.
- Need help with social skills and controlling their anger.
- Need more sweet foods (whole milk, white rice, barley, fruits) and less pungent or spicy foods (fried foods, onions, salsa).
- Do best surrounded by cool colors (blues and greens).
- Can be soothed with water (drinking, bathing, etc.)
- Can be balanced with essential oils of lavender, sandalwood, jasmine and mint.
Vata Children:
- Need warmth (best dressed in layers).
- Need lots of hugs.
- Learn best by auditory means.
- Need regularity and routines to keep them focused.
- Need more warm, nourishing foods (soup, fruits, rice, steamed veggies) and less dry, cold foods (cereal, raw veggies, crackers).
- Do best surrounded by earth tones and pastels.
- Can be soothed with daily massage.
- Can be balanced with essential oils of lavender, cinnamon, citrus and cloves.
Kapha Children:
- Need daily exercise to get moving.
- Need patience and extra time.
- Learn best by association.
- Need prodding or encouragement to join in activities.
- Need more pungent foods (garlic, onion, ginger, chili) and less heavy, mucus-causing foods (milk, cheese, sweets and processed foods).
- Do best surrounded by stimulating colors (yellow, red, orange).
- Respond well to hugs and gentle discipline.
- Can be balanced with essential oils of cloves, marjoram and eucalyptus.
Fortunately, kids tend to regain balance faster than adults, so any problems tend to be short-lived. Maintaining our own balance can be the harder part.
What Dosha are You?
Take The Chopra Center’s two-part dosha quiz to find out your primary dosha and to determine steps you can take to ease your current health problems.
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