Basic Ayurveda

The name “Ayurveda” is derived from two words in Sanskrit, “ayuh” meaning “life” or “longevity” and “veda” meaning “science” or “sacred knowledge.”

Ayurveda’s definition therefore roughly translates as “the science of longevity” or “the sacred knowledge of life.

Ayurveda recognizes five elements as the fundamental building blocks of nature. Every substance on earth contains all five of these following elements. That said, in a given substance, one or two elements are typically predominant over the others.

​Ayurveda also identifies twenty qualities (gunas) that can be used to describe every substance or experience.

Heavy            –            Light

Slow (Dull)        –        Sharp (Penetrating)

Cold            –               Hot

Oily               –               Dry

Smooth          –           Rough

Dense           –             Liquid

Soft             –                Hard

Stable           –             Mobile

Gross             –            Subtle

Cloudy (Sticky)      –     Clear

Then there are the three doshas:

Each of them embodies a combination of elements and qualities to create a functional entity—an energetic force of nature. All three doshas are present in everyone, but the ratio between them varies a great deal from one person to the next.

Each of us has a combination of these three doshas in our bodies at any given time. There is a combination of doshas we are born with, called our constitution, Ayurvedic body type, or prakriti in Sanskrit.

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Constitution (prakriti)

We also have a state of balance (Vikriti) which represents the doshas that are out of balance in our body at any given time. When the doshas accumulate beyond healthy limits (which are determined by a person’s constitution), they can have unfavorable effects on our health.

current state of balance (vikriti)

  • vata imbalance 
  • pitta imbalance 
  • kapha imbalance 

if any of the doshas are out of balance (and for most of us, at least one or more of them is), your constitution will not tell you the entire story.

​Your current state of balance may actually be more important because it highlights which doshas you need to pacify in order to return to balance, and it can help you identify the most effective treatment strategies for your particular situation.

​In essence, the doshas are energetic forces of nature, functional principles that help us better understand ourselves and the world around us. To find out which of the doshas make up your constitution and state of imbalance, take our dosha quiz if not already done.

Discovering your current state of balance will show you the present level of the doshas in your system. In contrast to one’s constitution, the current state of balance can and does change over time as we move through different climates, time, different seasons, and the various stages of life.

​​​So as you heard before: everything has an impact on us.

Three stages of life

Season of the year

Ayurvedic clock

What is crucial here is that you should pay attention to the respective dosha depending on your age, season and time of day and keep it in balance.

This means that if you are an adult (time of pitta) and the Pitta Doha predominates as a constitution, it is July (pitta time) at 1 p.m. (pitta time), you should not increase Pitta but calm it down by focusing on the opposite.

Of course, this was an exceptional example, because you can also have a Vata constitution as an adult (time of pitta), it can be February (time of kapha) on an afternoon (time of Vata)

What I want to say here is that several doshas are always active at the same time, but only one or two show up and these then have to be treated by the opposite. The best way to do this is to take a closer look at the doshas and do the dosha test.