The Three Doshas

Let’s talk about Vata, Pitta, and Kapha and their unique qualities that separate them from each other!

Vata – Air and Space
Vata is dry, light, cold, rough, subtle/pervasive, mobile, and clear. As such, vata regulates the principle of movement. Any bodily motion—chewing, swallowing, nerve impulses, breathing, muscle movements, thinking, peristalsis, bowel movements, urination, menstruation—requires balanced vata. When vata is out of balance, any number of these movements may be deleteriously affected.

Pitta – Fire & Water
Pitta brings forth the qualities of fire and water. It is sharp, penetrating, hot, light, liquid, mobile, and oily. Pitta’s domain is the principal of transformation. Just as fire transforms anything it touches, pitta is in play any time the body converts or processes something. So pitta oversees digestion, metabolism, temperature, maintenance, sensory perception, and comprehension. Imbalanced pitta can lead to sharpness and inflammation in these areas in particular.

Kapha – Earth & Water
Kapha, composed of earth and water is heavy, cold, dull, oily, smooth, dense, soft, static, liquid, cloudy, hard and gross (in the sense of dense or thick) As kapha governs stability and structure, it forms the substance of the human body, from the skeleton to various organs to the fatty molecules (lipids) that support the body. An excess of kapha leads to an overabundance of density, heaviness and excess in the body.

Understanding the three Doshas will help you see yourself and your health in a whole new light. With Ayurveda as your core, the sky is the limit on your health, happiness, and overall balance!

Namaste,
NupowerYoga Team