Ayurveda - Vata, Pitta, Kapha, SanAquam Spa Retreat, Drakensberg,South Africa

Discover your unique body type.

are you a sparrow, a hungry lion or an elephant?

According to Ayurveda, the human body is is made up of the five elements of nature – space, air, fire, earth and water. These elements in the body are the organizing principles known as doshas. The three doshas of Vata, Pitta  and  Kapha, in different combinations, create your unique body type.

VATA (the elements of space and air)

Vata

Vata is the dynamic of movement. If you’re a Vata person, everything in your mind and body is on the move. Like a sparrow, you are light, quick and vibrant.

  • become anxious and fearful under stress
  • experience insomnia (awaken 2 or 3 times a night)
  • am thin in build
  • tire easily if I over exert myself
  • have elongated fingers
  • tend to be fidgety when nervous
  • have an irregular appetite and often don’t feel like breakfast
  • my mind tends to wander easily
  • grasp things easily but forget things easily too

Warm food, moderately heavy textures, added butter and fat, salt, sour and sweet tastes, soothing and satisfying food. All are good for settling disturbed Vata. Use foods such such as warm milk, cream, butter, warm soups, stews, hot cereals and fresh baked bread. Learn to be positive, take control of the number of thoughts that enter your mind and which ones are important for you to respond to, and breath to get your balance back.

PITTA (the elements of air, fire and water)

Pitta

Pitta is the dynamic of transformation. It is the fire that transforms things and it has qualities of being hot, sharp, fluid and light. Pitta influences digestion and metabolism, body temperature and biological transformations. Like the hungry lion, it is deliberate and fiery.

  • I am a perfectionist by nature
  • I hate having my time wasted and don’t tolerate fools easily
  • I have moles and freckles on my skin
  • I don’t find hot weather comfortable
  • I can become ravenously hungry at meal-time
  • I can become irritated or angry easily
  • I regard myself as a leader
  • I often take charge of situations unasked
  • I enjoy owning and using expensive items in my life

Cool or warm food but not steaming hot foods; bitter, sweet and astringent tastes. All are good for settling the Pitta body type. Take cool, refreshing food in summer. Reduce the consumption of salt, oil and spices, all of which are “heating” to the body. Salads are good, so is milk and ice cream. One of the challenges of a Pitta body type is control of their Mind and especially irritatability, impatience and anger. Yoga and meditation can assist you in controlling and stilling the mind and releasing the stresses of the day before you sleep.

 

KAPHA (the elements of water and earth)

Kapha

Kapha is the glue that holds it all together. It is responsible for structure and growth and influences the heavy, moist aspects of the body. Like the elephant, it has the qualities of being slow, heavy, stable and elegant.

  1. I gain weight easily
  2. I tend to enjoy food through its taste
  3. I am not a morning person and take a while to get started
  4. I have soft skin
  5. I tend to be big boned
  6. I have thick, dense hair that can be wavy
  7. I have a very forgiving nature
  8. I don’t become stressed very easily
  9. I can at times become depressed

Warm, light food, dry food, cooked without much water, minimum of butter, oil and sugar is recommended for this body type. Stimulating foods with pungent, bitter and astringent tastes are also good. Deep fried foods are to be avoided. Eat Lightly cooked foods or raw fruits and vegetables. Eat spicy, bitter and astringent foods. The challenge for a Kapha body type  is the slow metabolism and controlling the huge appetite especially in the evening before sleep. Learn to reduce the quantity for each meal as overeating is a typical Kapha tendency.

 

 

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