Your Body’s Natural Element

Your Dosha Illustrates a Natural Element in You

Much like humours in ancient Greece, Doshas signify our personal and bodily reactions to life, our food, drink and relationships. 

I must confess that I’ve admired the philosophies and spirituality of Asia for most of my life. When I was younger, I was captivated by what I perceived were exotic ideas.  My sense was that Yoga postures or Tai Chi movements taught in studio classes held secrets to health and longevity. I believed the ancient authors of Ayurveda and TCM in those lands far from where I grew up had answers to things that plagued us physically and could soothe our souls, at least emotionally.

So, writing a blog post or essay on one of the Asian practices is almost pure pleasure.  I say almost because, if you have the same interests as me, I’m hoping that the way I phrase things makes sense to you.

Your Natural Element or Constitution

Today’s essay is about elements of constitution, the subtleties of how our bodies are built.  The Elements of Constitution are otherwise called “doshas” in Ayurvedic terms.  And I’ve titled it, “The Dosha or Natural Element in You”.

The Dosha or Natural Element in You

The concept of doshas comes from the brilliance of ancient Ayurveda, the science of life.

This ancient Asian philosophy of Ayurveda explains life on earth in terms of the elements of air, ether, fire, water, and earth. In human beings, the Ayurvedic word for these elements is dosha. They are similar to humors in the Western herbal tradition.

A Dosha suggests the dominance of one of three natural elements or substances that behave or remind us of the natural elements.  The four elements (air, fire, and earth plus water) are also seen as your disposition or your state of mental balance or imbalance. So says author Bridgette Shea who discusses “doshas” and natural elements in her Handbook of Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda.

Author Bridgette Shea’s description of “Dosha”, or Constitutional Element

A very good and straight-forward read on the subject is found in Bridgette Shea’s book, Handbook of Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda. The chapter I’m referring to is entitled “Constitution”.

In her book, Shea invites you to consider several ideas about constitution. First, she recounts how original ideas on body constitution came down to us as theories from the ancients whose point of view turns out to be scientifically-based, and has been successfully applied today.

Shea says:

“Think about this. If you knew your individual constitution, things you never understood about yourself might make sense for the first time ever. The reasons behind the unconscious reactions you had to life or the impressions they left might become clear…. Self-judgement might subside and make room for self-acceptance.  You might get a sense that you are not alone, that you are connected at a real level to those in the world around you.” p. 80

What does “Dosha” do for me?

For the empowerment that comes from self-knowledge, I’d definitely want to know my dosha. Wouldn’t you?

When we look beyond ourselves to what is happening around us, we become aware of the natural world. How to actually do that? Well, in the ancient knowledge of Asian spiritual mastery, there is a way.

Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of life, recognizes the five elements of ether, air, fire, water, and earth in human bodies.  They represent the energies and substances we experience.

These elements, said Ayurvedic sages, exist outside of us. Yet they also represent the way our bodies work. For example, in order to survive, our bodies need air and movement, they need fire for digestion, and they need security or substance from the earth element.  Maybe because the human constitution requires more than ether or more than water, these two elements are shared with air, fire and earth. Thus, they said, three elements stand out: we have air, fire, and earth and categorize them as tendencies, or, in the Sanskrit language, “doshas”.

“Dosha” represents Body Type or Constitution. Do you know yours?

The thing you might agree with most right now, is that the term “dosha”, or even “body constitution”, sounds pretty weird. At first. But if you stay with the more easily understood word “constitution”, the idea is bound to become more believable.

A Positive Approach

Positive concepts like “self-acceptance” can come from appraising yourself, your body, in a non-judgmental way, according to author Shea. An appealing idea! I urge you to acquire such a point of view as soon as you can.

As a label, constitutional element, (or Dosha) is a different way of assessing the body and body-mind,  A dosha label doesn’t blame, characterize as bad, or discourage a person. Instead to know your Constitutional Element (Dosha) is to acquire a set of terms, a new language to use for the self. As we are all aware, the physical human body is mysterious and awe-inspiring. As well, the body is a mirror image of the emotional self. Each time you observe but not judge yourself, you acquire a new perspective, especially if a connection between the mind and body becomes more obvious.

The idea of Constitutional Element applies to disposition or mind-set as well.  Sometimes you might discover you have more than one dosha to learn about.  In that case you might be a combination such as Vata-Pitta, or Vata-Kapha, or Pitta-Kapha.

Again, what is Vata, Pitta, or Kapha?

Vata, Pitta or Kapha are the doshas that represent the human constitution. Doshas relate directly to parts of the body, and to actions that take place there. For instance, Vata’s space and air stand for movement, such as breath, circulation, and the nerves and impulses of any kind. Pitta’s fire and water combination is about digestion of food and of thought. Kapha’s water and earth represent “form, energy and memory”. Therefore, each dosha is composed of two elements which connect to and balance each other.

For Ayurvedic practitioners, Dosha type in part guides decisions on healthcare. Herbal practitioners who say that you are Vata, mean that you thrive on pure energy or air, are dreamy and spontaneous; for Pitta, they suggest you’re passionate, or fiery, are direct and focused; for Kapha, they imply you embody earth, nutritive essence and emotional fulfillment.

Vata, Pitta, and Kapha are Keys to Skin Health

Vata: symbolic of air, can have dry skin which requires moisture, and soothing and calming oils for erratic aggravation
Pitta: symbolic of fire, may have sensitive skin which is prone to aggravation, over-heating and inflammation; requires calming and soothing oils
Kapha: symbolic of earth, may suffer from sluggishness; often requires stimulating and warming oils to balance oiliness and stagnation

Is Dosha an important quality?

Why is Dosha important to know? Well, rather than use words co-opted from another culture, if these sound more familiar, you can say “I’m more of an Air person”, or “I’m a Fire”, or “Earth type”. The term Air, if accurate, is so appropriate, as is a Fire or Earth type, if best suited to describe you. That way you can remind yourself to make good choices in food and drink, products you apply to your skin, even lifestyle choices such as type of exercise best suited to you.

Moreover, with knowledge of and tolerance for your dosha type, you have more self-understanding, self-love.

No matter what words you’re using, the Dosha (air, fire, or earth) gives more information on your present condition. Such a Dosha designation helps me formulate a blend for skin that’s best suited to balance you, or one that will maintain your wellbeing. And it is a starting point for you to know yourself better.

Send me questions or comments on the Contact Me page, here.