Ayurvedic Body Types

‘Ayurveda’ is a Sanskrit term, where ‘ayur’ means life and ‘veda’ stands for knowledge or science. So roughly translated it means the knowledge of life, or, the science of life. In Ayurveda all living and non living things are linked together. Humans and plants consist of five basic components, called ‘Panchbhootas’. These basic components are earth, water, air, fire and ether (i.e. space). The non-material omnipresent qualities, which govern all material forms of basic matter are consciousness or intelligence called ‘Sattva’, motion or action called ‘Rajas’ and inertia called ‘Tamas’. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are together known as ‘Gunas’. The Panchbhootas and Gunas dictate the medicinal and healing properties of plants. The human body is a replica of the universe. The basic components give rise to three life forces called ‘Dosha’. Dosha is often roughly equated to biologic humor mentioned in the Greek system. Ayurvedic body types are basically divided into three major categories called ‘Vata’, ‘Pitta’ and ‘Kapha’. These three Dosha are constantly formed in the body from the food we eat and other physiologic processes. Lets read in detail about these Ayurvedic body types.

Ayurvedic Body Types
Now that we have understood that there are three basic ayurvedic body types, let's see what do each one of them stand for.

Vata: Vata is a combination of air and ether. This is the most powerful force, which governs motion and controls blood flow, cardio-respiratory and all higher functions of the brain, movement of body fluids and excreta and the most importantly it exercises control over the mind.

Pitta: Pitta is the forceful combination of water and fire. Pitta stands for transformation. It governs metabolism, formation of tissue and disposal of waste products. Pitta is essential for the digestive and endocrinal system of the body.

Kapha: Kapha is a combination of earth and water. It is essential for increasing cell mass, promoting bonding of tissues, preventing destruction of tissues, maintaining the strength and immune system of the body, and also determines body growth.

Each of the Dosha has its own characteristics. Let's look at each one of them in detail.

Characteristics	Vata	Pitta	Kapha
Basic Characteristics	Dry, cold, light, clear	Hot, light, fluid, clear	Cold, wet, heavy, cloudy, static
Basic Qualities	Creativity, generosity, freedom, enthusiasm, joy, vitality	Ambition, concentration, confidence, courage, happiness, intelligence, enthusiasm for knowledge	Caring, compassion, tenderness, faith, patience, grounded, stability, support
Governing Quality	Governs feelings of pain, anxiety and anticipation	Digestion, metabolism, comprehension and intelligence	Liquid secretions of the body, centered around the chest
Physical Features	Physically underdeveloped, thin frames Flat chest, veins and muscle tendons visible, bones are visible Curly, dry and scanty hair Eyes are small, sunken, lusterless, dry, active Rough and brittle nails Nose is bent and turned up Vata people are either too tall or too short	Medium frame, strong and well built Medium prominence of veins and muscle tendons, bones are not visible Pitta people have thin, silky, red or brownish hair. Tendency of premature graying and hair loss Sharp eyes, medium eyeballs. Soft nails Sharp nose	Well developed bodies. Strong tendency of being overweight Broad chest. Veins and tendons are not obvious due to good muscle development Hair is thick, soft, dark and wavy. Soft tender nails Large, dense, attractive eyes. Large rounded nose
Complexion	Brown in complexion. Rough, cold, dry, cracked skin	Fair, coppery, yellowish, reddish complexion. Soft, warm and less wrinkled skin	Bright and fair complexion. Soft, lustrous, oily, cold skin
Appetite and Digestion	They have variable appetite and moderate metabolism. Likening for sweet, sour and salty taste	Strong metabolism, therefore strong appetite and also good digestion Likening for sweet, bitter and astringent tastes.	Regular appetite, slow digestion, hence consume less food. Kapha people like pungent, bitter and astringent tastes
Perspiration	Do not perspire much	Perspire a lot	Moderate perspiration
Sleep	Light and disturbed sleep. Sleep less than other body types	Uninterrupted sleep for medium duration	Sound and prolonged sleep
Temperament & Memory	Quick understanding, but forgetful, little willpower, mental instability, low on tolerance and confidence, nervous and fearful	Good at comprehending, intelligent and sharp, get attached, angry, jealous and hate easily	Slow at comprehension, but good with retention, tolerant, calm, forgiving and loving, but at the same time
Common Ailments	Headaches, anxiety issues, neurological and digestion problems	Skin and stomach problems, anemia, poor vision	Sinus and lung problems, slow and sluggish digestion, obesity and depression
Do’s	Moderate exercise, such as walking and yoga. Massage with warming oils. Go to bed early	Moderate exercise, such as jogging, swimming. Massage with cooling oils. Keep a schedule of regular meal timings.	Rigorous and regular exercise. Massage with stimulating oil. Consume fresh vegetables, fruits and legumes. Eat bitter, pungent, light, dry warm food.
Don’ts	Avoid dry, cold, pungent, bitter, astringent and raw foods. Do not fast. Avoid heavy aerobic activity.	Refrain from fish, red meat, sesame and mustard oils, oily and fatty foods. Avoid sour, salty, oily foods. Do not over work.	Avoid heavy meals and over sleeping. Frozen food items to be avoided.
Factors that increase the Dosha	Exposure to cold Eating too much dry food, frozen or leftover food also aggravates the condition Fasting Traveling Too much of exercise	Exposure to heat Eating too much of red meat Indigestion and irregularity of meal timings Exercising around mid-day Too much work	Exposure to cold Eating too much of sweet, milk and milk products Drinking excessive water Sleeping during the day

For more information, read

• Herbs in Ayurveda
• Metals in Ayurveda

Now are you wondering, is it that people have only one ayurvedic body type? No, often people have a combination of two Dosha types. At times, even a combination of all three types. Combination of two Dosha is called Dwandwaja . Tridoshaja is a combination of three Dosha. Ekadoshaja is single Dosha type. With a combination of all these Dosha types, there are 10 types of ayurvedic body types. You will have to conduct a small research on yourself and find out what is your body type. Accordingly, you will have to make small changes to your dietary patterns and lifestyle, to lead a comfortable life free of diseases.