As per Ayurveda, human body is composed of five elements. The balance of these five elements is important for the well being and health of our body. These five elements are :
– Space
– Air
– Earth
– Fire
– Water
The combination of these five energies forms three types of body constituents or doshas. These are :
– Pitta Dosha: It composes of Fire and Water. Pitta governs all heat, metabolism and transformation in the mind and body. It controls how we digest foods, how we metabolize our sensory perceptions, and how we discriminate between right and wrong. Pitta governs the important digestive “agnis” or fires of the body.
– Vatta Dosha: It composes of pace and Air. Vata governs all movement in the mind and body. It controls blood flow, elimination of wastes, breathing and the movement of thoughts across the mind. Since Pitta and Kapha cannot move without it, Vata is considered the leader of the three Ayurvedic Principles in the body. It’s very important to keep Vata in good balance.
– Kapha Dosha: It composes of Water and Earth. Kapha governs all structure and lubrication in the mind and body. It controls weight, growth, lubrication for the joints and lungs, and formation of all the seven tissues — nutritive fluids, blood, fat, muscles, bones, marrow and reproductive tissues.
All three of these Doshas are found in everything in this world, but in different proportions. They combine to create different climates, different foods, different species, and even different individuals within the same species. In fact, the particular ratio of Pitta, Vata, and Kapha within each of us has a significant influence on our individual physical, mental, and emotional character traits.
In a perfect body, these doshas are well balanced and work efficiently. But in case any of the Doshas are imbalanced or aggravated, it leads to various disorders. Disturbance of each dosha is linked to a particular problem such as –
Disturbance in Vatta dosha – can lead to Underweight, Insominia, drying and swelling of joints, etc
Disturbance In Pitta Dosha – can lead to Skin rashes, Acidity, etc.
Disturbance in kapha dosha – can lead to Over-Weight, Lziness, sinus, etc.
And the aggravated dosha affects the digestive system (known as Fire or “Agni”) of the body and slows down the metabolism which results into the accumulation of ‘Ama’ or toxic metabolites in colon. “Ama” leads to fermentation and putrefaction in stomach and intestines.
This ‘Ama’ from colon travels to other parts of the body through bloodstream and accumulated in the various parts of body. Such accumulation of the ‘Ama’ can lead to Depression, Asthma, Joint Pains, Acidity, Leaky Gut, Food Allergies, Fatigue, Mineral & Vitamin deficiencies, etc in short term and can leads to life threatening diseases such as Cancer in longer term.
