Know Your Body

According to Ayurveda, each of us inherits a unique mix of three types of body-mind energies (doshas) which creates our specific physical and mental characteristics. Most of us have one or two doshas which are most dominant in our nature, with the remaining one(s) less significant. These three doshas are known as Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.

Using these Doshas of Ayurveda, we can identify our body-mind nature (prakriti) and use this understanding to make the most nourishing choices in our lives. It is common for people to have a blend of characteristics and usually one dosha will be dominated.

Find your Body Type (Prakriti)

Take a pen and paper, and give one mark each for either for Vata or Pitta or Kapha. At the end, total the score to find out which dosha is more dominant in your body and that’s your body type.

Type	VATA	PITTA	KAPHA
Body Frame	Thin – usually short or tall	medium	large, tall
Weight	low weight, doesn’t gain weight	medium weight stay same	heavy weight
Eyes	small, dark eyes	Medium sized, light eyes easily inflamed	large eyes with thick eyelashes soft, gentle gaze
Skin	dry, rough, cold cracks easily	moist, warm, pink prone to acne	soft, smooth, moist, cool
Complexion	Dark	flushed sunburn easily	pale
Hair	rough ,dry, wairy	thin, oily, light colored, grey, bald premature	thick, wavy, oily
Eye brow	thin ,small	medium	thick, bushy
Nose	small, thin	medium, symmetrical	wide
Teeth	vary in size, crooked	medium	large white
Joints	stiff, tend to crack	loose, average size	large ,sturdy
Nails	thin, brittle	soft, pink	strong ,thick, white, smooth
Muscles	thin, undeveloped	average size	large well developed
Urine	scant, colorless	profuse, yellow	moderate, milky
Menstrual	irregular, scanty	regular, bright colour	regular, pale colour
Stool	scanty, dry, hard, prone to gas & constipation	abundant, loose & soft	moderate dense with mucus
Appetite	Variable	strong	low
Dietary	likes to snack on dry, crunchy foods	like cold drinks & snack	like sweet and creamy
Thirst	Low	high	moderate
Digestion	prone to gas	good, strong, fast	slow, steady
Sweat	hardly sweat	profuse strong smelling	moderate
Circulation	poor cold hand &feet	good hot hand & feet	moderate temperature cool
Weather	like sun&warmth	cold weather	warm & windy
Sensitivity	cold, wind, dryness noise	heat, sunlight, light & colour	touch, old & dampness
Immunity	Low	moderate	strong
Physical Endurance	Low	moderate	strong
Sleep	Light	moderate	deep
Dreams	prone to nightmare	colorful, vivid passionate	rarely or uneventful
Movements	Quick	move with purpose & motivation	moves slowly & steadily, gracefully
Decision	changes mind quickly, indecisive & nervous	decisive & determine	changes mind & opinions slowly
Thoughts	creative, visionary ideas	logical, critical, idealistically	think slowly & methodical
Learning Ability	easily learn & forget easily, poor memory	easily with clear memory	learn slowly good long term memory
Professionally	Art	medicine, engineering	business
Mind	prone to anxiety, fear nervousness&worry	prone to irritability anger, aggression, jealousy	prone to depression lethargy, attachment
Attitude	lively, positive attitude when balance	warm outgoing & confident	peaceful, happy & loving when in balance
Money	spends on trifles	earn but spends on luxury	can earn & save after motivation
Speech	quick speech talkative	Argumentative, confrontational, enjoys debate	talks slowly & deliberately
Travel	love travel	need beautiful environment	Domestic, spends more time in the home
Sensitivity	sensitive to sound	sensitive to visual stimulati