Agni - Key to Health

We have seen that Vata, Pitta and Kapha are the three dosha which together govern all the physiological and pathological processes in our body. Pitta is made up of fire and water element. The heat energy gives Pitta its unique digestive and transformative attributes is referred to as Agni. Agni is the biological fire that manages metabolism.

Agni is also vital for intelligence, perception and understanding. If the Agni is functioning optimally, digestion of food and absorption of nutrients occurs smoothly. The color of the skin and eyes is maintained by a functional Agni.  Agni also maintains the enzymes systems in our body and takes care of the bacterial flora in the intestines. Gastric fire, a form of Agni, determines the appetite of the body. Vata domination brings irregularity to appetite and digestion. Pitta domination makes the Agni very sharp while Kapha calms down the Agni. If the dosha are in balance Agni also remains functional. Imbalanced dosha affects Agni and causes problems in digestion which usually starts the process of an illness. When Agni is impaired our immune systems is affected lowering body resistance. Food is not digested and absorbed properly. As a result tissues lack growth and nourishment. Undigested food turns into heterogeneous sticky layer which is referred to Ama. According to Ayurveda, Ama is considered the root of all illnesses.  Ama creates congestion, stagnation in the body. It accumulates in the weaker parts of the body and causes clogging of channels, such as blood vessels and capillaries. Presence of Ama gives a typical coated appearance to the tongue.

Here are the simple tips to maintain a functional Agni and prevent formation of Ama:

1. Eat what suits your body constitution. 
2. Eat freshly cooked, warm food.
3. Exercise regularly (at least 2-3 times a week, 20-30 minutes a day).
4. Fast and give your digestive systems a rest every once in a while.
5. Watch the quantity of the food you eat. If you consider your stomach as having four parts, Ayurveda recommends eating 2 parts of solid food, 1 part of liquid and keeping 1 part empty for the movement of Vata.
6. Watch the time of eating. Do not eat until you are hungry and food taken in the previous meal is digested.
7. Do not eat incompatible food together such as milk and salt. 

Dosha and Constitution – Kapha

Kapha is one of three dosha (Vata, Pitta are the other two) that drive the physiology and pathology in our body.  Kapha is made up of water and earth elements. As can be deduced from its elemental make up, Kapha is the energy of structure and lubrication. It is the main force of procreation. Kapha is the dosha responsible for nourishment, growth and protection of tissues. Kapha share some properties with Vata and some with Pitta. At the same time, some of its properties are totally opposite to that of Vata and Pitta. Kapha is oily, wet, sticky, cold, heavy, smooth, dull, and static.

Let us see how these properties of Kapha affect the human constitution. We are going to refer than Kapha people whose mind and body is dominated by Kapha. Kapha people are easy to recognize. They have large body frame. They are heavy. Their bones and joints are strong. The bones are well covered with muscles and fat. Their face is large, usually round in shape. Eyes are large. The cheeks are chubby. Their face and skin color is usually fair. They have oily, smooth, thick and curly hair. Their arms seem long as compared to their body. Their skin is soft, oily and cool to touch.

Kapha people walk and talk slowly. They listen more than they talk. They are very patient and polite. They are physically strong and can do heavy work although they are a little lazy as compared to Vata people. They have very good memory. They like to eat warm or even hot food. They enjoy hot and spicy food. Their appetite is low and they often get filled with small portions of food at a time. They also drink less fluid. They tolerate hot and dry weather better over cold, rainy weather. They do less exercise and like sedentary work. They are usually forgiving, putting everyone else first. They sleep longer hours. They are not the people who are anxious and worrying all the time like Vata people. They seldom get angry. Kapha people are good friends who listen and do not judge. They love to take care of others. They enjoy company of a lot of people and happily host a party/event. They like to cook and serve. They are giving in nature. Kapha people are static and hesitant of any change.

Kapha people are prone to obesity, water retention, sinusitis, headaches. They are also susceptible to symptoms such as lethargy, loss of appetite and slow and improper digestion. Kapha people need to be warm, dry, light, hot and moving to be in balance. They should be careful about eating cold, oily, light, sweet, sour and salty food. 

Dosha & Constitution : Pitta

In the last article, we discussed important attributes of Vata dosha (air + space), its functions and the constitution dominated by Vata dosha. Today we will focus on Pitta dosha and its attributes. You will also be able to see how these attributes impact on individuals with Pitta dominance.

Pitta is made up of fire and a little water. It represents the biological fire in our body. Pitta works as energy of transformation and transforms food, emotions and thoughts. Pitta is responsible for digestion, vision, grasping power, intelligence, and memory. As Pitta contains a little bit of water it possess some motion but it still need Vata’s help to create significant movements in the body. Its main attributes are hot, oily, sharp, light, and liquid. Pitta also possesses a typical smell. These qualities are most evident in people whose body and mind is dominated by Pitta. We are going to refer them as Pitta people.


Pittm sasneh teekshNoshNam laghu visram saram dravm

Reference: astaangahridy sutrsthaan prthm adhyaay

Pitta people are usually tall and have a medium built. They are not too lean or too fat. Their skin tends to be fair or light colored as compared to Vata people. Their skin is usually warm. An important principle of Ayurveda is “like increases like”. The fire inside their body keeps temperature and temper of Pitta people hot. They also appear to have moles or freckles. Pitta people have sharp facial features such as sharp chin and sharp nose. They tend to have short, thin and dark hair. Additionally their hair is usually soft, silky and straight. They also tend to get baldness and gray hair sooner than Vata and Kapha people. The joint of Pitta people are not visible under the skin as those of Vata people.

Pitta people sweat a lot throughout the year, not just in summer. They can not tolerate heat well. That is the reason they hate summertime. They enjoy winter and rainy season better as the cool breeze calms the fire down. Their appetite and digestive power is good; they also tend to excrete large quantities of urine and stools. They get hungry and thirsty more often than Vata/Kapha people. They are moderately strong as far as the stamina and endurance is considered. They can not bear too much physical work. They have hard time controlling their hunger, emotions and anger; all attributed to sharp property of Pitta dosha. Their memory is very good. Their grasping power is amazing and that makes them very good at studies. Pitta people are very organized and punctual. Their words can be very acidulous sometimes. They are smart and sometimes may come across as dominating or controlling in nature. Pitta people make good lawyers, scientists, mathematicians, business managers and leaders.

Pitta people are prone to acidity, heart burn, migraine, irritability. They tend to mismanage their anger and stress. To be in balance, Pitta needs patience, calmness, cooling, and things that are sweet and cold in nature. They need to careful controlling their stress, anger, and eating hot and spicy food especially in summer.

Dosha & Constitution: Vata

In the last article we have discussed the way Dosha are defined and what they are made up of. In this series we will talk about the functions each Dosha performs in the body and mind and its relation with Prakriti or the constitution. Let us start with Vata Dosha.

Vata Dosha (air + space) is the energy responsible for motion. Pitta and Kapha do not have air element and hence they are unable to create or induce any kind of motion in the body. That is the reason Vata is considered the strongest among the three Dosha. Vata thus is responsible for movement and actions of body parts such as joints, muscles. It is responsible for the blinking of eyes, forward movement of the intestines, breathing, all types of natural urges such as yawning, sneezing, sleep etc. Vata is responsible for functions of mind including thinking, imagination, energy, enthusiasm. 

ttr rukso lghu: shitah khrah suksmshkloSnilah

 Reference: astaangahridy sutrsthaan prthm adhyaay

The most important attributes of Vata are mobile, cold, dry, light, rough and subtle. These qualities are most evident in a person whose mind and body constitution is dominated by Vata. We are going to refer them as Vata people. Now let us see how the attributes of Vata Dosha help us recognize Vata people. Vata Dosha is responsible for irregularities. These people are either too tall or too short. Their skin and eyes look dry. The skin tends to be cool. Vata people tolerate warm weather better over the cold weather. There hair is either too short or too long. The hair tends to be curly, dry and rough to touch. Their hair also has more split ends as compared to that of Pitta and Kapha people. Vata people are usually slender. You can often notice their bones visible around the joints. Their nails are brittle and short.

If you still haven’t make out Vata people just by looking at them you most certainly will once you start interacting with them. They seem to talk fast, walk fast and think even faster. The mobile attribute of Vata Dosha is very prominent. These people do lot of gestures while expressing themselves. As a result they can get tired easily. Their appetite tends to be too much or too little. Vata people usually like to eat sweet, sour and salty food. They also prefer to eat when the food is warm or even hot. They do not put on too much weight even if they seem eat a lot. Because of the Vata attributes mind seems to work at an enormous speed. It also makes their moods swing constantly. Vata people are most spontaneous, energetic of all. They are usually the first one to start working and also first to get bored and fatigued.  They easily become anxious and always worried about something. Vata people tend to sleep less than needed. As a result these people are not really very strong as far as the health goes. Thus they can easily get off the balance. At the same time they can quickly come back to balance if appropriate measure are taken.

Vata people are prone to conditions such as constipation and improper digestion, insomnia, anxiety and stress, pain in various body parts, fatigue. To remain healthy, Vata people need warmth, moisture, vata-balancing food, anything and everything that help to keep their life regular and steady and a lot of pampering.  

Introduction to Ayurveda II: Theory of Dosha

Ayurveda is a life-science with its own theories of health, illness and solutions to those illnesses. In this article, I will elaborate on some of the common terminologies and the basic principles involved in ayurvedic health management.

First and the most important principle is ‘ Lokapurush Nyaya’. Ayurveda considers every living organism a universe in itself. An organism let’s us say a human being consists of the same elements that the universe is made up of. The elements Ayurveda refers to are Aakash (space), Vaayu (air), Tej (fire), Jal (water) and Prithvi (earth) and collectively known as Panchamahabhuta. These five elements with an enormous number of permutations and combination form the humans, animals, the earth, essentially each and every entity, whether living or non-living. The same elements in context with living organisms form three bodily energies that are responsible for well-being or dis-ease of those organisms. These bodily energies are known as Vata (dominated by space and air), pitta (dominated by fire and a little bit of water) and Kapha (dominated by water and earth). The reason to say ‘dominated’ is that they are not entirely made up of two elements. Each dosha is made of all the five elements, although one or two element dominate and in turn determine the characteristics of that particular dosha. A unique combination that a human being is born with is referred to as Constitution or Prakriti Constitution does not change until the person is alive. The combination is decided at the time of conception and depends on which energy and forces dominate the egg and the sperm at that time. As body is driven by these doshas, there are subtle dynamics in the combination of dosha in response to our Ahaar (eating), Vihaar (routine) and state of our mind. Some of the changes throw the dosha off the balance and cause dis-ease. Health is regained with re-balancing of the dosha and maintaining a living which favours the re-balancing. Sometimes the imbalance of doshas persists for a longer period of time and causes conditions (of body and mind) that require health management beyond following a healthy lifestyle in the form of herbal supplements, panchakarma therapies and restrictions on ahaar, vihaar (diet and routine). Further away you divert from a dosha balancing lifestyle (specific to your own constitution) more difficult it is to achieve health. Hence Ayurveda emphasizes on maintaining health and preventing disease in the first place.