Your Constitution
You Are a Vata-Pitta-Kapha Type (Tri-Dosha)!
All three doshas are inherent in each of us, to some degree or another. You are one of the rare people who are a tri-dosha type, which means each dosa has a relatively equal influence on you. That can be beneficial, but also challenging in some ways.
By nature, the three forces of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha within your will tend to balance each other and maintain a healthy equilibrium. Being tri-doshic means that you are less likely to suffer from potentially extreme issues that plague those who are more under the influence of a single or pair of doshas. Physically, you are likely to enjoy relatively stable health throughout your life, maintain a steady weight without too much effort, and be comfortable in various climate conditions, to name a few things.
The combination of Vata and Pitta makes you insightful, creative, and enthusiastic, with a fair measure of drive and ambition, while the added influence of Kapha helps to keep you grounded through the process. That makes you quite capable of success in most anything to which you turn your attention. That’s when you are completely in balance and in tune with yourself, of course. The big challenge for you is maintaining that perfect harmony between all the doshic influences within you. While no one dosha predominates your nature, all three of them have significant enough influence upon you that, when aggravated, can upset your mental, emotional, and physical health in various ways.
More About You …
PHYSICALLY
DIGESTION and APPETITE: You enjoy food, don’t you? Many tri-dosha types like yourself are real foodies and enjoy cooking and culinary creativity. That’s no surprise since you likely have a steady appetite and naturally good digestion that allows you to indulge your cravings more than most people. Luckily for you, those cravings are usually in tune with food that is relatively good for you, which keeps the bulk of your diet on the healthy end of the spectrum.
When your eating habits are healthy, your bowels are usually sound and regular. But if your diet begins to slip into overindulgence of not-so-healthy foods or when your stress levels are high, your gut will let you know immediately with signs like bloating and gas, constipation, heartburn, or diarrhea.
ENERGY LEVELS: Another bonus for you is a strong constitution, which naturally pairs with generally good health and vitality, strong immunity, and relatively steady levels of energy. You respond well to a regular exercise routine and active lifestyle, but you must balance that with adequate rest, recuperation and other practices, such as yoga or meditation, to maintain that reliably good health and feelings of well-being.
SLEEP: You probably do not sleep for long periods of time and find yourself adequately recharged with about 6-8 hours of quality sleep. Luckily for you, you do tend to sleep pretty soundly and rarely have trouble dozing off. Early to bed and early to rise sets you on the right course for a healthy and productive day.
TEMPERATURE: You’re one of the lucky ones, with the ability to feel comfortable in almost any climate. Be it a tropical beach or atop a glacial mountain peak, the world is your oyster and, although you might not be an explorer at heart (tri-dosha types can be homebodies too) you certainly wouldn’t be deterred by a stark change in climate conditions. Unlike other dosha types, who may catch a chill or overheat easily, you are comfortable most of the time, even if you’re slightly underdressed (or ill-prepared) for the temperature or weather conditions.
MENTALLY / EMOTIONALLY
You’re intelligent, discerning, ambitious, insightful, creative, and practical all rolled into one. The advantage of being a tri-dosha type is that you possess the full spectrum of human potential and the talents and beneficial qualities inherent in each of the three doshas. Great things don’t necessarily happen to you without effort, but the potential for achieving whatever you set your mind to exists. When you are in balance, things just flow. Nothing upsets you and you have an uncanny ability to take all the bumps of daily life in stride. When you’re at your peak, people naturally migrate toward you, attracted by your steady mind, calm manner, and loving vibe. You embrace adventure and are up for any challenge, be it physical or emotional. You connect with others as if you’ve known them all your life, and this world seems, in every way, a fantastic place for you to be. These are your strengths, and as long as you can maintain balance and harmony in all three doshas, the world is your oyster. Using these fortunate advantages that you’ve been given to take leadership roles and to make a positive difference in the world will ultimately bring you the greatest sense of happiness and fulfilment in your life.
Does this sound like you? Understanding the doshas and how they relate to us individually can help us to make the most of our strengths and to mitigate our weaknesses.
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Our Recommendations …
HEALTH RECOMMENDATIONS
Whoever said that variety is the spice of life must have been tri-dosha. You and your other tri-dosha friends are the ones who really get to experience life to its fullest. How so? Well, having to manage three doshas isn’t as tedious as it might seem. Remember, since all three of the doshas are present in relatively similar proportions for you, that means there naturally isn’t much you need to do because the doshas themselves function to keep each other in relative harmony. That’s not to say that one (or more) of the doshas won’t be aggravated and cause you problems. They can, and they will! But, as you likely won’t be reaping the full potential benefits of a purely Pitta-type person, the flip side is that when Pitta becomes depressed or aggravated in you, it likely won’t be too bad, and thus, more easily managed rebalanced. The same is true for Vata and Kapha.
Managing each of the doshas, as a tri-dosha person, is done primarily according to the seasons. You’ll generally want to follow a Vata-pacifying regimen in the fall and early winter when the weather is cool, dry, and windy. Pay close attention to keeping Kapha from accumulating during the winter and early spring, when the weather is cold and damp, and take steps to keep Pitta from becoming inflamed during the summer, when the weather is hot. Of course, this is generally true for most European as well as North American climates, which experience four distinct seasons. For tropical, subtropical, and other climates, seasons vary but the principles of Ayurveda as they pertain to specific weather conditions still apply.
Here are a few tips for each dosha:
VATA:
- Don’t over-exert yourself physically or mentally. Manage your stress levels.
- Stay warm and bundle up when going out into the cold.
- Avoid cold drinks, white sugar, and caffeine.
- Don’t overindulge in sex.
- Take frequent warm baths and get regular oil massages with soothing aromatherapy too.
- Do yoga, meditation, and other grounding practices regularly.
PITTA:
- Eat regular meals.
- Stay active and get regular exercise.
- Balance work with adequate play and downtime.
- Practice letting go and being less controlling.
- Get a relaxing massage.
- Seek calming, soothing smells, sounds, and environments.
- Practice yoga, meditation, and other stress-relief practices.
- Spend quiet time in nature.
- Cool off with a swim or a cold drink on a hot day.
KAPHA:
- Don’t procrastinate.
- Fight the winter blues. Be social, get out and mingle. Be spontaneous, try new things, and engage in social activities, including lively music, uplifting experiences, and stimulating company.
- Stimulate your mind regularly. Get a hobby!
- Exercise regularly in vigorous activities such as jogging, hiking, biking, circuit weight training, dynamic forms of yoga, or martial arts, etc.
- Be sure to keep warm and dry at all times.
DIETARY RECOMMENDATIONS
With a healthy appetite, strong constitution, and an all-around good tolerance for most foods, you are the envy of most people. But being too cavalier about your diet can and will eventually catch up with you. Lucky for you, you probably have an innate sense of what is good for you, and can maintain a generally healthy diet, not giving into cravings too often.
As with general lifestyle habits, the tri-dosha person’s needs will primarily manage their diet according to the seasons. They will follow a Vata-pacifying diet in the fall and early winter, eat according to Kapha’s needs during winter and early spring and pay closer attention to foods conducive to calming Pitta during the hotter summer months. Here are a few dietary considerations for each dosha:
VATA:
- Eat warm, freshly cooked, oily, and nourishing foods (like soups and stews).
- Spice up your food.
- Eat foods that are salty, sour or sweet (naturally sweet foods, such as grains and fruits, and natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup).
- Drink fruit juices, warm drinks, and herbal teas.
- Eat moderate portions more frequently. Have in-between meal snacks to stave off hunger.
- Avoid raw foods, cold drinks, caffeine and alcohol, and refined sugar.
- Go easy on legumes, as well as dry or puffed grains (cereals and granola).
PITTA:
- Eat foods that are naturally sweet, astringent, and bitter.
- Eat fresh, raw fruits and vegetables.
- Stick with sweet fruits like apples, berries, coconut, dates, melons, oranges, etc.
- Use cooling herbs like coriander, dill, mint, and fennel.
- Use sweeteners like brown rice syrup, fruit juice concentrates, maple syrup, etc.
- Eat light grains like barley, cooked oats, basmati rice, white rice, wheat, wheat bran, etc.
- Drink plenty of cooling juices and teas, sweet apple juice, aloe vera juice, coconut milk, cool dairy drinks, soya milk, etc.
- Avoid foods that are pungent, sour, and salty.
- Go easy on the dairy, especially heavy cheeses, sour cream, yogurt, etc.
- Avoid alcohol, coffee, carbonated drinks, sour juices and teas, pungent teas, carrot-ginger juices, highly salted drinks, tomato juice, etc
- Avoid heating spices such as cayenne, cloves, garlic, ginger, paprika, onion, mustard seeds, etc.
- Cut down on or eliminate most nuts, especially cashews, walnuts, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, pine nuts, macadamias, etc.
KAPHA:
- Eat foods that are pungent, bitter, and astringent.
- Eat warm meals, including foods that are light and dry.
- Use heating spices like cayenne, black pepper, chili, garlic, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, etc.
- Eat lots of cooked or raw, pungent, and bitter vegetables, such as asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots celery, garlic, green beans, lettuce, peas, etc.
- Drink warm, spicy teas.
- Eat moderately-sized meals.
- Avoid foods that are sweet, sour, and salty.
- Avoid oily, heavy, fried foods.
- Go easy on heavy foods, such as cooked grains (oats), rice, wheat, etc. (eat in moderation only).
- Avoid cold foods and icy-cold drinks.
- Eat dairy in moderation (butter, cheese, cow’s milk, sour cream, yogurt, etc.).
