The Three Doshas

The five elements can be seen to exist in the material universe at all scales both organic and inorganic, from peas to planets. When they enter into the biology of a living organism such as mankind, they acquire a biological form. This means that the five elements are coded into three biological forces which govern all life processes. These three forces are known as the three doshas, or simply the tridosha. The tridosha regulates every physiological and psychological process in the living organism. The interplay among them determines the qualities and conditions of the individual. A harmonious state of the three doshas creates balance and health; an imbalance, which might be an excess (vrddhi) or deficiency (ksaya), manifests as a sign or symptom of disease.

The three doshas are known as Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.  Most of us exhibit qualities from all three doshas, but one or two of the doshas is often dominant.  The proportion of doshas in an individual is known as the Ayurvedic constitutional type.

You can think of these three doshas as fundamental biological energies that regulate all the life processes of an individual. We are all made up of these same three energies, but most of us show more of one dosha than another. The doshas obtain their qualities through their elemental composition.  Each of the three doshas is composed of two elements, as shown here:

Thus, Vata is composed of space and air, Pitta of fire and water, and Kapha of water and earth.. Vata dosha has the mobility and quickness of space and air; Pitta dosha the metabolic qualities of fire and water; Kapha dosha the stability and solidity of water and earth. Interestingly, the Sanskrit etymology of the word dosha gives it the meaning of “blemish, that which darkens.”  This alerts us to the fact that when in balance, these forces are life-supporting, but when imbalanced they are the agents of disease and misery.

Which dosha best describes you?  Take our questionnaire to find out.  You can also click on the links below to find out more about each of the three doshas:

• The Vata Dosha
• The Pitta Dosha
• The Kapha Dosha

Copyright 2002 Scott Gerson, M.D.  Used with permission.