The Doshas
Dosha is a Sanskrit word meaning the one which can pollute the body, however all three are needed to create balance in the body. If one is too low or too high this produces imbalance. So this aggravation is called Vikriti and the balanced, innate state is called Prakriti.
The Ayurveda body types, or doshas, are called Vata, Pitta and Kapha, which embody different combinations of the five elements: air, ether, fire, water and earth. Each of us contain all doshas to varying degrees, and their balance can be determined through examination of your eyes, nails, tongue, skin, voice, by pulse diagnosis, and through the insight of the Ayurvedic practitioner. Because the five elements exist in us and in nature, your doshas can become aggravated or imbalanced due to inappropriate or inadequate diet, change of seasons, climate or lifestyle, and result in disease in the body.
Dosha Quiz (Test)
What dosha am I? The first step in applying Ayurvedic principles and treatments to assist in any health related concerns is to determine your constitutional body type (Prakriti). The Dosha quiz questionnaire acts as a guideline to determining your constitutional (doshic) type. However, to attain an accurate constitutional diagnosis it is best to consult with an Ayurvedic practitioner.
Dosha Questionnaire
The questionnaire is divided into three sections according to the doshas: vata, pitta and kapha. For each statement choose the answer which is most appropriate to you and how you have tended to be throughout your life rather than just at this present moment.
The results are calculated according to the following points allocation:
- 1 = seldom applies to me
- 2 = applies to me sometimes
- 3 = applies to me most of the time
After completing the dosha test, your total scores for each dosha will be shown; the highest score will indicate your predominant dosha. If you have two predominant doshas, this means that you are bi-doshic (vata-pitta, pitta-vata, vata-kapha, kapha-vata, pitta-kapha, kapha-pitta), and if you have basically equal scores for each dosha then you are tri-doshic.
Please choose an answer for every question.
The Doshas and Illness
Anyone completing the dosha questionnaire could be forgiven for assuming that dietary and lifestyle recommendations, as well as a tendency to suffer from certain health problems, would be more or less standard for a particular body type. One might for example say, “I’m a Kapha dosha so why am I suffering from Vata dosha symptoms?” or “Why isn’t a recommended dosha Ayurvedic diet agreeing with me?”
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