What Should I Know about My Dosha?
This is the most popular question I get and possibly my least favorite. For beginners, your dosha doesn’t really matter. In Ayurveda, the doshas are the mind-body constitutions that specify your specific balance of the five elements–space, air, fire, water, and earth. Think of it like genetics…everyone has a unique blend.
Search for “dosha” in a browser and count how many search results are dosha quizzes. I understand how seductive these quizzes are but they aren’t helpful for most beginners. Whenever I encounter Ayurvedic beginners who’ve taken a dosha quiz, I ask them how that knowledge has helped them. Very few people have an answer.
Doshas can distract you from listening to your body.
I’ve noticed that people want to know the “right way” to “do” Ayurveda. But there is no secret formulation that you can use to precisely calibrate or balance yourself. Doshas are just one of Ayurveda’s tools to support your health and vitality.
Someone who is overly focused on their dosha might focus too much on the specific habits recommended for their dosha without actually practicing Ayurveda the way it’s meant to be practiced.
Create powerful remedies without knowing your dosha.
Part of the beauty of Ayurveda is that it allows each person to adapt remedies to their own needs. And you don’t need to know your dosha to create effective remedies.
Creating remedies takes self-awareness and understanding the qualities of your symptoms. Qualities, or gunas, describe and characterize human beings and the feelings, emotions, and symptoms we experience. For example, the symptom of anxiety has the quality of being mobile (air element). To counteract anxiety, we’d try a remedy that is grounding (earth element). I call this fundamental idea The Golden Principle, which says that like increases like and opposites reduce.
If you’re interested in learning how to apply The Golden Principle to create remedies for yourself, I write extensively about my 3-step process, The Counter-Balance Solution™, in my book, The Health Catalyst.
You are your most powerful healing resource.
Ayurveda is an intuitive practice that begins inward. You will be better served by being self-aware, reflective, and ready to try different habits than you will by taking a dosha quiz. If you’re not sure where to begin, download my Starter Kit with 10 practical ways to start your journey with Ayurveda.
Be well,
Avanti Kumar-Singh, MD
P.S. For remedies to your symptoms, try these posts:
