What are the Tridoshas?
Ayurveda's
concept of the Tridoshas is unique to medical science. Ayurveda says
the body is made up of Doshas (loosely translated to Energetic Forces), tissues (dhatus), waste products (malas). It is the Tridoshas'
job to assist with the creation of all of the various tissues of the
body and to remove any unnecessary waste products from the body. It is
also the Tridoshas that influence all movements, all transformations,
all sensory functions, and many of the other activities in the human
body and mind.
Vata dosha
The
Vata dosha is the most important of the three doshas. This is for two
reasons. First, if Vata becomes imbalanced for long enough and
sufficiently enough, it can also cause the other two doshas (Pitta or
Kapha) to become imbalanced. It can even cause both Pitta and Kapha to
become imbalanced; this is called a Tridoshic imbalance and is the most
difficult to overcome. Secondly, Vata is the main driver or mover of
the body, including the other two doshas, all the tissues (dhatus) and
all of the waste products (malas).
- All eliminations: fetus, semen, feces, urine, sweat, and a few others
- Assists with all the various metabolisms in the body (called Agni in Ayurveda)
- Controls all of the various movement of body (both physical & mental),
including such things as respiration, heart beat, motivation and contraction of muscles - Relays all sensory input from the various sense organs to the brain
The
Pitta dosha is associated with fire or heat. Wherever there is
transformation, there is Pitta (doing its job). Whether it is in the GI
tract, liver, skin, eyes or brain doesn't matter, for these are all
locations where Pitta works.
Pitta provides the following functions:
- Metabolism - at all the various levels
from digestion of food to transformation of all other material - Thermogenesis - maintains the proper body temperature
- Vision - converts external images into optic nerve impulses
- Appetite - the feeling of hunger and thirst
- Comprehension - of information into knowledge, also reasoning and judgment
- Courage & Braveness - to face the situation
Kapha
is the heaviest of the three doshas. It provides the structures and
the lubrication that the body needs. These qualities help to
counterbalance Vata's movement and Pitta's metabolism. A big, heavyset
football play or wrestler is a person with a predominance of Kapha.
Kapha provides the following functions:
- Strength - to perform physical tasks
- Moistness & Lubrication - to prevent excessive friction from occurring between the various parts of the body
- Stability - to add the necessary grounding aspect to both mind and body
- Mass & Structure - to provide fullness to bodily tissues
- Fertility & Virility - to produce healthy offspring