Your body is an intelligent machine. You were born with a balanced body and overtime incompatible food combinations, choice of lifestyle and other factors leads to an imbalance within your body. If you have learned to listen to your body, you will notice the difference in your appearance, your metabolism, bowel movements, hormonal imbalance, etc. This imbalance within your system is what we call "DOSHAS" in Ayurveda.
Ayurveda believes in prevention than cure. It believes in removing the disease completely out of the system rather cure it temporarily with a drug. We each have a responsibility to this amazing machine that we take for granted every single day- what if even one part stops working? Can you imagine if your Kidneys stop flushing out the toxins? When we practice paying more attention to the imbalances within our body and the signals that our body sends us- we become more aware of our food choices, lifestyle and start responding to these signals which foster good health.
There are three DOSHAS according to Ayurveda, they are VATA, PITTA, KAPHA. We are all blessed with these three qualities but one when one energy is higher than the other two, it creates the imbalance which we call Dosha.
The cause of disease in Ayurveda is viewed as a lack of proper cellular function due to an excess or deficiency of vata, pitta, or kapha.
The Ayurvedic philosophy states that the entire cosmos is an interchange of the energies of five elements- SPACE, AIR, WATER, FIRE, and EARTH.
Vata is the subtle energy of movement, Pitta the energy of digestion and metabolism, and Kapha the energy that forms the body’s structure.
Vata is the subtle energy associated with movement — composed of Space and Air. It governs breathing, blinking, muscle and tissue movement, pulsation of the heart, and all movements in the cytoplasm and cell membranes. In balance, vata promotes creativity and flexibility. Out of balance, vata produces fear and anxiety.
Pitta expresses the body’s metabolic system — made up of Fire and Water. It governs digestion, absorption, assimilation, nutrition, metabolism, and body temperature. In balance, pitta promotes understanding and intelligence. Out of balance, pitta arouses anger, hatred, and jealousy.
Kapha is the energy that forms the body’s structure — bones, muscles, tendons — and provides the “glue” that holds the cells together, formed from Earth and Water. Kapha supplies the water for all bodily parts and systems. It lubricates joints, moisturizes the skin, and maintains immunity. In balance, Kapha is expressed as love, calmness, and forgiveness. Out of balance, it leads to attachment, greed, and envy.
References:
Shilpa, S., & Venkatesha Murthy, C. G. (2011). Understanding personality from Ayurvedic perspective for psychological assessment: A case. Ayu, 32(1), 12–19. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-8520.85716
Mukherjee PK, Harwansh RK, Bahadur S, Banerjee S, Kar A, Chanda J, Biswas S, Ahmmed SM, Katiyar CK. Development of Ayurveda - Tradition to trend. J Ethnopharmacol. 2017 Feb 2;197:10-24. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.09.024. Epub 2016 Sep 12. PMID: 27633405.