Tridosha — PathaYoga

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What makes Ayurveda a unique approach to health and well-being is its tridoshic philosophy. Vata, Pitta and Kapha symbolize the intelligences that lie beneath biological processes. They are derived from the elements (space, air, water, fire and earth). Understanding the doshas helps in balancing these elements as they shift, change, increase and decrease in the body, through the ages and in the environment.

Since the concept of the tridosha is integral to ayurvedic practice, it is useful to examine three definitions given by three modern ayurvedic practitioners who have translated this ancient system to a modern audience:

Dr. Vansant Lad on the ‘energy’ behind Vata Pitta Kapha:

“Dosha means three principles that govern psychophysiological response and pathological changes. The doshas— vata, pitta, and kapha— bind the five elements into living flesh…Vata is the energy of movement, pitta the energy of transformation, digestion or metabolism, and kapha the energy of lubrication and structure.”

Robert Svoboda’s emphasis on the doshas as intangible ‘forces’:

“These three are forces, not substances. Kapha is not mucus; it is the force which when projected into the body causes mucus to arise. Pitta is not bile; it is the force that causes bile to be produced. Vata is not gas, but increased Vata increases gas. Vata, Pitta and Kapha are called doshas because the word dosha means "a thing that can go out of whack." When Vata, Pitta and Kapha are out of balance with one another the system is bound to lose its own balance.”

Sunil V. Joshi on how to ‘observe’ doshas:

“ They can’t be “objectively” studied under a microscope or in a test tube though their influence in the body is all-pervasive...Ayurveda relies on observation and comparison to understand how they work in the body. The dosas play an active but somewhat invisible role in orchestrating the processes that create and sustain the body.”

These three practitioners emphasize a similar premise in approaching the doshas — the doshas as subjective background forces ever-present behind all at play in the bodymind. If you grew up with the prominence of modern science, the subjectivity of Ayurveda can be frustrating at first due to its exploration of the intangible. As Svoboda writes, “the rishis were not interested in minute detail; they looked deeper, trying to discover organizing principles”.

Without negating the value of objective scientific inquiry, Ayurveda takes a subjective rather than objective perspective to health, giving importance to the individual’s ability to sense doshic activity and make the day-to-day decisions that support equilibrium based on one’s own sensory perceptions. Exploring the doshic activity in your own system and environment can lead to deep connection with the elements that they represent leading to greater control and refinement over the ever-changing inner landscape.

If for example you are prone to acne, it is a common reaction to isolate this issue and treat it topically. With ayurvedic knowledge, you can connect this with other tendencies. Should you notice heartburn, irritability, or inflammation in other areas, you are making useful links. If the acne happens to worsens in summer and you have a tendency towards eating spicy/oily foods, then you can confidently attribute this pattern to excessive pitta which can then be addressed with balancing the fire and water elements through diet and lifestyle practices.

When it comes to the body, it is rarely this formulaic and it requires some reflection and observation to trace that thread back to its primary doshic root. It can also be in many cases deceiving, especially when the subtle and mobile quality (vata) is involved in pushing other doshas to the surface, masking its origins.

In trying to understand the doshas and their relevance, there needs to be a willingness to embrace mystery, the unknown/unknowable and the changing/shape-shifting nature of things. With Ayurveda, you might not get the formulaic answer we all crave when wanting to solve a problem. Nor is the tridosha a diagnostic tool in the way we are used to seeing through a modern medical lens.

The tridosha helps to connect with subtle processes that can reveal our nature as seen through the concept of Prakruti, as well as our current fluctuating imbalances also known as Vikruti.

With Ayurveda, the body is not a problem to be solved. Rather it is a field of knowledge in which to explore with gentleness rather than exactitude.

Sources

Joshi, Sunil V. (1998). Ayurveda and Panchakarma: The Science of Healing and Rejuvenation. Motilal Banarsidass Publisher.

Lad, V. (2002). Textbook of Ayurveda. Ayurvedic Press.

Sharma, H. M., & Clark, C. (2012). Ayurvedic Healing : Contemporary Maharishi Ayurveda medicine and science. Singing Dragon Press.

Svoboda, R. E. (1998). Prakriti. Lotus Press.

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