Understanding the Doshas
Dosha is a Sanskrit word that means “Imbalance”.
We wouldn’t have much need to understand the Doshas if it weren’t for the disruption (disease) they cause when they’re not kept in balance.
These three forces (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) are always at work within us.
They work in a never-ending cycle of:
Accumulation: Occurs when we bring in their qualities through our 5 senses (The foods we eat, the sounds we hear, the scents we smell, the sights we see, and the sensations we feel.)
Aggravation: Occurs when the Doshas are performing their natural contribution to the body
Alleviation: When the Dosha’s activity is complete and the energy releases, retreats and begins accumulating all over again.
You can think of the behavior of the Doshas like the a wave as it approaches the shore. It builds up, reaches a peak, and then crashes into the shore and retreats back out into the ocean.
It’s a never-ending process.
But what happens when we don’t build lifestyle choices that encourage the alleviation of these forces? What happens if they just keep accumulating and aggravating but never alleviate? They begin to overflow, and this overflow is the birth of the disease process at the subtle energetic level.
The purpose of studying this information, is to understand what balance feels like for you so that you can notice imbalance the moment it begins to manifest at the subtle level of energy. The quicker you can spot imbalance, the quicker you can apply a balancing sensory experience.
The whole theory of making lifestyle choices for your Dosha is that you are approaching health from the angle of making choices to either:
1. Balance an imbalance you’re presently experiencing
2. If no imbalances are present, then you’re managing your health by building habits around keeping your most dominant natural Dosha(s) from going out of balance in the first place
One set of practices speaks to an imbalance that is presenting itself right now, the other is a more preventative approach to lifestyle (when no imbalances are presenting).
To learn about your most dominant natural Dosha(s), click here.
If you already know your Doshic nature, and you just want to learn about sensory experiences you can create to balance these energies, click here.