There are many web sites out there that can help get a general idea of your Dosha, and I am not going to do that here. If you need a starting point, here is one that seemed pretty accurate and short: Banyan Dosha Quiz. In this blog I want to take things a little further and help you fine tune your findings and deepen your awareness of the forces that shape us.

Question 1: Consider your background and the DNA stock that you come from. What is average for your genetic pool? Say, you come from Northern European descent and the type of constitution prevalent in Norway and Finland, for example, are people who are tall, with pale skin, sturdy Viking types, and, say, you are all of that, but you live in China. Compared to the small-statured Chinese, you seem like a classic Kapha type. However, compared to other Finns and Norwegians, you may actually notice that your skin has more freckles, your system is prone to inflammations, whenever you are ill you often run a high fever, then maybe your particular constitution would have a higher percentage of Pitta. Or, if you are of a Chinese descent, and you may look like a Vata/Pitta among the average US population, but when you are among other Chinese it becomes apparent that you have a stockier, sturdier build, that even without excess weight you have a density to your flesh, and especially if you have a slower digestion that grinds to a halt on the American heavy and deep fried food, then maybe your constitution is closer to Kapha. Compare apples to apples, in other words.

Question 2. Consider your own bias. Based on the descriptions of the doshas, it may be likely that most people want to be either a Pitta or a Vata. Pittas are portrayed as successful businessmen with acute intellects, while Vatas are portrayed as fashionably thin and creative. But there are no bad or good Doshas, and not all Kaphas have the heavyset, big-boned, slow-witted presentation, especially if you consider the question number one above. It depends on your ancestors and your particular mix of DNA and it may not be as clear-cut and as apparent as the basic questionnair would make us believe. Ayurveda has no simple answers, which is why it is such a challenging, and yet rewarding, field of study.

Question 3. Consider the difference between Prakriti and Vikriti, or our essential nature that we were born with, and our current state of imbalance, which can mask our nature. In cold, windy weather all doshas would experience the dryness, irritability, anxiety and spaciness to some degree - classic signs of a Vata imbalance. It is all a matter of degree, however, and a true Vata would experience these things to a much, much greater degree than a Pitta. We have all three doshas in various percentages, so a Vata (60) Pitta (30) Kapha (10) Prakriti in August might be in the throws of a typical Pitta aggravation, despite being predominantly Vata.

I have put links throughout the text for you to follow threads towards blog entries that expand the particular topics highlighted. Happy searching!


Namaste,

Anna M.