The doshas are the central idea of Ayurvedic medicine. The classical texts, above all the Charaka Samhita and the Ashtanga Hridayam, teach that three functional principles govern the body and mind. They are called vata, pitta and kapha, and each is described through a set of qualities and a set of jobs.
Vata is the principle of movement. It is linked in the texts with the breath, the flow of nerve impulses, the movement of the bowels and the activity of the mind. Its qualities are described as dry, light, cold, rough, subtle and mobile. Pitta is the principle of transformation, associated with digestion, body heat, metabolism, sight and the sharpness of the intellect. Its qualities are hot, sharp, oily, light and liquid. Kapha is the principle of structure and cohesion, linked with the body’s moisture, lubrication, stability and strength. Its qualities are heavy, slow, cool, oily, smooth and steady.
Each dosha is also tied in the tradition to the five great elements. Vata is said to be made of air and space, pitta of fire and a little water, and kapha of water and earth. These are classifications used for teaching, in the way a modern text might sort medicines into groups. They are not claims about chemistry.
Two further ideas appear throughout Ayurvedic writing. Prakriti is a person’s constitution, understood as the balance of the three doshas present from conception and fairly stable through life. Vikriti is the present state, the way the doshas stand today after food, season, work, sleep and stress have acted on them. Traditional practitioners compare the two when they decide what to advise.
It matters to be clear about what this is. Dosha typing is a framework from a traditional medical system. There is no accepted laboratory test for a dosha, and the many online quizzes that sort people into types are simplifications, not diagnoses. Different Ayurvedic teachers also apply the system differently, and where the sources differ we will say so.
In this section the guides will take each dosha in turn, then explain prakriti and vikriti, always attributing statements to the texts that make them. They will describe what the tradition suggests for food and routine, not what any dosha “causes” or “cures”. If you have a health concern, please see a qualified doctor, and in India a registered Ayurvedic practitioner (BAMS). Our medical disclaimer explains why.