By Setareh Kiumarsi
Let’s first explain what the word Ayurveda actually means…
Ayurveda is a healing system that originates from India. Many archaeologists believe it to be one of the oldest medical systems in the world.
The word Ayurveda is made up of two parts: Ayur meaning life and Veda meaning knowledge or science. So, Ayurveda literally means “The Science of Life.”
Ayurveda, along with other disciplines, is known as one of the “sister sciences” — such as Yoga, Jyotish (Vedic astrology), Vastu (Vedic architecture), and other Vedic sciences. These sciences aim to teach people the art of living well and staying well. Working hand-in-hand, they offer the individual the treasure of complete and lasting wellness — for both body and soul.
The First Important Question: What Is the Difference Between Ayurveda and Modern (Contemporary) Medicine?
What do you think is the difference in the concept of healing between Ayurveda and modern or contemporary medicine?
In modern medicine, the treatment process is disease-centered! That is, the same medication is usually prescribed for patients with the same illness (for example, the common cold). But in traditional medical systems, the approach is different…
Various traditional systems like Ayurveda, Traditional Iranian Medicine, and Traditional Chinese Medicine are patient-centered!
What does that mean?
In these traditional approaches, it’s believed that patients have different constitutions (temperaments) and therefore vary from one another. Because of these differences, the treatment process is uniquely tailored for each person based on their own constitution! To understand this better, let’s look at an example:
Imagine two people:
- One is very skinny and no matter how much fattening food they eat, they never gain weight.
- The other is overweight and swears they don’t eat much, but they gain weight even by drinking water…
What’s the reason behind this difference?
It all comes down to their completely different body constitutions! These differences mean that food beneficial for one may be harmful or even toxic for the other. Because of this, providing a one-size-fits-all health solution to people with varying constitutions simply doesn’t work.
So, in Ayurveda and its similar systems, you can’t prescribe the same treatment to everyone with the same symptoms! This is what we mean by Ayurveda being “patient-centered.”
So What’s the Treatment Approach in These Systems?
The Healing Process in Ayurveda
When we talk about healing in Ayurveda, what exactly does this process include?
In modern medicine, when we visit a doctor, we expect a prescription— and that’s usually it! In other words, the medication plays the central, and often the only, role in healing.
But what is the foundation of treatment in Ayurveda? Is it just an herbal remedy that solves everything?
Absolutely not!
The herbal blend makes up only 5% of what the patient consumes in a day. If the remaining 95% of what the person eats and does goes against their constitution, then even the strongest herbal remedy will be ineffective— its effects canceled out by the person’s daily unhealthy habits.
That’s why Ayurveda offers a very comprehensive approach to healing. To be healthy and to remain so, every aspect of a person’s life needs to be aligned with their constitution, body condition, diet, and lifestyle.
This means that everything, from nutrition, herbal remedies, lifestyle habits, types of physical activity, yoga exercises, sleeping and waking times, is customized for the individual.
Even the colors of their clothes and environment, healing stones, massage oils, and aromatherapy scents are all tailored to each person’s constitution. And many other elements vary too depending on their unique body type.
The Main Responsibility for Healing Lies with the Patient
The most important lesson to learn is how to treat your body, mind, and soul in accordance with your individual constitution. In fact, the main responsibility for healing lies with us, the patients — and how well we apply this wisdom to our daily lives.
Each person, by learning the principles of their own constitution, can learn to understand the language of their body, engage with it, and maintain the balance of their body and soul.
So if we align our diet and lifestyle with our natural constitution, we maintain balance! But if we eat foods or adopt habits that conflict with our body type, it results in imbalance, which eventually leads to various physical and emotional disorders.
In the next post, Ayurveda in Simple Terms, you’ll be able to learn more about this science of life.
Please be sure to credit the author, Setareh Kiumarsi, when sharing or republishing this article, which was written with love and the hope of well-being for all.
In the previous post, we explored the first lesson in Ayurveda in simple language. In this one, we’ll continue the journey by diving into the five elements and the doshas. First question: what exactly are these five elements?
According to Ayurveda, everything in the universe is composed of a combination of five foundational elements: Space (Akash), Air (Vayu), Fire (Agni), Water (Apas), and Earth (Prithivi). Objects, plants, foods, animals, and humans—all are unique blends of these five.
Think of a stone. What’s its dominant element? Earth, of course. Or the cool breeze from a fan? That’s clearly air. Now, let’s break them down one by one.
1. Space (Akash)
The first element is space, or Akash in Sanskrit. Its dominant qualities are cold, dry, empty, and light. In nature, it’s the vast emptiness that holds everything—the sky, the gaps between stars. In the body, space shows up in the hollowness of the digestive tract when you’re hungry, or the emptiness inside your nostrils, lungs, and mouth.
2. Air (Vayu)
The second element is air, or Vayu. Its main qualities are dryness, mobility, lightness, and roughness. The most important feature of air is that it’s active—not only does it move, it causes other things to move too. Think of the wind: it can blow gently or push you off balance with force.
Inside the body, air shows up in anything that moves—gas in the digestive tract, your heartbeat, the flow of breath in and out of the lungs.
3. Fire (Agni)
The third element is fire, or Agni. It’s hot, dry, sharp, penetrating, and light. Think of the sun, of flames, of volcanic lava. In the body, fire represents your digestive enzymes, stomach acid, bile—and your body’s heat.
4. Water (Apas)
Fourth is water, or Apas (also pronounced Apa). Its qualities are cold, moist, oily, soft, and sticky. In nature: think of rain, rivers, and springs. In the body: saliva, mucus lining the digestive tract, urine, tears, plasma—all are water.
5. Earth (Prithivi)
The fifth and final element is earth, or Prithivi. Its qualities are cold, dry, dense, stable, and heavy. Earth brings structure and solidity. In nature, think of soil, sand, and rocks. In the body, it’s present in bones, cartilage, nails, teeth, and even hair.
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What Are the Doshas?
In Ayurveda, the five elements come together in the human body and mind through three primary Doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. These are functional energies that govern all biological and psychological processes.
In traditional Persian medicine, similar ideas exist under the term Akhlaat (humors), which include Soda (black bile), Safra (yellow bile), Dam (blood), and Balgham (phlegm).
Doshas are abstract yet powerful forces. Every dosha contains all five elements, but two dominate in each.
Vata – The Dosha of Movement
Vata is made of air and space. Its qualities: cold, dry, light, mobile, sharp, and rough. In nature, Vata is like the crisp wind of autumn. In the body, it’s the movement of gas in your digestive tract, your breath, your heartbeat, your muscles moving, your blinking, your thoughts jumping.
In Sanskrit, the root of the word Vata means “carrier” or “that which moves.” So anything involving transportation or movement in the body depends on Vata.
In Persian medicine, Vata somewhat resembles the humor Soda (black bile), which is cold and dry. But there’s a key difference: Soda is heavily associated with the element of earth, while Vata arises from air and space. We’ll explain more about that in a future post.
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Pitta – The Dosha of Transformation
Pitta is made of fire and water. It governs digestion, metabolism, and transformation—how food becomes energy, how thoughts become action. It’s hot, sharp, penetrating, and slightly fluid.
In Persian medicine, both Safra (yellow bile) and Dam (blood) are warm in nature. Bile being hot and dry, blood hot and moist. Both can fall under Pitta’s umbrella.
Some Ayurvedic texts, especially Sushruta Samhita (written by the legendary surgeon Sushruta), split Pitta into two parts:
• Pitta: hot and dry
• Rakta (meaning blood): hot and moist
This duality aligns more with Persian medicine’s four-humor theory. But most contemporary Ayurvedic sources continue to work with the classic three doshas.
In nature, Pitta is the fire in a volcano or the sun’s heat. In the body: think bile secreted by the liver. Bile is yellow, bitter, and sharp—its job is to digest heavy and fatty foods, just like bleach dissolving grease. Stomach acid, blood, and muscle heat are all Pitta’s domain.
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Kapha – The Dosha of Structure and Lubrication
Kapha is made of water and earth. It’s cool, moist, dense, stable, oily, and heavy. It gives the body cohesion and strength, and it governs lubrication, growth, and immunity.
In Persian medicine, this closely resembles phlegm. In nature, Kapha is snow, mud, or wet sand. In the body: the mucus at the back of your throat when you’re sick, the fat surrounding your muscles, or the fluid in your joints. The water in Kapha moisturizes skin and organs, while the earth provides form—your bones, your structure.
One key difference between Persian and Ayurvedic systems is this: in Persian medicine, Soda (black bile) is tied to earth and is considered the building block of bones and cartilage. In Ayurveda, this structural role is assigned to Kapha, thanks to its earth element.
Have you ever wondered how it’s possible that one person—no matter what they eat—never gains weight and stays thin as a reed, while another gains weight even from drinking a glass of water?
The answer lies in one word: constitution.
The body and mind of every individual is made up of a unique combination of the three doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. All three exist in every person to some degree. But in some people, one or two doshas are more dominant. That dominance means the qualities of that dosha are more present in their body and mind—and more prone to going out of balance.
Genetic Constitution, or Prakruti
Most people have one or two dominant doshas, and a few are tridoshic (with all three in relatively equal measure). This unique composition of doshas in an individual is called their Prakruti; their genetic or inborn constitution.
Your Prakruti is formed at the moment of conception, based on the doshas present in both parents. Nutrition, lifestyle, mental state—all of these in both mother and father—impact this formation. If both parents are Kapha-dominant, chances are high that their child will also be Kapha-dominant.
Everything about the parents at the moment of conception matters: their physical and emotional condition, what they’ve been eating, how balanced or unbalanced their own doshas are. If both parents are full of anxiety and restlessness, the child is likely to be Vata-dominant. If they’re stuck in inertia and depression, Kapha may take over. Even the season in which conception takes place can influence the doshic makeup of the baby!
Even the planets and seasons have their doshas!
According to Jyotish (Vedic astrology), every planet carries a particular doshic influence. When a child is conceived or born under certain planetary conditions, specific energies with specific doshic traits are emitted and absorbed—impacting the child’s constitution.
Each season also has its doshic quality. Summer is hot and dry—Pitta. Winter is cold and wet—Kapha. These factors subtly shape us, even before birth.
We’ve written more about Jyotish and Ayurveda’s sister sciences in a previous post.
During pregnancy, a mother’s diet, emotional state, and lifestyle can further shift the child’s doshic makeup.
For example:
• A mother who constantly eats spicy foods like eggplant, chili, and acidic ingredients may cause Pitta to dominate in the baby.
• One who consumes sweets, ice cream, and heavy, mucus-producing foods will likely boost Kapha.
• A mother who is frequently angry, yelling, or overwhelmed by intense emotions increases the fire element and may raise Pitta in the child.
• A mother who spends her time doing acts of kindness, serving others, and nurturing with love adds more water and Kapha to her being—and the baby’s. There’s a saying in Ayurveda: “Love is oily and rich.”
Present Constitution, or Vikruti
So we’ve seen that many factors shape our Prakruti at birth. But does that mean we stay the same for life?
Absolutely not!
Doshas are dynamic. They constantly shift based on internal and external factors: food, emotions, seasons, environment, habits, and even age.
Let’s say someone is born Pitta-Kapha, but now eats mostly spicy food, drinks coffee and alcohol. This inflames the fire element, and they may develop a Pitta imbalance, even though their genetic Prakruti had more Vata and Kapha.
Or another person spends the whole winter on the couch, binge-watching TV while eating ice cream, pastries, and rice dishes. Naturally, Kapha increases, leading to stagnation and imbalance.
The current state of the doshas in your body—your physical and emotional condition at this moment—is called your Vikruti. This is what traditional Persian medicine calls “acquired temperament.”
What is true health?
Ayurveda says that optimal health comes when your current constitution (Vikruti) is in balance and aligned with your original constitution (Prakruti). In Persian medicine, this is called the “inborn temperament.”
But for most of us, modern lifestyle and poor eating habits pull us far from that original balance.
In Ayurvedic healing, the goal is to bring the doshas back into harmony, so that both body and mind can return to a state of sustained wellness.
To discover your Prakruti or Vikruti, you can visit an Ayurvedic practitioner or take an online dosha test. If you’re fluent in English, there are also great resources online. And the more you understand your own nature, the more you can shape a lifestyle that supports your unique balance—and walk toward vibrant health.
