Qualities of the Doshas
In This Chapter
- A look at the qualities of each Dosha
- Assessing which attributes relate to you
- Balancing Doshic qualities with your diet and lifestyle
- Evaluating how your choices affect your body
- Addressing the underlying causes of your imbalances
Now that you’ve read Chapter 4 and have an understanding of the Doshas and which relate to you, let’s dive further into each of their qualities.
Each Dosha has various attributes that associate with mental and physical traits. In this chapter, I break down these characteristics and then ask you a series of questions so you can see which relate to you. You may connect to qualities of more than one Dosha because they often overlap. For example, water is present in both Pitta and Kapha, so both have oily characteristics.
Keep in mind that you are not stuck with the qualities you were born with. The choices you make influence the way you are today, including your weight, skin, hair, digestion, and energy levels. After assessing what qualities you have, I give you more questions to help you determine how your dietary and lifestyle choices affect these characteristics. Are you ready to dive in?
Understanding the Doshas as Qualities
To really get a grasp of the Doshas, you must first understand them as elements. As mentioned in Chapter 4, the Doshas are made of the five elements—air, ether (space) fire, earth, and water. Here’s how each are aligned:
Vata = air + ether
Pitta = fire + water
Kapha = earth + water
You were born with a certain amount of each element, but they change throughout your life due to the season, your diet, your stress level, your exercise habit, your emotional state, and a host of other factors.
Remember, Vatas have more airy, dry, and moving characteristics like dry skin, bloating, constipation, creative personalities, and desire to move. Pittas have more fiery, oily characteristics, including strong appetites and digestions, heartburn, loose stools, oily skin, strong personalities, and desire to achieve. Kaphas have more earthy, grounded characteristics such as a tendency toward weight gain, thick hair, sedentary bodies, and moist skin.
These are overall guidelines about what someone of only one Dosha is like. However, we are all a combination of the three Doshas, and our imbalances actually relate to specific qualities within each.
Each Dosha has a series of attributes, such as coldness, oiliness, or heaviness. Let’s look at what each of these attributes are and what they mean for you. Then I ask you some questions so you can gauge your own.
Vata Attributes
Which relate to you?
Vata
Pitta Attributes
Which relate to you?
Pitta
Kapha Attributes
Which relate to you?
Kapha
Your Qualities
Now that you have an understanding of the different qualities that make up the Doshas, where do you stand?
- Are you more cold or hot in nature?
- Are you more dry or oily?
- Are you more light or heavy?
- Are you more mobile or static?
- Are you more clear or sticky?
- Are you more rough or smooth?
These qualities, called the gunas, can help you better understand your body and the effects of the foods you put in it. There are 10 pairs of gunas, which I discuss more in Chapter 19.
In order to maintain health, you have to recognize your own subtle qualities and know what works for you. If you are naturally dry, putting dry foods in your body only heightens your imbalance, causing more dry skin and constipation. If you are naturally oily, eating fried or oily foods only worsens your acne and digestive issues. If you are naturally heavy, eating heavy foods only makes you want to hit the couch more.
Balancing Your Qualities
To balance these attributes, you must offset them with the opposite qualities:
- Vatas and Kaphas are both cold by nature, so they need warming foods.
- Pittas are hot by nature, so they need cooling, refreshing foods.
- Vatas are dry by nature, so they need more oily food.
- Pittas and Kaphas are oily by nature, so they need more drying and astringent foods.
- Vatas and Pittas are mobile by nature, so they need more grounding foods.
- Kaphas are dense by nature, so they need more light and stimulating foods.
- Vatas are rough by nature, so they need more creamy and soft foods.
- Kaphas are soft by nature, so they need more rough, fibrous foods.
- Pittas are sharp by nature, so they need more smooth foods.
- Vatas are more astringent by nature, so they need more sweet and salty foods.
- Pittas are more sour, bitter, and pungent by nature, so they need more sweet and astringent foods.
- Kaphas are more sweet and salty by nature, so they need more bitter, pungent and astringent foods.
In general, you must counterbalance your body’s qualities with foods of the opposite quality so you reach equilibrium.
Your Choices Affect Your Characteristics
Knowing these basic qualities can help improve your health tremendously. They make it clear the impact of your external choices on your internal well-being.
Now, think about your own life and answer the following questions so you can assess how your choices are affecting the qualities of your body:
- Are the foods you eat more hot (like warm, cooked meals and soups) or cold (like salads, wraps, and snacks)?
- Are they more oily (like stir-fries and stews) or dry (like salads and crackers)?
- Are they more sweet (including all carbs), sour (like lemons), salty (like chips or seaweed), bitter (like brussels sprouts), pungent (like onions and garlic), or astringent (like chickpeas and cranberries)?
- Are the foods you eat more heavy (like steak, eggs, and potatoes) or light (like steamed vegetables and salads)?
- How does your body feel in general—more dense and heavy or mobile and light? How do you feel after meals?
- Is your lifestyle more active or sedentary?
- Is your skin more dry, oily, or smooth?
Addressing the Causes
These questions help you recognize how your dietary and lifestyle choices directly attribute to your bodily qualities. You might complain about acne but don’t realize all the oils in your diet attribute to it. You might gain weight but don’t think it’s caused by your heavy diet. Now that you are aware, let’s look at how you can counterbalance your excess qualities.
Dryness
If you noticed you have dry skin, hair, or nails and/or suffer from constipation and most of the foods you are eating are dry, that’s your problem right there! You need more healthy oils in your diet to combat your dryness. Try cooking with sesame or coconut oil.
Dry foods: Crackers, chips, granola bars, cereal
Better choices: Stews, curries, stir-fries, avocados, nuts, healthy oils
If you have oily skin and hair and/or have heartburn and the majority of food you eat is oily, that’s what you have to change. Decrease oils in your diet, including naturally oily nuts. Favor more leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables.
Oily foods: Oils, nuts, fried foods, tempura, stir-fries
Better choices: Steamed veggies, rice, fruits, oil-free curries and dressings
Heaviness
If you feel low in energy, have a hard time losing weight, and eat many heavy foods, that’s your culprit. Try cutting fried foods and meat out of your diet and replace them with plant-based proteins like lentils and chickpeas. You don’t gain more muscle the more protein you eat. Too much protein also contributes to fat. Kaphas require the least amount of protein in their diet because it makes them heavier and denser.
Heavy foods: Fried foods, meat, bread, pasta, eggs, stews
Better choices: Steamed veggies, salads, lentils, sprouts, seeds
Wisdom of the Ages
Look at a food’s qualities instead of calories. High-calorie foods are always heavy in quality. Instead of thinking, This food is high in calories so I can’t have it, think This food is heavy, and will make me feel heavy, so I don’t want it. Instead of placing restrictions on yourself, give yourself the option and choose not to have certain foods because of the way they make you feel.
Lightness
If you sometimes feel cold, dizzy, or forgetful and eat mostly cold, light foods like snacks or salads, that’s your issue. Try adding more grounding foods into your diet, like root vegetables and stews, to offset your lightness. This is particularly important for Vatas, who have a tough time grounding.
Light foods: Popcorn, salads, smoothies, raw foods
Better choices: Sweet potatoes, squash, ginger, parsnips, soups, stews
Your diet and lifestyle play a huge role in the qualities within your body. You can offset your natural imbalances by making up for them in your diet and everyday life.
The first step is to understand the qualities within your body. Then, you can focus on the qualities of the foods you regularly consume. Finally, you can counterbalance your qualities with those in your food to create lasting health.
The Least You Need to Know
- Each Dosha has particular attributes that influence the body.
- Vata has cold, light, dry, rough, subtly mobile, and clear qualities.
- Pitta has hot, sharp, light, oily, smooth, damp, and sticky qualities.
- Kapha has heavy, slow, cool, oily, and damp qualities.
- To regain equilibrium, you must counterbalance these uneven qualities with your diet and lifestyle.