Chapter 4

Determining Your Constitution

In This Chapter

Discovering your constitution type

Understanding vata, pitta and kapha types

Knowing the significance of taking your pulse

Ayurvedic therapy is based on knowledge of your constitution – of your unique mind–body condition. In Sanskrit, the word for constitution is prakruti, or ‘first creation’, which relates to your constitution at birth. Ayurveda sees illness as a product of your lifestyle more than an invasion by an outside force, and different constitution types depend on different approaches to maintain a healthy balance. Armed with the knowledge of your constitution type, you can select what’s best for you from the rest of this book.

This chapter contains information essential to understanding how to put the advice in this book to work for you. If you want to get the most out of this book, read this chapter and determine what type of constitution you have. This chapter arms you with all you need to know to get the best out of the book regardless of your diet and lifestyle choices.

The sensory inputs of your mother had a great effect on you before you were born. Whether your mother was contented or conflicted, listened to Mozart or heavy metal – all these factors can result in an increase of agitation and aggravate vata dosha (see the next section for an explanation of the doshas).

Other influences are hereditary traits – both strengths and weaknesses – along with the age and fitness of your parents. More esoteric influences, such as the position of the planets at the time of birth, also influenced your constitution at the time of your birth, along with the seasonal influences and the condition of the sperm and ova at the moment of conception.

Evaluating Your Constitution Type

The following sections offer ways to determine your constitution type, or dosha, from three different aspects: physical type, physiological traits and psychological characteristics. The word dosha actually means ‘fault’ in Sanskrit, because the elements that make up your dosha are constantly subject to change. Therefore they can very easily go out of balance.

The doshic types are:

Vata: Classed as an ectomorph in Western typology, you’re either taller or shorter than average, slim, and not able to put weight on easily. Mentally, you’re very agile and curious but quickly bored. You’re prone to nervous ailments and anxiety.

Pitta: You’re a mesomorph in Western typology, being of medium build. Mentally, you’re very focused and can sustain concentration. You’re prone to inflammatory disorders of all types, such as mouth ulcers, skin rashes and bouts of anger.

Kapha: You’re closest to an endomorph in Western typology – heavy set, and you easily put on weight that you can’t shift. Mentally, you can deal with stress well but are susceptible to depression. You have a tendency towards lymphatic problems.

You can determine your constitution type in more detail by going through each table in this chapter and putting a tick next to any description you think applies to you. If you think that none of the descriptions in one row apply to you, ignore that line or ask how a friend perceives you. If you decide that the characteristics in two of the columns pertain to you, then tick them both. You’ll almost certainly find that you’re a mixture of doshas. I explain what to do when you’ve discovered your dosha in the later section ‘Determining Your Dosha’.

Checking your physical type

You can get started determining your doshic profile by looking at your physical traits. Table 4-1 outlines the physical features of each doshic type.

Looking at physiological traits

The doshas operate in different ways, with vata acting erratically, pitta in an exaggerated fashion and kapha in a slow and sluggish way. Table 4-2 goes more deeply into the physiological traits of each dosha.

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Getting your finger on the pulse

An experienced Ayurvedic practitioner can use the pulse to confirm your constitutional profile. This is because the pulse is said to be a true picture of who you are. It represents the rhythm of your life, because all your spiritual, mental and physical experiences are embedded within it.

Taking your pulse holds no mystery – all it demands from you is practice. The best time to take your pulse is first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

If you’re female, begin by placing your right hand, palm facing upwards, under your left wrist just below the thumb, which also is facing upwards. Use the opposite side if you’re male. Don’t be tempted to take your pulse with your fingers at the top of the upturned wrist, because they’ll be in the wrong position. You’ll feel a notch at the top end of your upturned forearm just below the base of your thumb. Now place your index finger below it to feel the pulse of the radial artery.

Ayurveda describes the rhythm and course of the pulsation as the movement of animals, so it’s easy to conceptualise. Try to get a sense of the temperature, speed and type of movement of your pulse. Your index finger in this position is connected to vata dosha, and the movement that you feel is that of a snake or a leech. It’s cool, thready and fast. Now lift your index finger and use your middle finger, which falls just one finger-width beneath it. This is where the pitta dosha resides; the movement here is like a frog or sparrow. You’ll experience the pulse here as warm, strong, sharp and fast.

Finally, place your ring finger on the artery so that you’re three finger widths from the notch below your thumb. This is often the most difficult to find because it’s dull, heavy, cool and distant to the touch, and has the motion of a swan.

If you feel confident with this analysis, then add it to the constitutional tables in this chapter. You’ll gain intimacy with pulse taking the more you do it, so keep practising.

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Assessing your mental state

The balance of the gunas – the three subtle energies (rajas, tamas and sattwa, explained in Chapter 2) that give you certain characteristics or tendencies in your emotional makeup – determines your psychological traits.

Generally, vata is connected to rajas and movement, hence these individuals’ constant desire for change. Sattwa is connected to pitta and associated with the ability to concentrate for long periods. Finally, tamas is connected to kapha and can make an individual slow and deliberate with a tendency to dislike change.

Table 4-3 outlines the various psychological traits associated with the three doshas.

Determining Your Dosha

Totting up the ticks in each column in each of the tables in this chapter gives you a rough estimation of your doshic make-up. The column with the most ticks is your primary dosha; the one with the second-most number of ticks is your secondary dosha. There are very few pure types, and most people come under what’s known as a dual prakruti, where two doshas are fairly prominent.

If one dosha stands out in your analysis, follow the instructions for your diet and lifestyle listed in the rest of the book. If, on the other hand, you have a fairly even score of two doshas, follow the diet and lifestyle changes listed for when one of the two doshas predominates. This is also true for those of you who are fairly evenly balanced between the three, or tridoshic. In selecting the right diet, you can always find tastes which are common to both doshas; for example, a naturally sweet taste pacifies both vata and pitta.