The Constitution: The Tridosha
Shantree Kacera, R.H., D.N., Ph.D.
According to Ayurveda and most ancient traditions, the five elements can exist in the material universe at all organic and inorganic scales, from peas to planets. When they enter into the biology of a living organism, man, for example, acquires a biological form. The five elements are coded into three biological forces that govern all life processes. These three forces are known as the three doshas, or simply the tridosha. The tridosha regulates every physiological and psychological process in the living organism. The interplay among them determines the qualities and conditions of the individual. A harmonious state of the three doshas creates balance and health; an imbalance, an excess or deficiency, manifests as a sign or symptom of a disease.
The three doshas are known as Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.
These three doshas are fundamental biological energies that regulate all an individual's life processes. As we will discuss later, although all individuals are made up of these same three energies, we all have them in unique proportions. The doshas obtain their qualities by virtue of their elemental composition, as we can see in the simple diagram below.
Elements Composing the Tridosha
Each of the three doshas is composed of two elements:
Vata is composed of Air and Ether;
Pitta of Fire and Water;
Kapha of Water and Earth.
Vata dosha has the mobility and quickness of Air and Ether; Pitta dosha has the metabolic qualities of Fire and Water; Kapha dosha has the stability and solidity of Water and Earth. So when we are in balance, these forces are life-supporting, but when imbalanced, they are the agents of disease and suffering.
Understanding Your Constitution
Constitutional medicine is a simple means of determining what you are born with, the combination of principles or forces that determine your individuality. Your constitution reveals the blueprint outlining the innate tendencies built into your system. It shows the functional habits of the body as determined by the genetic endowment of the individual and modified by environmental factors. It reveals your uniqueness and your hidden potential – your challenges and lessons, along with your gifts. Your personality, body and mind are a direct reflection of your constitution.
Constitutional medicine is the art and science of understanding the uniqueness of the individual. Only you display the elements and doshas in your own way. The ratio of the elements in your constitution and the qualities it expresses are unique to every individual, as are our fingerprints. This ratio is the baseline against which you can compare the current levels of your element; it reflects characteristic tendencies and susceptibility to illness.
The main difference between individuals is the degree to which the elements interact with one another within each body type. Because everything is composed of antagonistic and complementary factors and tendencies, and everything operates due to the change of relationships between these opposing factors and tendencies, human physical and mental manifestations are also constituted and function by these factors and tendencies. A person’s constitution stays the same throughout the person’s lifetime, within reasonable ebb and flow of the elements is a flowing entity, rather than a static entity. Only our physio-psychological aspects change in our lives, and, as well, our personal choices.
“The individual's basic constitution remains unaltered during the lifetime, as it is genetically determined. The combination of elements present at birth remains constant. However, the combination of elements that governs the continuous physio-pathological changes in the body alters in response to environmental changes.” -Dr. Vasant Lad
The ancient wisdom of constitutional medicine provides specific guidelines to help us identify our constitutional nature. Knowing your constitution is the first step to anticipating disorders and imbalances that can create disease. Equally, this knowledge enables you to adjust your life to balance your Elements.
“In the constitution, one has inherited something unassimilated, conflicting or unresolved from past generations. This can serve as an obstacle or as a stimulus to greater effort and a new possibility of achievement. We must recognize constitutional tendencies as focal points we should not wish to do without; they are signposts on the road to healing that we cannot evade. They direct us toward the unfinished business of past generations.”
-Harri Wolf ‘The Iris and the Constitution’