Why Your Ayurvedic Type Doesn’t Matter, Plus What to Focus on Instead
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Do you know your Ayurvedic "type," or dosha? Typing quizzes to tell you your Ayurvedic Dosha are popular in the west.
However, this way of thinking about dosha is non-existent in India, where Ayurveda originates. Dosha is simply an indication of which elemental forces are most present in you.
This means both in your lifelong constitution as well as your current state of balance or imbalance.
Your dosha isn't 'you'
Some people feel pigeonholed or limited by their doshic type.
The good news is that you don’t need to know OR identify with your dosha in order to put Ayurveda into practice in your life. The true essence of Ayurveda is about being in touch with your current reality. This includes your mental, emotional, physical, and environmental states.
From there, all you need to do is respond to the qualities that are arising in order to find balance.
Keep it simple
Let’s say you don’t know your dosha at all. How can you make sound choices for your wellbeing?
All you need to know is your current state. Where are the excesses and where are the deficits?
That’s it.
Then you can move toward solutions that bring excesses into check and bolster up areas of deficit.
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Let's try an example
For instance, if your stomach is bothering you, does your digestion seem to be heavy and slow? Or is it hot, sharp, and overdigesting? Or maybe it’s totally variable from one hour to the next.
In this case, all you need to do is bring in the opposite qualities to find balance. You don’t even need to know whether it’s vata, pitta, or kapha at play! (Though if you’re an Ayurvedic geek like me, I bet you can guess which it is in each scenario).
Your body knows
The real beauty of Ayurveda is that it’s based on the truth of your body-mind complex in THIS moment.
It’s simple enough for a child to connect to, observe the sensations in their own body, and choose simple, uncomplicated solutions to bring themselves into balance.
So if you’re new to Ayurveda, don’t stress! The point is simply to connect more deeply to what’s going on for you from moment-to-moment. Let your intuition and discernment do the rest!
The final scoop on dosha
While this may be a little controversial in the Ayurveda world, dosha isn't really the be-all-end-all of an Ayurvedic lifestyle. What is?
Being in touch with the reality of your own inner and outer experience, right now. Then making choices for what's best for you based on that inner knowing.
All the food lists in the world can't do that.
