How Do I Work Out My Ayurvedic Constitution and How I Am Out of Balance? My Symptoms Fit Into Every Category When I Try To Self-Diagnose

Aah, how to work out our Ayurvedic constitution; where and why we have been thrown off, and how we get back into balance...

Harmony versus imbalance

1. We are all made up of all the doshas (vata, pitta, and kapha) to varying degrees, one or two are usually more dominant than others. It’s a story of percentages, and we are all completely unique. Someone could have 2% kapha while another has 98%. You get the picture.

2. We are born with a constitution - our prakruti - which is formed at the moment of conception. I often think of prakruti in musical terms: it is our original harmonious melody.

3. Life’s wear and tear. Our journey of experiences and ups and downs then take our constitution off-kilter. Our current state of imbalance is called our vikruti. This is the discord versus the harmony of our prakruti. It is also made of the three doshas.

4. Then there is imbalance and disease. In Ayurveda, there are 6 stages to disease, while, modern western medicine sees only 3. Ayurveda wants to spot things early; bringing our state and dis-ease back into balance (often while it is still hidden from modern western medical eyes).

I tell you this because when you self-diagnose through symptoms, that you are ticking all the dosha imbalance boxes could well be the case. But what is showing up and how is what needs to be worked out. For there are a multitude of reasons, routes and root causes that have got you here.

A little on the doshas

1. Vata is the only dosha that moves, so it is usually heading up the tribe of imbalance, it is the driver while pitta and kapha are the passengers.

2. Vata, pitta and kapha can get out of balance at different stages of the month for menstruating women, if not kept in check this can lead to hormonal discord and deeper imbalance. Similarly, different stage of life are ruled by different doshas.

3. Each season has a prominent dosha, which needs to be kept in check before the next season comes in (hello seasonal cleanse!). Each season throws in a new load of qualities on top of what you’re already packing.

Life in the 21st century

1. Life in the 21st century, especially for city-dwellers, is intrinsically vata-imbalancing. There is so much going on, the stimulus, pollution in the ether (including EMF), blue screens, being pulled in a multitude of directions etc.

2. There is a lot of anxiety being fed through the media and masses, this will throw off all the doshas too - again, starting with vata.

So - in answer to your question. Your symptoms could be down to many different things, and it is not surprising that you are experiencing so many symptoms. Some of what you say sounds like you have ama (undigested toxic waste) circulating your system (which requires a cleanse). Ama causes digestive issues, fatigue; while vata imbalance will cause dry skin and fatigue too. There is so much going on in life, and everything going on in your life needs to be taken into consideration. I would highly recommend you see a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner to diagnose and get to the root of your imbalance. They should take you through the cleanse I mention above as well as working out what is going on for you. This is intricate stuff that I can just point towards here, but you get the melee of considerations that need to be factored in. I do online consultations if it feels like a good fit, feel free to get in touch here. Love, Selina

By Selina Van Orden

atyourbest.one @_atyourbest