THE DOSHAS: VATA+PITTA+KAPHA


Doshas are patterns of energy that make up your unique physical, emotional, and mental constitution. You are usually born with one primary energy and one is usually imbalanced. Always treat your imbalanced dosha.


Vata: air and ether

Qualities: light, dry, variable, and cold.

Physical/mental characteristics: tall, long bones, thin, fine bone structure, thin lips, and unprounced muscles. And any sort of extreme: like an extremely large nose or unusual characteristic. Changes mind a lot, comes up with great ideas and starts projects but doesn’t finish, creativity, and lots of thoughts.

Signs of Imbalance: constipation, dry skin, anxiety, worry, fear, spaciness, hypertension, insomnia, lack of juiciness in your body and life, exhausted, overwhelmed, hard to make decisions, easily overwhelmed, scattered, and intense sensitivity (you notice everything-the feel of your clothes/tags, sounds, and bodily sensations).

To balance vata:

  • Think warm and wet: stay warm, eat warm foods, warm drinks, and avoid anything that is drying and cold.

  • Practice abhyanga, an self-massage with warm oil.

  • Weight training

  • Maintain a routine: try to keep a regular waking, sleeping, and eating schedule

  • Energy practices and grounding (sitting on the earth)


Pitta: Fire and a little water

Qualities: hot, sharp, oil, lightness, and intense.

Physical/mental characteristics: Muscular, toned, and medium structure. Pitta people are naturally strong, both in mind and body. Intense, well spoken/articulate, passionate, and competitive. Many athletes are pitta.

Signs of Imbalance: Fever, loose stools, skin rashes, acne, any type of inflammation, uncontrollable anger, stressed, critical, bossy, perfectionist, heartburn, lack of sweetness in life, and working late into the night/overworking.

To balance pitta: 

  • Think cool and sweet for every life experience-foods, interactions, and even exercise (how can you make it fun and less intense?).

  • Don’t skip lunch, pittas are most likely to get hangry.

  • Meditate and yoga nidra.

  • Reduce coffee and alcohol-both are heating to the body.

  • Favor exercise that is slow and grounding-even though your tendency is to want to do vigorous hot yoga, HIIT classes, or sprints, try to balance your exercise regime with slow, methodical yoga or weight training.



Kapha: Earth and water

Qualities: cold, smooth, wet, heavy, and thick.

Physical/mental characteristics: curvy, full lips, wavy hair, loving, grounded, calm, slower speech, easy gain weight but harder to lose, and a good immune system.

Signs of imbalance: congestion, fatigue/lethargy, possessiveness, lack of zest for life, heavy or blocked in general, uninspired, respiratory conditions, overly sentimental, mucousy stools, slow digestion, and oversleep.

To balance kapha:  

  • Think warm. Stay warm, eat warm food, and add warming spices to your food.

  • Move!!! Vigorous exercise and move your lymph by dry brushing your skin. 

  • Try to wake up with the sun and avoid napping..

  • Eat your heaviest meal at mid-day when your digestion is the highest.