Ayurveda, the ancient science of life has evidences on how our forefathers used to diagnose or in other words, determine the Prakruti by just observing the patient and his activities. That’s why clinical tests play an important in the diagnosis of the patient. Right kind of diagnosis is very important to cure the disease from the roots. According to Ayurveda, Prakruti means innate character, physical constitution or disposition of a person, plays an important role in comprehending the physical and mental characteristics. With the changing social and cultural environment our behavioral aspect also gets affected but the most important fact is that our basic constitution remains constant throughout our lives, just as our blood group does not change throughout. Our constitution is a combination of the three doshas namely Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These three are the dynamic forces, which are contained in all living beings with the only difference being the degree of interaction of the doshas. Each dosha has a dominant element in them like the main element in Vata is Air, Pitta is Fire and Kapha is Water; similarly we identify ourselves as Vata, Pitta or Kapha and thereby relate ourselves as a composition of the great elements of the universe.
Based on the constitution, our Prakruti is determined. The effect of various diseases is based on the body constitution of a person. Just as the diseases the Ayurvedic treatments for varied diseases, varied formulations, daily regime, health recipes, etc are all based on the body constitution of a person. So it is important to understand the constitution of our body so that we can avoid health related problems and live a disease free life. Once we understand the body constitution we can customize our daily routine accordingly. Right from the food habits to our daily activities we can customize our lifestyle. Thus careful understanding about our own constitution can make us avoid health related problems.
The Seven Original Body Types
Originally, Ayurveda defined seven body types. These were Vata, Pitta, Kapha, Sama, Vata-Kapha, Vata-Pitta, and Pitta-Kapha. The first three types occur in their pure form very rarely, so seldom is it that anyone is primarily influenced by one dosha alone. Even more infrequent is the Sama Dosha (all three doshas in balance). More common are the combination body types, referred to as dual Prakruti, i.e. Vata-Kapha, Vata-Pitta, and Pitta-Kapha. In more recent times, these three dual types have been expanded to include six dual types. By reversing the two doshas within each dual type and considering it a separate type, i.e. Kapha-Vata, Pitta-Vata, Kapha-Pitta.