Two Doshas, One You

Have you figured out your dominant dosha(s)?

Are there two?

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My constitution is vatta-pitta, and I’m trying to examine that whole thing. My daughter identified me as a kapha, which made me smile. I love being a kapha for her. Plus I’m channeling kapha right now for my 18 month old.

Really, how many of us fit exclusively into just the vata club or are on just the pitta team? It can get confusing when we strongly match two types. But having many characteristics of two types is the norm. It is easy to lay out the doshas and talk about what “kapha people” are like for the sake of clarity, but in real life, the lines are much, much fuzzier.

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We are not caricatures of the dosha types, but rather we are unique beings with a glorious mixture of energies. When we know our two biggie doshas, we can craft our master-plan for health with just the right tools.

Let’s explore some of the combos. It can be hard to pin down what a person who fits into any of these categories will be like, as their dosha combination will be different than the dosha mixture that other people have. This is pretty general; go by the lists in the earlier posts to decide which are your dominant two.

The Dosha Combinations

Vata-Pitta

Vatta-pitta type peeps tend to be quick on their feet like vatas. They talk your ear off. They are enterprising and quick-witted (they will out-maneuver you). They tend to be slender (not that they cannot become overweight). They are less fragile, physically and emotionally, then straight-up vatas. They tend to have stronger digestion.

Note: A person with this mixed dosha balance will have characteristics of both pitta and vata. The differences between one mixed dosha person and another mixed dosha person (even the same mix, such as vata-pitta), is infinite.

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Pitta-Vata

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People who fall into this type tend to have a medium build and to be fairly strong and muscular. Pitta-vatas can be good athletes, as they are light on their feet and they may enjoy competition. They have the intensity of pitta combined with the lightness of vata. They love a challenge and will dive in headfirst. This dosha mixture has been likened to the “Type A” personality.

Pitta-Kapha

Pitta-Kapha types are often of solid build and can be very muscular. They have that pitta fire. This body type tends to be great for athletics as well, with the endurance of a kapha and the drive of pitta. With a good combo of strong pitta digestion and kapha grounded-ness, this dosha type tends to be in really robust health.

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Kapha-Pitta

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Kapha-pittas have really good musculature, but they are a bit more relaxed that pitta-kapha. They have ambition, but can tend toward inertia.

Vata-Kapha

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This type can be hard to identify because the two doshas seem opposite. This type is usually found when a thin, vata type has a kapha’s relaxed, easygoing way about them. They are people who seem stable, and they are usually sweet-tempered. They can be quick on their feet when needed but tend to procrastinate.

Kapha-Vata

Tend to be more solidly built and slower moving. They are even more relaxed than vata-kapha.

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“Three Dosha” Type

Someone who is a three dosha type, where all of their doshas are dominant in pretty much equal amounts, has the best chance of staying in balance. This type of person will tend to be healthy and live a long life.

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If you feel stuck, try thinking of it this way: the amount of each dosha is more or less prominent at different times of the day and at different life stages. It is also useful to think about which dosha might be feeling a bit out of joint right now – it might not be your dominant dosha(s).

The dosha imbalance that we may be carrying currently is called our Vikruti, which means what we have going on right now, as opposed our Prakruti, which is what we were born with in terms of dosha activity, dominance and/or wonkiness.

You may be a pitta person with a vata imbalance, and need to do some vata-pacifying activities to get back on track. As we learn about Ayurveda, the doshas start to become second nature, and we can deeply identify with them. From there we can get them balanced out so that we feel happy, healthy, and secure.

2 Comments Add yours

  1. Pastora says:

    Thanks for this one. Sorting out what the mixes mean and how to determine which one is off balance does get confusing, quickly, for the uninitiated!

    1. jenny says:

      Thanks for reading Pastora! It is confusing! I do find that the more I am exposed to it, the more intuitive it becomes. And it’s so interesting to learn about what we are like on a biological (or energetic) level, so we can kind of flow downstream instead of fighting upstream all the time.

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