History of Ayurveda
Ayurveda is a healthy-lifestyle system which people in India have been using for more than 5,000 years. It focusses on good health while preventing and treating illness through lifestyle practices which include massage, meditation, yoga, and dietary changes along with the use of herbal remedies.
Ayurvedic medicine is holistic and it views the body and mind as a whole. It not only treats a person’s physical complaints, but also changes lifestyle practices to help maintain or improve health.
Five elements of Nature
According to Ayurveda, the five elements of nature are space, air, fire, water, earth while the three components (doshas) are known as Vatta, Pitta, and Kapha. A balance of these doshas is required to attain optimal health.
Vatta in Ayurveda
- Vatta: Air and space represent Vatta. Vatta controls muscle and joint movement, breathing, and heartbeat. Also, Vatta controls anxiety, fear, pain, and other functions of the nervous system.
Pitta in Ayurveda
- Pitta: Fire and water represent Pitta, which is thought to control such bodily functions as digestion, metabolism, intelligence, and skin colour. Pitta governs the emotions of anger, hate, and jealousy.
Kapha in Ayurveda
- Kapha: Earth and water represent Kapha. The physical structure of the body and tits immune system are governed by Kapha. Emotional responses thought to be controlled by Kapha include calmness, forgiveness, love, and greed.
How these doshas build individuals’ personality
The doshas also relate to an individual’s physical makeup and personality.
A person with a Vatta tends to have a small, thin build. The Pitta body style is more of a medium, muscular build. The Kapha appearance is generally bigger and well-developed.