Prakrti: Pitta

Your prakrti, the physical constitution with which you were born, is pure Pitta. This is an
unchanging characteristic and represents your natural, normal state of being. Let's take a look at
some of the common qualities of Pitta-predominant individuals.

Physically, Pitta individuals tend to be of medium build. A balanced, proportional physique is

the hallmark of a Pitta. In fact, medium pretty much sums up the physical characteristics of a
typical Pitta-predominant person.

A medium-sized head resting on a sturdy neck marks the Pitta. Other facial characteristics
include:

 Green, hazel, amber, gray, or blue eyes with reddish eyeballs: sharp, penetrating, of
medium size, and evenly placed
 A medium-sized nose, sometimes reddish or veiny
 Medium pink or red lips, with a tendency to cold sores
 Teeth even, yellowish, and cavity-prone in gums that bleed often
 Medium, evenly-shaped ears, often red and warm
 Thin, soft, fine, straight hair, usually red, blond, or light brown
 A tendency to gray prematurely or to go bald at an early age

Pittas tend to be well developed physically. Though average in height and build, they can often
be quite athletic. Other physical characteristics of the typical Pitta include:

 Well proportioned arms, legs, hands, and feet

 Sturdy, flexible joints
 Even, oval-shaped nails that bend, red nail beds
 A balanced chest and shoulders, with medium-sized shoulders and hips
 Fair skin of medium thickness, with a tendency to freckles
 Sunburns easily, moles common
 Fine, light body hair
 A tendency toward skin problems, including rashes, dryness or oiliness in patches, acne
 Skin warm to the touch

Pittas can usually gain or lose weight at will. When they do gain weight it tends to be distributed
evenly, especially in the chest area. One very prominent characteristic of Pittas is a strong
digestive system. They are usually hard-charging and competitive, with a tendency toward anger
and aggressiveness. Pitta is the fire dosha.

This is the physical constitution (prakrti) with which you were born. It gives you some idea of
your tendencies, and your physical strengths and weaknesses. Now let's take a look at your
current dosha state to see if you are balanced or imbalanced.
Vikrti: Kapha Imbalance
Vikrti is a state of imbalance in which one of the three bodily humors or doshas is excessive. In
your case, you have an excess of the Kapha dosha. Kapha is the water dosha (a mix of water and
earth).

Ayurveda lists some twenty diseases that are caused by imbalanced Kapha. Because the negative
tendencies of Kapha are lethargy, drowsiness, and accumulation, the Kapha-related illnesses
stem from such behavior, as well as from excessive liquid intake.

Kapha ailments include:

 Drowsiness and excessive sleep

 Laziness, lethargy, and heaviness of the body
 Excess mucous production and excess bodily excretion
 Obesity, anorexia nervosa, indigestion
 Mucous around the heart or in the throat
 Edema, bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, sinus congestion, hay fever
 Hypertension, atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries)
 Diabetes

As you can see, Kapha's earth element causes illnesses related to lack of movement (whether of
the body or the digestive system). Kapha's water element causes illnesses related to accumulation
of fluids, such as edema and excess mucous. Naturally, lack of activity and cold, damp
environments aggravate Kapha ailments. For example:

 Drinking with meals

 Sleeping too much and not exercising enough
 Eating too many sweets or mucous forming foods
 Lethargy

The best treatment for a Kapha imbalance is to get off your butt and get to work. Get out of bed!
No more than eight, and preferably closer to six, hours of sleep is the rule. Get some physical
and mental exercise. Eat a very light breakfast, if at all, a big lunch (followed by a brisk walk),
and a moderate evening meal. One day a week, fast.

Stick to bitter, pungent, and astringent foods. Don't drink with meals and, in fact, drink less. An
occasional trip to the sauna or a warm bath to promote sweating is also a good idea. And the best
news: have regular sexual intercourse!

Kapha is strongest between 6-10 a.m. and 6-10 p.m. Those are good times to avoid eating (or eat
lightly) as the digestive process will be slowest then. And beware the late winter and early
spring, as Kapha is at it's peak then. Don't fall into a spring slump. Stay active.
Mind Type: Vata
Your mental characteristics are pure Vata.

Vata, being the air dosha, is windy and changeable. Vatas have restless, active minds. They are
curious and can be very creative. They tend to speak quickly and gesture actively. The overall
impression they give can be a bit chaotic. Vata is movement.

Compared to the solid, slow-moving Kapha, Vata individuals seem flaky and insubstantial. In
fact, they usually compare unfavorably with both the down-to-earth Kapha and the energetic,
rational, focused Pitta. This comparison is superficial, however. The Vata energy derives not
only from air, but also from space. Space, or ether, is the most refined of the elements and the
only one that does not undergo transformation when it manifests itself in physical reality. In this
sense, Vata is the closest of the three doshas to pure consciousness (Brahman).

Thus Vatas have the most spiritual of the three vital energies. As Vatas grow, they tend to shed
their material and physical desires and to concentrate on the spiritual. It is wise to remember that
the doshas are also related to the ages. Kapha is the child, Pitta the adolescent, and Vata the
mature adult. Vatas should not permit their fears and anxieties to push them into conforming to
Pitta or Kapha ideals, for they would be regressing. Vatas are mobile, and must remain so.

The weaknesses of Vata stem from this mobile rootlessness. Without grounding, Vatas can
become fearful and anxious. It is important for Vata individuals to find time each day for
grounding activities.

When Vatas are in their Sattvic (balanced and harmonious) state, they tend to be adaptable,
enthusiastic, eloquent, energetic, and perceptive.

When Vatas are in their Rajasic (turbulent and disturbed) state, they tend to be hyperactive,
unreliable, overly talkative, restless, disturbed, indecisive, and superficial.

When Vatas are in their Tamasic (inertial and darkened) state, they tend to be secretive,
dishonest, self-destructive, and fearful. At these times they are susceptible to sexual perversions,
mental illness, drug addictions, and suicide.

To see where you stand emotionally, take a look at the next section.
Guna: Sattvic
Imbalance: Vata
Your answers in this section fall into one of three gunas: Sattvic, Rajasic, or Tamasic. Within
each of these gunas, your answers are further subdivided into Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Please
understand that this test uses only three questions in each of these areas to determine your guna
and your psychological imbalance, if any. That's a pretty small sample, so don't take these results
as anything more than a very general indication of your current psychological state.

Your responses indicated that your current psychological state is Sattva. This is the state
characterized by clarity of mind, lightness of being, intelligence, warmth, compassion, and a
sense of purpose. If this doesn't sound like you, use the Show Checked Items link below to
display the list of items checked by you. Reread your responses to section four, Qualities of
Emotion.

Then again, maybe you really are the enlightened being you appear to be. If so, you still have a
slight imbalance of the Vata dosha, as indicated by the one or two answers you checked that fall
into the Rajasic (not so good) or Tamasic (really kind of bad) categories.

Unfortunately, your psychological imbalance is not in the same dosha as your physical
imbalance (Vata vs. Kapha). Thus, the actions you take to reduce your physical imbalance will
not help your psychological imbalance. But don't worry. You can still use aromatherapy to
reduce your psychological symptoms while working through diet and lifestyle to reduce
your physical imbalance.
A summary of your emotional responses is as follows:

Sattvic
Vata: 1
Pitta: 2
Kapha: 2

Rajasic
Vata: 1
Pitta: 0
Kapha: 0

Tamasic
Vata: 1
Pitta: 0
Kapha: 0

Items Checked on Self-Test

Stable Qualities

Vata: When gaining weight, gains it around the middle.

Pitta: Moderate chin.

Pitta: Medium body.

Pitta: Fingers and toes medium in length.

Pitta: Medium build as a child.

Pitta: Moderate neck.

Pitta: Medium forehead with folds and lines.

Pitta: Medium size, light green, gray, amber, or blue eyes.

Pitta: Even teeth, of medium size.

Kapha: As a child, hair wavy and thick.

Kapha: Moderate amount of body hair.

Kapha: Tends to gain weight, especially in thighs and buttocks.

Kapha: Heavy bone structure.

Changeable Qualities

Vata: Sexual interest variable, fantasy life active.

Vata: Cold hands and feet.

Vata: Dry skin (1/4 inch thick), chaps easily, prone to corns and callouses.

Pitta: Skin warm to touch.

Pitta: Fine, light, oily, blonde, red, or early gray hair, early thinning or baldness possible.

Pitta: Prefers cool, well ventilated places (dislikes heat).

Pitta: Loves proteins, caffeines, and hot, spicy, and salty foods.

Pitta: Sclera has reddish or yellow tinge.

Kapha: Full, moist lips.

Kapha: Any climate fine (dislikes humidity).

Kapha: Gains weight easily, hard time losing weight unless exercising.

Kapha: Thick gums.

Kapha: Large full movement, once a day, mucous, itching.

Kapha: Steady sex, slow to arouse.

Qualities of Mind

Vata: Knows a lot of people, but has few close friends.

Vata: Spends impulsively, money is to be used.

Vata: Dislikes routine.

Vata: Difficulty deciding, changes mind easily.

Vata: Creative thinker.

Vata: Do many projects all at once.

Pitta: Enjoys planning and organizing, especially if created by self.

Kapha: Resists change, new project, likes simplicity.

Kapha: Calm, likes to relax, leisure activities.

Kapha: Takes time to learn things, but once learned, never forgets.

Kapha: Loyal with many friends.

Qualities of Emotion

Vata - Tamasic: Tendency to fear.

Vata - Rajasic: Anxious.

Vata - Sattvic: Flexible.

Vata: Feelings and emotions change easily.

Pitta: Aggressive about opinions and feelings, give opinions even if they are not asked for.

Pitta - Sattvic: Caring.

Pitta - Sattvic: Tolerant.

Kapha - Sattvic: Devoted.

Kapha - Sattvic: Patient.