The three doshas
Vata (space + air) governs movement — breath, circulation, nerve function, elimination — and in imbalance is associated with anxiety, dry skin, and irregular digestion. Pitta (fire + water) governs transformation — digestion, metabolism, body temperature — and in imbalance is associated with irritability, inflammation, and excess heat. Kapha (water + earth) governs structure and lubrication — bodily mass, joint fluid, immunity — and in imbalance is associated with lethargy, weight gain, and congestion. Most people are considered a blend, with one or two doshas dominant in their prakriti (baseline constitution).
Prakriti and vikriti — constitution versus current state
Prakriti is a person's inherent constitutional blend of the three doshas, set at conception according to classical theory and considered relatively fixed throughout life. Vikriti is the current state of dosha balance, which fluctuates with diet, season, age, stress, and habits — Ayurvedic assessment and treatment focus on bringing vikriti back in line with a person's prakriti when it has drifted out of balance.
Dinacharya — daily routine
Ayurveda places significant emphasis on daily routine as a tool for maintaining balance, including practices such as waking before sunrise, tongue scraping and oil pulling, abhyanga (self-massage with warm oil), eating the largest meal at midday — when digestive fire, agni, is considered strongest — and winding down before a consistent bedtime, timed loosely around the shifting dosha-dominance of different parts of the day and year (ritucharya, the seasonal counterpart).
Diet and agni (digestive fire)
Ayurvedic nutrition centers on agni, the body's digestive and metabolic capacity, which is supported by eating warm, freshly cooked food, favoring the six tastes — sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, astringent — in a meal, and eating according to one's dosha tendencies and the season, rather than following a single fixed diet for everyone.
Common herbs and Panchakarma
Frequently used herbs include ashwagandha (an adaptogen traditionally used for stress and vitality), turmeric (anti-inflammatory use, also central to Indian cuisine), triphala (a three-fruit blend used for digestion), and brahmi (traditionally used for mental clarity). Panchakarma ("five actions") is a more intensive classical detoxification protocol — including therapies like therapeutic oil massage, herbal steam, and controlled purgation — traditionally undertaken seasonally under a qualified practitioner's supervision, not as a routine home practice.