Because the three doshas describe the nature, or Prakriti, of each individual, they help to make your life choices more conscious—this applies very powerfully in making your communication skills better. Many psychologists would affirm that it takes emotional intelligence (EQ) to get a feeling for any situation where two or more people are speaking, yet Ayurveda anticipated this notion by thousands of years.
One reason that Ayurveda is holistic is that the doshas permeate everything—every quality in Nature, including human nature. We need to look beyond physical health to apply the doshas to how our emotions work, particularly when it comes to relationships and love.
As human beings, we all have a desire to love and be loved. This is basic to being human and is our deepest emotional need. In order to love others, and to fully accept the love of others, we must first love ourselves. This isn’t the same as being arrogant or self-righteous, which is our ego talking, but instead is about understanding who we really are beneath all the labels and beliefs, feeling our connection to everything around us, and experiencing ourselves as Love itself.
The human body is the product of five elements of nature: Akasha i.e. Space; Vayu i.e Air; Agni i.e Fire; Jal i.e. Water; Prithvi i.e. Earth.
Summer is on its way out the door and as the daylight begins to dwindle, we welcome the transition into fall, the season governed by Vata. Vata is the dosha ruled by air and space, and Vata season begins during fall and lasts until mid-winter. This season can bring along dry, cold, and flighty qualities that may create imbalances for those who already have Vata as a prominent part of their constitution.
Because you are unique, adapting to the world is different for you than for someone else. One environment is beneficial to some people but not to others. If you want to practice self-care, this is a critical aspect. Ayurveda has been a self-care system for thousands of years, and understanding how your doshas work remains one of the best ways to practice self-care.
Ayurveda looks at a human being from the lens of abundance. In Ayurveda, perfect health is not simply an absence of disease but rather an abundance of vitality.
There are three essences that govern the functions of the sthula sharira and sukshma sharira (gross and subtle bodies) on a finer plane than the three doshas. These subtle essences are known as Prana, Tejas, and Ojas.
Although the origins of mudras are not known, they have been around for thousands of years and have appeared in many different religious and spiritual traditions. The word mudra comes from the Sanskrit word: mud, which means bliss, and dra, which means dissolving. So, the word mudra literally means dissolving into bliss. It is also translated as a gesture, or an attitude used to create a circuit of energy in the body. Mudras can be performed with the hands, the head, the perineum, and even through specific shapes created with our entire body. In modern day yoga and meditation, we are most familiar with hand mudras.