What is your primary body QUALITY according to Ayurveda?
There is nothing more enlightening and beautiful than looking at the many forms, shapes, functions, creativity, solutions, celebrations and excitement of all of these in the Natural World around us!
Ayurveda classifies the body-types according to dosha (body functions) and each dosha has certain qualities (Guna) within it.
For instance, Kapha (The Earth and Water Element combined with the function of hydrating, strengthening and nourishing) is inherently oily, cold, heavy, slow, smooth, slow and stable. The over-riding quality that it does not share with other dosha is HEAVY.
There are seven separate body qualities in Ayurveda that make up our body-types and we should learn about them in order to learn to love the innate gifts that come along with our body quality and to give ourselves a little heads up in the primary way we look after ourselves.
(Everyone embodies ALL qualities but will tend to be strongest in some and diluted in others -- everyone is their own particular blend of every single quality).
BODY QUALITIES
1) Dry 2) Hot 3) Heavy 4) Light 5) Oily 6) Cold 7) Neutral
GIFTS
1) An incredible sensitivity to the World around us 2) An incredible drive and energy to lead and inspire 3) An incredible capacity for family, support of others and building community 4) An incredibly light heart, joyous mind and respectful Nature 5) An incredible amount of inner strength, confidence and vigour. 6) An incredible capacity for self awareness and being decisive in the face of adversity. 7) An incredible sense of fairness, balance and always seeing another point of view.
SELF CARE
1) Massage and good sleep are non-negotiables (don't take stimulants!) 2) Do not over-work/over extend yourself and look for stress solutions and quickly resolve them. (don't miss meals!) 3) Take part in strong, active, demanding exercise routines (don't lie in late in the mornings!) 4) You need stability and 'sweetness' in your life more than most (manage burn-out symptoms immediately!) 5) Spiritual disciplines are a remedy, avoid over-eating ('detox' the body seasonally!) 6) Warmth in everything from your relationships to your environment is a remedy. Support your digestion and alleviate respiratory congestion as needed. (Look after yourself emotionally!) 7) All of the above in equal measures!
We should be able to look at all the gifts and all the self care measures and see ourselves in every single one. But with knowledge of body-type you may be able to pick out one that is more you than anything else. You still have all the gifts and you still follow all the self-care routines. BUT, you recognise your primary needs and go back to it in times of stress and strain to help re-balance your life.
You can find 1000's of Ayurvedic body-type questionnaires online (make sure you diagnose Prakrti not Vkrti (you can have all the six qualities as primary symptoms of imbalance also).
AYURVEDIC PRAKRTI (BODY-TYPE)
1) Vata (dry) 2) Pitta (hot) 3) Kapha (heavy) 4) VataPitta (light) 5) PittaKapha (oily) 6) VataKapha (cold) 7) VataPittaKapha (neutral)