Prakriti or constitutions in Ayurveda

Prakriti (mind and body type or dosha, according to Ayurveda)

• Ayurveda describes a unique concept of Prakriti (constitutions) and Vikruti.  
• At the time of birth, every person has a unique combination of three Doshas(Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) in body and mind, it is called Prakriti (constitution).
• Like if any person has Vata Dosha dominance since birth that is called Vata Prakriti or Vata body type. 
• A person's constitution does not usually change throughout a lifetime. As conditions changes in life, like diet, lifestyle, stress, etc. many factors can cause imbalance to your Prakriti its called Vikruti. so we can say Vikruti means current states of Doshas or diseased state of an individual.

Ayurveda believed that some factor influencing the Prakriti

• Time of conception season
• Health Condition of the uterus
• Condition of sperm and ovum
• Dietary habit and lifestyle of the mother during pregnancy

Types of Prakriti -

• Sharirik (physical constitution):- Ayurveda described seven typed of body types constitutions Each Prakriti has its own characteristics
1. Vataj
2. Pittaj
3. Kaphaj
4. Vata -pitta
5. pitta -Kaphaj
6. vataj -kaphaj
7. tridoshaj-vataj, pittaj, kaphaj
• Manasik( mental constitution)
• saatvik Prakriti-satvik person is very spiritual and truthful
• rajasik Prakriti-this is the dosha of mind which lead a person to take action, work
• tamasik this is also a dosha of mind which drive a person lethargy

The relation between Prakriti and lifestyle

• According to Ayurveda, the key to health lies in the knowledge of our constitution (Prakriti).ayurveda explain very well how to balance Prakriti through diet and lifestyle 
• the ayurvedic system provides details of the right food and drinks for each constitution, whether they should be cold or hot , raw or cooked, which taste they should have , which is the best time to wake up, and when to go bed. 
• if we don't follow or live according the need of our constitutions Prakriti ,doshas will become unbalanced and lead to ill health vikrati 

For Example

• Kapha Prakriti people more prone to obesity and Hyperlipidemia, if you have Kapha Prakriti you should avoid sweets, sour salty taste, and avoid day sleeping, and need to practice more regular yoga for balancing kaph.
• Vataj Prakriti people more prone to stress, depression so if you have Vata Prakriti you should favor a diet and lifestyle which balance your Vata dosha like sweet, oily food, does light yoga
•   It is important  to  know your mind-body type or Prakriti ,after that  you will be able to figure out what kind of diet and lifestyle perfect for you.

Here is an Ayurveda test to determine  your body type-

how to take the quiz

• Each question has three choices
• The first answer is for vata dosha,second is for pitta dosha, third is for kapha dosha 
• After finishing questionnaire ,add up the tick  numbers,if the majority of your answers is Vata means your primary Prakriti is vata .If the majority of your answers pitta means your primary prakriti is pitta.
• For Prakriti (natural state of your body) choose the answer which is most applicable to you since childhood.
• For Vikrati (current state of your dosha)-Go through again the question  and answer  based on current experience or last one month.
• If Prakriti (state of dosha, when we born) is the difference from Vikruti (current state of dosha). it indicates the imbalance, it can lead us to disease and lifestyle disorder.

Physical Constitution(bodily structure and appearance) 

	Vata	Pitta	Kapha
Body frame	thin body frame,  not too muscular	average build and size, weight centered in the middle	big tall, well built, maybe overweight
Forehead, shoulder, and chest	Small	Medium	large, broad shoulder
Weight	light, difficulties in gaining weight,loses weight easily	medium, no difficulties in gaining or losing weight	heavy, overweight difficulties in losing weight,gain weight easily
skin texture and complexion	rough and dry,flaky, cool to touch, thin,easily tans, prominent veins	smooth and warm, oily, may have  freckles or moles, prone to sunburn	thick and moist/greasy, cool, hardly tans soft and smooth
Hair	dry, brown or black, brittle and curly/frizzy	early graying /balding, soft, straight and fine, blonde, oily	thick and heavy tends to get greasy(oily)
Eyes	small and dry, active, blink a lot	bright ,sensitive ,sharp, reddish sclerae	large and moist, white sclerae
Lips	thin and dry	pink and soft	full moist, big and thick
Teeth	crooked, irregular with receding gums	yellowish, regular, medium, gums easily bleed	large, white, and straight, strong gums
Fingers & Nails	small and long fingers with chipped nails( like to bite nails )	Regular fingers with pink and soft nails, well-shaped	Wide, angular fingers with large and hard nails
waist	narrow	medium	broad
Joints	cold, cracking	moderate	large and lubricated
heartbeat per minutes	70-90	60-70	50-60
Pulses	quick and irregular	warm and fast,jump like a frog	slow and deep ,glide like a swan
body temperature	feels colder than other cold feet and hands	feels hotter than others; palms, feet, and face warm or hot	normal, palms and feet cool
Appetite	irregular, variable	strong, cannot skip meals and will have to eat again after 3 or 4 hours	constant but can skip meals easily and tolerate hunger
Thirst	variable	excessive	rare can tolerate
digestion	irregular, forms of gas quick	quick, cause burning	prolonged, form mucous
liking towards to taste	sweet, sour, salty	sweet ,bitter,astringent	pungent ,astringent ,bitter
eating habit	eats quickly	moderate speed,eat frequently	chews food properly eat large amount but can go for long period
Elimination(bowel movement )	Constipation	loose	heavy,large stool
perspiration	scanty with little odor	intense during physical activities or when it gets hot, sharp smell	constant and moderate, pleasant smell
sleep	a light sleeper awakes easily and may have difficulties falling asleep, sleep 5-6 hours sleep	deep and even, hardly needs 6 to 8 hours sleep	the long and sound sleeper has difficulties awakening even after long hours of sleep
dreams	fearful, flying,, restless, prone to nightmares	anger, fighting,sun  passionate, and colorful	river, sentimental, romantic, watery
walk	fast with a light step	average speed, determining step	slow and steady step
weather	prefers warm climates, dislikes windy dry, and cold days	prefers cooler climates, loves winter, dislikes heat	comfortable in most weather but can't stand cold and rainy days
Mental Constitution temperament	lively and enthusiastic,	likes to change purposeful, likes to convince	easy-going and accepting likes to support
social behavior	independent but insecure, nervous in new situations	outgoing, leader nature	good listener, lots of friends
negative traits	uncertain and jumpy	furious and bossy	greedy and possessive
emotions under stress	anxious and worried talks about their feeling	irritable and aggressive keep feeling to themselves	cool and calm,loyal ,stable
memory	good short term,quick to grasp,quick to forget	moderate, remember easily and forgets rather slowly	excellent memory hardly forgets anything
way of learning	learns through listening,enjoy doing lots of thing at once,can lose focus	learn through reading /visualing,focus discriminating finish what they start	grasping late but ultimately understand well never forgets
love	falls in and out of love easily	intense, passionate love affairs	long term relationships full of affection and love
creativity	distinct and detailed ideas in many areas	inventive in technical	creative when dealing with business things
decisions	making decisions often feels like a problematic and difficult process	makes decisions quickly and determined	take their time to think things through
interests or hobbies	love to traveling, dancing, arts	sports,keeping fit  debating,  politics,	business adventure,relaxing ,staying at home , food, literature
finances (spending habit)	spends easily, doesn't save much	spends money on certain chosen things, luxury calculate their expenditure wisely	saves money, spends freely on food and entertainment
activity	hyperactive, restless	active, love exercise and competition	lethargic
sex	changable,extreme or none at all	passionate and can be controlling	constant and steady desire
beliefs	rebellious, changing	determined, strong principles	permanent doesn't change easily
lifestyle	free and difficult to create habits and routine( eating, sleeping, etc.)	well planned and organized	regular, enjoy habits, but sometimes gets into a rut easily
vocal qualities talk	very talkative	talkative, good at arguments	slow, steady
voice	speak quickly, hoarse and cracking	loud and sharp if pitta people whisper can be clearly heard	pleasant, speak cautiously