Welcome to Ayurveda! 

The doshas are 3 energies that are made from 5 great elements: space, air, fire, water, earth. We have all three of the doshas in us, but one or two will be most dominant. When we understand which dosha governs our body-minds the most, we can craft our diet & lifestyle to suit our individual needs. When our doshas are balanced for who we are as unique individuals, we will enjoy optimal health!

For more on what doshas are, I briefly explain them in this video.

Take the test below to determine your balance of dosha(s).

Questions should be answered based on authentic, pure you and not what happens to be true recently. Afterall, life habits can imbalance us over time.  If it's very hard to choose between two answers, pick both, but for the most part try to pick only one that feels most true to you.

Add up the totals for each v, p, and k at the end. Which ever number is the highest, that is your dosha....

Here we go! Kapha's vices!

If you haven't read about vata's vices or pitta's vices, I recommend doing so.

Unless of course, you are a kapha. Then you can skip those and read on because the spotlight is on you, baby. By vices, I mean stuff that you reach for that is opposite of what you need for optimal health.

You see, when a dosha is increased (imbalanced), the person will crave the foods and habits that keep increasing that dosha! Meaning, they will crave the completely wrong things.

When we analyze our sweet kapha friends they are happy-go-lucky, inviting, generous, the best listeners (and huggers!), able to handle a lot of work with grace, peaceful minded, and rock a curvy goddess-like physique. Kaphas can also be stubborn and impossible to move, can gain weight easily, have depression (though you probably wouldn't be able to tell), tend toward emotional eating, and if pushed too far they will hold a grudge.

When I see a kapha person who's skin looks dull/gray, their...

 Ok guys, let's talk about pitta's vices, which stems from the previous post on vata's vices.

Remember, when a dosha is increased (imbalanced), the person will crave the foods and habits that keep increasing that dosha! Meaning, they will crave the completely wrong things.

Taking a look at pitta, we know pitta people are sharp-minded and sharp-tongued. They are direct, focused, witty with a great sense of humor, hyper-organized, detailed, play by the rules, ask a ton of questions, and are usually found in leadership roles.

So when I see a pitta person with a big burger on their plate, copious glasses of wine or cocktails, pouring extra Tabasco sauce on their nachos with jalapenos, and following it all up with a piece of chocolate lava cake (with ice cream), I know they have a pitta imbalance. Why? Because a balanced pitta would not eat that much or crave those things. By the way, that there pitta would be running for the heartburn medicines to calm that craziness down! ;)...

Sometimes people think I have magical powers because I can often predict peoples' diet and lifestyle habits even if I don't know them very well. The way someone behaves (and eats!) gives me a lot of insight into their doshic make up. And not only that, but also gives glaring information about the dosha that is imbalanced.

In Ayurveda, when a dosha is increased (imbalanced), the person will crave foods and habits that will keep increasing that dosha. Meaning, they will crave the completely wrong things!

Let's take vata for example. Vata people talk a lot, move a lot, do a lot, lose focus, forget things, skip details, are creative, are dramatic/moody, love to be spontaneous, and are naturally bubbly. My brain automatically says, "Vata." Now, when I observe one of these vata people drinking a lot of coffee, skipping meals yet eating candy as a food group, drinking lots of diet Coke or carbonated beverages with ice, I say to myself, "Vata imbalance." Why? Because a balanced vata would...

As you are learning more about the doshas, it’s super fun to watch them in action.

People-watching is one of the most fascinating things in life, so toss in some Ayurvedic knowledge and you’ve got entertainment for years.

Ayurveda touches every part of our lives including, shopping! Is that the best news you’ve heard all day? Ayurvedic shopping! Permission to shop. Healthy, personalized shopping?! You betcha.

You remember our doshas right? Vata, pitta, and kapha are the three doshas that govern our personalities, physical builds, emotional tendencies, and the nature around us. Let’s take a peek into the shopping world of the doshas.

How the doshas spend money

Vata shopping: Vatas will spend money as fast as they make it. Like the windy beings they are—*whoosh*—cash goes flying out of their fingers as soon as they walk out the door. Vatas are most prone to impulse buys, which may result in buyers remorse, because they didn’t think...

Vata season is windy, cold, light and dry. Brr. Don't forget your oil massages in the morning! Before your shower, warm some almond oil and give yourself a head-to-toe massage for about 15 minutes. Daily in winter is ideal, but at least once a week.

Benefits of applying warm oil to the whole body
• Brings strength, tone, and suppleness to the body and all tissues
• Makes our skin more elastic so we look younger (anti-aging!)
• Strengthens and improves vision
• Gives the body nourishment inside and out
• Increases longevity
• Helps us have sound sleep!
• Strengthens our ojas (immunity)
• Tones our tissues, bringing vigor and vitality to the body
• Improves circulation to extremities and internal organs
• Calms vata and pitta while helping kapha flow

Benefits of applying oil to the scalp
• Helps hair become soft and glossy, sometimes thickens it
• Works directly...

 A Kapha Goes to Costco, an Ayurvedic Story.

My kapha husband wanted to disappear last night for an evening of carousing, by himself.

Do you know where he went?

Costco*. Yes, Costco because there are BIG things in multiples there and in BIG discounts. Kaphas love shopping, and sales and buying things in multiples. Kaphas are all about the accumulation and care-taking for everyone around them (cause they are so sweet). In a nutshell, Costco is kapha's heaven and vatas want to run screaming.

*For anyone unfamiliar, Costco is this MASSIVE warehouse, discount store where you can only buy things in multiples and/or huge things like a 12 foot stuffed teddy bear for $20, or a ginormous river raft that seats 30 of your closest friends (with built in cup holders!). 36" ready-made pizzas, tires, cruise-ship vacation packages, 20 lbs of mangoes, and a lifetime supply of shampoo. Anything. You can buy anything there in 10x the amount you need for 1/2 the...