Ayurvedic Body Type
What is Prakriti ( Body Type ) ?
The term Prakriti is a Sanskrit word that means, “Nature,” “creativity,” or “the first creation.”
‘Pra’ means the ‘beginning’, ‘commencement’ or ‘source of origin’ and ‘kriti’ means ‘to form’. When put together, prakriti means ‘natural form’ or ‘original form’.
It is the constitution of a body which is determined at the time of conception of the foetus (baby in the womb) and it cannot be changed thereafter.
According to ayurveda, Tri-doshas (Vata, Pitta and Kapha) govern creation, maintenance and destruction of bodily tissues as well as the assimilation and elimination. Each person is born with a unique combination of these doshas which decides their basic/genetic constitution called Prakriti.
This genetic constitution can be of both “physical body” as well as “mental body”.
Importance of Prakriti Analysis ?
For common men & women
It helps to choose most appropriate life partner.
Helps to ascertain the right kind of work one is competent for.
Prakriti also helps us to select an appropriate life style (daily and seasonal regimen) which suits your nature.
Selecting food items according to your Prakriti will keep you healthy.
By knowing your inclination and deviation over particular behavior and tastes balance with environment can be established.
By becoming aware about your susceptibility to diseases one can be cautious about food items and lifestyle they follow.
By taking precautions suggested for a Prakriti, one can prevent diseases.
It helps identify the nature of your family members or colleagues, thus helping you to interact appropriately with the family and society for maintaining harmony.
Knowing children’s prakriti, we can be better parents; knowing spouse’s prakriti, makes us better partner, etc.
It helps us to know self better therefore choosing right carrier becomes easy task.
Overall, Prakriti can be used to understand human life and on the basis of this, an individual is able to understand him/herself better and able to live according to his/her ‘nature, thus carving out a more appropriate life for him/herself.
After assessing your body type (Prakriti) & immunity, we often recommend personalized treatments such as Rasayana Vajikarana to strengthen vitality and reproductive health. View our Rasayana Vajikarana offering.
For Ayurvedic doctors
Analysis of each patient’s Prakriti is important for deciding their personal diet and exercise pattern, supplements and medicinal herbs.
Knowing body constitution therapies of Panchkarma that is right for them. Can be prescribed it is among the chief methods which ayurveda employs for the maintenance and restoration of health
Although two people may appear to have the same outward symptoms, but their Prakriti may be very different and therefore call for very different remedies
Prakriti is also a diagnostic tool. Knowledge of Prakriti of the patient helps a physician to understand the course of the disease and bring to his state of equilibrium of dosha.
It can also be used to determine the prognosis of a disease.
Types of Prakriti ?
The prakriti of an individual is divided into basic categories, viz.
- Physical Prakriti
- Mental Prakriti
Both physical and mental prakriti are of three types and there could be infinite possibilities of combination of these prakriti.
There is a class of people who opine as there are five types of Physical Prakriti viz.
- Aakash Prakriti
- Vayu Prakriti
- Agni Prakriti
- Jala Prakriti
- Parthiva Prakriti
The above five types are according to the dominance of the Panch mahabhuta present in the body.
It is very difficult to get control over these minute elements (Panch Mahabhuta) without disturbing one another. If we try to alter any one mahabhuta, in turn other will also get disturbed. Thus a level has to be created where we are somewhat at ease to alter the condition arising in our body by disturbances in the balance of the Panch Mahabhutas.
Our ancient teachers has formed a level at which it becomes easy to handle the functions in our body, named the Tri dosha. Vata, Pitta and Kapha are three name of tri doshas .
Doshas are basically three different set of categories based on the work they perform.
Vata(Akash and Vayu)
Pitta(Agni and Jal)
Kapha(Jal and Prithvi)
Thus, henceforth everything in ayurveda, will now shall be in terms of Vata, Pitta and Kapha.
Therefore the classification of the Prakriti is done as following –
Types of Physical prakriti:-
- Vata Prakriti
- Pitta Prakriti
- Kapha Prakriti
Types of Mental Prakriti
- Saatvik Prakriti
- Raajshik Prakriti
- Taamshik Prakriti
How to find out my Prakriti ?
Easiest way is to download android app from following code / link and answer few questions. TRY NOW !
