We all have a ‘Boss’ at work and a ‘Boss’ at home (be it your Mom, Wife, kids, or husband). You cannot run away from the Boss. When the dear Lord awarded us with an external Boss, he decided to play naughty and give us an internal one as well.

Yes, my friend. We have an internal Boss as well and its name is ‘Dosha’.

Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medicine system, talks about the concept of Doshas (or three basic humors) that are said to govern the body’s health and I like to call them the ‘Boss’ of our system as they control our behavior, reactions, choices, likes, dislikes and even our ‘looks’!

Well, they keep a pretty much tight rein on us.

These humors are:

1. Vata Dosha
2. Pitta Dosha
3. Kapha Dosha

We have all three doshas present in our body, though one or two might dominate the other. A balance among these three makes a healthy individual. Likewise, an imbalance related to any Dosha is the cause of anything and everything that goes wrong with your body, be it weight gain, or loss, allergies, etc.

Just as before joining work, we need to know who our reporting Manager would be, here we need to know which Dosha is our governing or dominant one.

Which Dosha are you?

To answer this question, take the test that follows and see for yourself!

Describe your body type

1. I am light built.I have small joints and lean muscles
2. I have an athletic built. I have large bones and muscles
3. I am short built and have strong muscles and healthy bones

Do you have trouble in gaining or losing weight

1. I tried everything and I never gained a pound. Hmpf!!
2. Gimme that cake. I have no problem in losing those extra pounds.
3. I really have to workout for hours and follow diets to get rid of my excess weight.

Describe your nails

1. My nails break easily. They are dry and rough.
2. I have flexible, long, and pinkish nails.
3. My nails are shiny, smooth and thick.

Describe your skin type

1. My skin is thin and usually dry and rough.
2. I have normal skin, neither dry nor oily. It’s smooth but i have some freckles on it.
3. My skin feels thick and it’s always oily and pale

Describe your hair type

1. My hair is always tangled and knotty. It needs special care because it’s also dry, scarce, and fragile
2. I have to wash my hair regularly because it’s oily. Though my hair is straight, I am prone to hair loss.
3. I too have to wash my thick and curly hair regularly because it’s oily.

Describe your eyes

1. I have small, sunken, and dry eyes. I blink very frequently.
2. My eyes are neither big or small. I have a keen eyesight but am sensitive to light.
3. I have big eyes which give me a serene look.

Describe your lips

1. My lips dry up easily and are always chapped- They are brown or dark colored.
2. I have red or slightly yellowish lips which remain moderately moist and tender.
3. My lips are pale even though they have a smooth texture and are voluptuous.

Describe your appetite.

1. I eat at irregular times of the day but I never skip my meals even though they are in small quantities.
2. My meal routine is regular and I cannot skip meals.
3. My meal time is regular too but I skip meals

What do your taste buds like to taste?

1. Something sweet. something sour, and something salty… Yummm.
2. I like my meals to be sweet, bitter or astringent.
3. My taste buds have a preference for bitter, pungent or astringent foods.

How thirsty can you get in a day?

1. It varies. Sometimes I am very thirsty and sometimes I am not.
2. I am like a fish without water
3. I hardly have to drink water.

How is your bowel movement?

1. I have a difficult bowel movement. I suffer from constipation for days.
2. I have a normal bowel movement.
3. My bowels are a little difficult but I do not suffer from constipation.

How much do you sweat?

1. I do not sweat much
2. My clothes seem like I just walked out of a gym.
3. In the beginning it is slow and then it increases gradually.

Describe your sleep pattern

1. I am a light sleeper- I am sensitive to noise and sleep for short intervals.
2. I am a moderate sleeper- I have a sound sleep pattern for fixed intervals.
3. I am a heavy sleeper- nothing can disturb my sleep pattern and I sleep for as long as I want.

How active are you mentally?

1. I have a highly active mind always popping with ideas and learning something new.
2. I have a moderately active mind, somewhat creative, and learn in due time.
3. I have a minimally active mind and am rather a very slow learner..

Describe your emotional response during stress ?

1. When I am stressed I feel out of breath, always anticipating the worst, and am restless.
2. I could actually hurt somebody if I am stressed. It’s always better to stay away from me.
3. I can cry a bucket full when stressed out or spend all my time locked up inside my room.

Which weather are you the most sensitive to?

1. I cannot stand the chills
2. I hate summers
3. Humidity can get to my nerves!!!

What is your Rate of Speech?

1. I have had complaints of talking too fast and not being understood.
2. When I speak, each word is precise and  fluent
3. I speak slowly yet eloquent enough for anyone to understand me.

How sociable are you?

1. I am a social butterfly!
2. I have a group of friends and we hang out together on the weekends
3. You can call me a Wallflower…

What kind of a shopper are you?

1. I spend on impulse. I buy anything I like.
2. I like to spend on luxury
3. I spend less save more.

How good is your memory?

1. What was the question again? I do forget easily you see.
2. Moderate and accurate
3. I do not boast of a photographic memory but I can easily retain information

Judgement Time

If your answers had maximum A’s, then you have a Vata Dosha.

If your answers had maximum B’s, then you have a Pitta Dosha.

If your answers had maximum C’s, then you have a Kapha Dosha.

If your answer was a mix of mainly A’s and B’s, then you are bi-doshic and have both Vata and Pitta Doshas.

If your answer was a mix of mainly A’s and C’s, then you are bi-doshic and have both Vata and Kapha Doshas.

If your answer was a mix of mainly C’s and B’s, then you are bi-doshic and have both Kapha and Pitta Doshas.

Now that you know which Dosha are you, wait for my next post to find out more on balancing your dosha and how you can solve your weight issues with it.

Till then, enjoy reading about the Relevance of Ayurveda in the 21st Century.

Last Update: Aug 5th, 2014

Next Update: Oct 6th, 2014