Doshas explained

…Or why your friend loves routines and you forget to eat.

If you’ve ever read about Ayurveda, you’ve probably come across the word dosha and immediately thought: oh no, here we go.

It usually comes with long quizzes, very serious descriptions, and the subtle suggestion that everything wrong in your life can be explained by three words. Vata, Pitta, Kapha.

Let’s make this simpler and a bit more fun.

Doshas are not personality labels. They are more like patterns. Ways energy shows up in the body and mind. And yes, most of us recognize ourselves in at least one of them very quickly. Sometimes a little too quickly.

Let’s start with Vata.

Vata is movement. Air. Space. Speed. Vata people tend to think fast, talk fast, and have at least three ideas at the same time. They are creative, enthusiastic, and often very inspiring. They also forget to eat, lose their keys, and feel cold when everyone else is fine.

If you’ve ever said “I’ll just eat later” and then suddenly it’s 5 p.m. and you’re shaking, there might be some Vata at work.

Then there is Pitta.

Pitta is fire. Focus. Drive. Efficiency. Pitta people like things to work. They like plans, results, and preferably competence. They digest food well, but sometimes also digest life very intensely. Emotions included.

If you get irritated when people walk slowly, if you get hungry and angry at the same time, or if you love a good to do list a bit too much, Pitta might be strong in you.

And then we have Kapha.

Kapha is stability. Grounding. Calm. Endurance. Kapha people are often the ones everyone relies on. They have patience, warmth, and the ability to sit still without checking their phone every two minutes. Very impressive.

On the less charming side, Kapha can mean feeling heavy, sluggish, or stuck, especially when there is too much comfort and not enough movement. Yes, the couch is lovely. Sometimes too lovely.

Here’s the important part. Everyone has all three doshas. You are not just one thing. You are a mix. And that mix can change depending on season, stress, sleep, work, and life in general.

The goal of Ayurveda is not to become your dosha. It’s to balance it.

Too much Vata needs grounding.
Too much Pitta needs cooling and softness.
Too much Kapha needs movement and stimulation.

Simple, right.

And no, knowing your dosha does not mean you have to reorganize your entire life or eat only one type of food forever. It just gives you a different lens to understand why certain things feel good and others don’t.

If this made you smile or recognize yourself a little, good. That’s exactly how Ayurveda should feel. Insightful, not intimidating.

If you want to explore this in a bit more depth without getting lost in online tests, I talk about doshas in my Ayurveda workshop in a very practical way. No labels, no drama, no personality crisis.

Just understanding, a bit of humor, and a lot of common sense.

And if nothing else, you now have a new explanation for why your friend is always early, you are always late, and someone else just wants a nap.