The five great elements pancha mahabhutas --namely space, air, fire, water, and earth--manifest in the human physiology and psyche as three fundamental bioenergies known as the three doshas From space and air comes Vata, which regulates our energies and movements. From fire and water comes Pitta, which gives us warmth and perception and the capacity to transform substances within our bodies. From water and earth comes Kapha, which make s up our structure, our flesh and secretions, and creates solidity and cohesiveness.
Through the action of the tridosha we replicate the great Cosmic Forces in our own bodies and participate in the eternal cosmic dance of creation, maintenance, and destruction. The ancient sages observed that although every individual is constituted of the three doshas, each of us inherits them in differing proportions. This accounts for our differences in appea rance, preferences, aversions, behavioral patterns, and emotional tendencies. The proportion of the three doshas present in an individual at birth will determine his or her essential constitution or prakriti. Prakriti comes from two Sanskrit roots that mean the initial creation or alternatively this interesting word can also mean, to come forth into creation. It represents how we initially come into life before any deviations have taken place.
The prakriti remains unchanged during the course of one's lifetime and is genetically determined. Prakriti represents the proportion of the doshas, which represents the ideal state of balance, and it serves as the goal for us to strive toward. It will manifest in us throughout our li fetimes through our physical characteristics, natural urges, likes and dislikes, and psychological predilections as we have stated above. However, one's prakriti will also determine to a great extent how one will develop the highest order of human qualit ies: love, compassion, and pure consciousness. Thus the proportion of the three doshas, which a person inherits, will be at the foundation of his or her experience and existence. From the perspective of the Ayurvedic physician, precise determination of the prakriti is absolutely mandatory as the first step in formulating a course of action for each patient. Knowledge of an individual's prakriti will instruct the physician of the following:
