What's My Prakriti?
Take this quiz to understand your unique Prakriti (body constitution) as per Ayurveda.
It is important to emphasise that each constitution is unique. Permutations and combinations of doshas and their particular qualities account for numerous different combinations which result in unique physical, mental and emotional constitutions. Just as no two fingerprints are the same, likewise no two Prakriti’s are the same. Even though we are all made of the same elements, doshas and their qualities, they always manifest themselves in varying amounts, forming a unique Prakriti.
It is extremely valuable for you to have an understanding of all of the three doshas, because at some point, you will work with all three in their own unique way, at different times of the year or through the different stages of your life. This questionnaire ( and the many that are out there ) serve as a great introduction to Ayurveda. The doshas are based on the five great elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. By taking the questionnaire, you'll learn more about how the doshas create and influence the mental, physical and emotional aspects of your being.
It's important to remember that the questionnaire is just a tool for assessing your Ayurvedic constitution, and the results are not definitive. They can give you an idea of your prominent doshas and any potential health imbalances, but they may not always be accurate or clear; this is largely due to how well and/or honest you are with yourself. Use the results as a learning opportunity, rather than becoming too attached or identified with them.
Keep in mind that you should not identify yourself solely with your dosha. Even though certain tendencies and characteristics might be associated with your primary dosha, it is possible to grow and change as a person. Our personalities and physical bodies can evolve over time. Therefore, it is best not to become too fixated on your dosha and instead focus on your overall health and well-being.
If you require more clarity regarding your constitution (Prakriti) and your current health status (Vikrti), It’s best to engage a practitioner for a health consultation before embarking on any treatment. Health consultations entail a thorough assessment of your constitution, medical history, family history, current imbalances, and overall emotional, physical, and mental state.
It's also important to note that most people will have a predominance of two dosha's in their constitution. This is a very basic algorithm so the quiz will select the most dominant dosha. As a general rule, you will find balance by following the pacifying diet and practices that predominate your make-up.
Select one answer from each category of traits that best describe you.
You can do this questionnaire twice.
1. To determine your Prakriti, your unique constitution at conception, select answers you identify most with throughout your life.
2. To get a sense of your vikriti, your current health status, retake the questionnaire, and answer based on how you feel now and in the recent past. Your answers may be similar or very different. From here we can get an idea of where you may or may not be in balance.
“Tatra ruksho laghu sheetah, khara sukshmaschalo nilah”
Vata consists of the air and ether elements, and is characterised by gunas (qualities) such as dry, light, cool, rough, subtle, and mobile. Having a vata-predominant prakriti means that these qualities express themselves generously throughout your mental, emotional, and physical make up.
As you are predominantly made up of the elements air and ether, you tend to think fast, talk fast, love being with other people, and enjoy travel and change. You are so enthusiastic and full of energy that it’s hard to keep you grounded. Much like the wind, you are changeable. Wonderfully creative with an artistic flair, you dance to a different beat. You are unique, and you love that about you. You are very active, often restless and sometimes find it hard to relax. You have a strong and sensitive spirit, and have have the greatest potential among all the dosha's for attaining a profound spiritual life. You are ruled primarily by the subtle body and its elevated ethereal experience.
You are good at initiating things, but not necessarily at following them through. You are prone to poor memory, lack of concentration, disorganisation, fear and anxiety. You can suffer from nervous problems such as anxiety, panic attacks and mood swings. The balanced ‘you’ is active, creative, and gifted with a natural ability to express and communicate.
Daily Routines
Because the primary qualities of Vata are dry, light, irregular, cool, rough, and mobile, it is essential that someone with a Vata constitution adopts a consistent daily routine that incorporates warmth, nourishment, and stability to ground and balance them out. Vata energy is most active between the hours of 2:00 and 6:00. In the early hours of the morning Vatas are restless and tend to lose sleep, therefore they should rise promptly on awakening and engage in calming activities.
Snehana (oleation) is a really important therapy for Vata's. Taking a warm bath with essential oils, or performing abhyanga with warm oils and herbs , and then having a warm shower after to help the oil infuse further into the skin should be practiced daily.
Because of Vatas light and mobile qualities, Vatas does not need intense exercise, therefore gentle pursuits such as pranayama, gentle yoga, tai chi, or a gentle walk-in nature would be beneficial for them at this time.
The most important aspect to a Vatas daily routine is consistency, from one day to the next. Vata types benefit from three full meals a day, starting with an early breakfast, lunch at midday, a snack at 4:00pm, and a full dinner around 6pm. When Vata dosha is dominant or imbalanced, these three full meals could be divided into 6 smaller meals to help keep an irregular appetite in check.
Vata types should aim to do the bulk of their work, chores, or errands between 10:00am and 2:00pm as the afternoon should allow for napping, reflection and/or nurturing of the body and mind, because it is during these hours that their energies become scattered and dispersed.
The Ratricharya for a Vata can include an hour of work or planning for the day ahead once theyve had time to recharge in the afternoon. A full dinner around 6pm, followed by a hot, nurturing brew such as haldi doodh (golden milk) would be particularly beneficial. The ideal bedtime for a Vata is around 10pm and any of the following grounding exercises should precede Nadi Shodhana, Chandra Bhedana, Trataka, Meditation or Yoga Nidra. Because Vata types are inherently dry, the practice of applying warm oil to the top of the head and to the feet, ear canals, and nasal passages would also very beneficial.
“Pittam sasneha tikshnoshnam laghu visram, saram dravam”
Pitta consists of the fire and water elements, and is characterised by the gunas (qualities) such as hot, light, sharp, oily, spreading, and liquid. Having a pitta-predominant prakriti means that these qualities express themselves generously throughout your mental, emotional, and physical make up.
Your analytical nature will drive you to ask questions about every aspect of making a decision before deciding something. You can be a fantastic improviser, negotiator
and problem-solver because you live in the present. You tend to be highly focused,
competitive, capable, strong, energetic, and are a clear straight shooting communicator. You're a problem solver, and want to solve everybody’s problems.
You have a strong appetite and love to eat. In fact, if you miss a meal, and get hungry, you can be irritable and prone to hypoglycaemia, with headaches, dizziness, weakness and shaking. Your digestion is good, but when you get hot, agitated, or angry, or eat too many hot, pungent or oily foods, you may suffer from indigestion,heartburn, and loose, burning stools.
You are extremely methodical and organised. You can be rather obsessive about time
and most would call you a perfectionist! You are decisive, aggressive, ambitious and
determined, often finding yourself in a position of leadership. The 'balanced you' is passionate, focused, and brilliant. You exude self-confidence and an entrepreneurial
spirit.
Daily Routines
Pitta's can afford to sleep in later than the other doshas, to replenish the enormous energy they expend during the daytime hours. Pittas should rise promptly on awakening, and exercise during the cool morning hours. If the exercise is of higher intensity, some cooling pranayama such as shitali, meditation, garshana (dry body brushing), and a cool shower should ensue to restore equilibrium.
Pittas have a high appetite and digestive power, so they can eat and digest more food than their counterparts. Pittas can enjoy 3 wholesome meals a day, with the largest meal taken at mid-day to settle them down, a snack in the afternoon, and are to avoid eating after 7pm at night.
Pittas heat and high energy needs to be balanced with cool, slightly drying and heavier foods. The Sweet, Bitter and Astringent tastes are best suited to the Pitta type. Pittas digestion allows for cooler and raw foods such as salads. They are sensitive to hot, acidic, and fermented foods and therefore should avoid heating spices, and foods with the sour, salty, and pungent tastes. Pittas benefit the most from a Lacto-Vegetarian diet all year round. Food is the medicine that soothes and calms a Pittas eruptive nature, and while careful consideration is given to the kinds of foods needed to calm and cool a Pitta, so too should be the frame of mind and environment in which they are eating; they should never take their meals when they are angry, upset, or irritable. This rule should also apply to when a Pitta exercises, as any activity fuelled by anger becomes detrimental to a Pittas health.
Cool beverages, not iced, such as water, coconut water, aloe vera, and green vegetable juices are excellent for either clearing excess pitta or helpful to Pittas raging appetite. Both appetite and thirst are controlled by Pitta. Those who have predominate pitta constitutions tend to run on the warmer side and sweat more often, therefore it is vital Pitta consumes foods and liquids to help support optimal hydration. Furthermore, Pittas drive is as strong as their hunger, thus pittas need to stop what they are doing, to eat on time or when hunger sets in to ensure they do not get irritable. Changes in mental state are all signs of pitta increasing.
Morning and Evening hours of 10:00 and 2:00 are governed by Pitta. It is during these hours that Pittas need to be careful not push past their limits, instead balancing stressful work or communication with creative and contemplative activities. Fire and water are always antagonist and its Pittas job to make two such opponents cooperate.
After a peaceful and quiet lunch, Pittas can carry on with work activity right through until 5pm, where they should wrap up with reflection on the day, and planning for the day ahead, so that they can switch off and leave all their worldly conquests outside the home.
Dinner should be taken at 6pm with friends or family, and their Ratricharya should focus heavily on cool, calming, and contemplative activities. In summer taking a long walk along the beach after dinner, bathing in the moonlight, performing a coconut milk foot soak and massage with aromatherapy oils and a nurturing brew of amla and tulsi or a moon milk to wind down, will go a long way in helping a Pitta regenerate their virile power for the next day.
Evening meditations are extremely important to quiet the overactive Pitta mind, visualisation, japa meditation, and yoga nidra are good aids for pitta meditations. Pittas need to retire to bed before 10pm to resist the temptation of staying up all night during that second wind or spur of creative energy that comes at the Pitta time of evening.
“Snigdhah shita gururmandah shlakshno mritsnah sthirah kaphah”
Kapha consists of the water and earth elements, and is characterised by the gunas
(qualities) such as cool, heavy, slow, unctuous, smooth, soft, and stable. Kapha is
also dense, cloudy, and viscous. So, having a Kapha-predominant Prakriti means
that these qualities express themselves generously throughout your mental,
emotional, and physical make up.
You tend to have a a more solid or voluptuous build and although you have a strong
presence, you can be soft-spoken and shy. You embody the watery energies of love
and compassion, and are kind, loyal, affectionate and placid in nature. Strong, and
highly structured in both body and mind, you are the sturdiest of the three doshas,
capable of handling large amounts of work with endless patience. However, while it
can take you a long time to get out of balance, it can also take a very long time to
come back into balance.
Your appetite is stable, you love food, and have a tendency to comfort eat.
Your digestion is slow and sluggish as is your metabolism which means weight is
often something you battle with. You may also have a tendency to be lazy, and
exertion does not come naturally to you. When out of balance, there is resistance to
change and stubbornness, you tend to hold on to things, jobs, and relationships,
long after they are no longer nourishing or necessary.
In Sanskrit, Kapha translates as 'that which binds things,
' and you are often the glue binding people/family/friends together. The balanced ‘you’ is calm, kind, patient, and nurturing. When in balance, you are also drawn to routines. Even though you may be slow to pick up new habits, you are great at sticking with them for the long haul.
Daily Routines
The qualities of Kapha tends to dampen their desire to be active, and thus to stay in balance they need to make a firm commitment to maintaining a non-sedentary lifestyle. Kaphas energy becomes more intense, heavy, and fixed during the Kapha period of the day, which is around 6:00 to 10:00 mornings and evenings. Kaphas need to define clear-cut schedules, and will themselves into maintaining consistency. But for them to maintain this kind of commitment, the activity needs to render valid or immediate results.
Kaphas should rise promptly on awakening and well before 6:00am to avoid getting trapped in an un-motivating Kapha-time of day. They do best to start their day with a high intensity physical workout or some fast paced and creative vinyasa yoga. Kaphas should also perform garshana (dry body brushing) daily to help stimulate and
improve blood circulation, and detoxify the lymphatic system. This should be followed up with abhyanga (self massage), and a warm shower. Kaphas need to carefully consider the type of oil they use on their skin. Safflower and Grapeseed Oil are both light and absorb readily into the skin, furthermore they also help to regulate excess sebum or oil production which helps to balance the oily skin which Kapha- types can experience. Mustard + Sesame seed could also be used due to their warming and light properties. If joints are swollen, it is best to avoid abhyanga. If Kapha is in excess, udvartana (massage with dry fragrant powder) would be preferable over oils.
Kaphas do best fasting until 10:00am, one decent meal at midday is ideal, and the rest of their meals should be smaller portions of warm, light, drying and stimulating foods. Kaphas should avoid eating large meals, food with the smooth, oily and heavy foods qualities, and foods with the sour, sweet, and salty tastes. Their diet should consist of lighter, invigorating, easy to digest foods that are pungent, bitter, and astringent in tastes. Hot spices such as ginger, chilli, black pepper, and cumin make an excellent addition to a Kapha's meals, as these spices aid in reducing excess Kapha, and kindling the Agni. Hot herbal teas, water, and green juices with ginger, chilli and turmeric can be consumed in between meals. Kaphas feel the best eating vegan all year round, and benefit immensely from fasting once a week.
Kaphas are slow and steady to win the race and can therefore pace themselves with work or normal activity until days end, (so between the hours of 9am and 6pm), breaking around the middle of the day for a hearty meal when Agni is at its peak. Each meal should be followed up with a short walk, as sitting down, napping, or watching tv afterwards should be avoided.
The Kapha Ratricharya should be consistent, starting with a light dinner around 6pm, and then followed by some kind stimulating activity outside of the home - such as attending a class, yoga, meditation, a lecture, or an event.
Practicing 5 minutes of Brhamari Pranayama also supports fluidity and clarity in the sinuses, throat, and lungs, helping to clear them of any stagnation. Bhastrika or Kapalabhati Pranayama helps to burn accumulated Ama, kindles agni and improves circulation. Kapha types should consider these types of pranayama to wind down from the day, with meditation to follow. Kaphas should aim to be in bed by 10pm and at the same time each night, as they need to receive adequate rest at consistent times to help prevent an over-indulgence in sleep. Even though Kapha needs more sleep than others to feel refreshed, when Kapha is aggravated, they should budget no more than seven hours nightly.
Kapha is aggravated by inactivity, boredom, inadequate exercise, and a Kapha- provoking diet. If the accumulating Kapha and/or ama (toxins) migrate to the colon, it will eventually enter circulation causing sluggish digestion, excess mucous, congestion, and frequent colds and coughs.
The most important aspect of a Kaphas daily routine is remaining constantly awash and moving. Physical activity will provide the warmth and stimulation required, to get everything circulating and moving. Kaphas need to make their activities, and the diet light, stimulating, and enjoyable and may benefit from inviting a friend to join them, for extra motivation, and to help keep them accountable.