Ayurveda is India’s 5000 year old ‘Science of Life’ philosophy which believes that each human being made up of three biological humors (known as “Doshas”): Vata, Pita, Kapha. These three Doshas represent the five basic elements of the universe: Space, air, fire, water, and earth. Hence Space and air together constitute Vata; fire and water, Pitta; and water and earth, Kapha. These three Doshas govern your physiological and mental functions and hence determine your true nature (Prakruti). Each person’s constitution is made up of a unique combination of these three Doshas, although most of us tend to have two Doshas in preponderance. Take the following test to learn what Doshas are dominant in you – and find out how your Doshas determine how your body behaves and how your mind thinks.

OBSERVATION	VATA	PITTA	KAPHA
Body size	Thin build	Medium build	Large build
Body weight	Low	Medium	Heavy side
Weight change	Trouble gaining	Can gain but lose quickly	Gains weight easily, hard to lose
Skin type	Thin, dry	Smooth, combination skin	Thick, oily,
Skin texture	Cold, roughness, light color	Warm, reddish, freckles	Cool, pale
Hair	Dry, brittle, scarce, gets knotted	Straight, oily, prone to hair loss	Thick, curly, oily, wavy, luxuriant
Hair colour	Brown, black	Blond, gray, red,	Dark black, dark brown
Teeth	Big, roomy, stick out, thin gums	Medium size, soft, tender gums	Healthy, white, strong gums
Nose	Uneven shape, deviated septum	Long, pointed, red nose tip	Short, rounded, button nose
Eyes	Small, sunken, dry, active, freq. blinking	Sharp, sensitive to light	Big, calm,
Eye colour	Black, brown	bright gray, green, yellow / red,	Blue
Nails	Dry, rough, easily broken	Sharp, flexible, long, reddish tint	Thick, smooth, shiny surface
Lips	Dry, cracked	Often inflamed	Smooth, large
Lip colour	Black or brown tint	Red or yellowish	Pale
Chin	Thin and angular	Tapered	Rounded, big
Cheeks	Sunken, lines or wrinkles	Flat and smooth	Big or round
Neck	Long, thin	Medium	Wide
Chest	Small, flat	Moderate	Broad chest
Belly	Small, flat	Moderate	large, defined
Bellybutton	Small, irregular	Oval, superficial	Big, deep, round
Hips	Small or thin	Moderate	Big
Joints	Cracking noise	Moderate	Large, lubricated
Appetite	Irregular in frequency and magnitude	Strong, cannot skip meals	Steady, regular, skips meals
Taste preference	Sweet, sour, salty	Sweet, bitter, astringent	Bitter, pungent, astringent
Thirst	Variable	Need water regularly	Sparse need for water
Digestion	Irregular	Quick	Slow
When there is indigestion	Tendency to constipation, forms gas	Causes burning, heart burn, reflux	Forms mucous
Elimination	Dry	Loose	Thick, sluggish
Physical activity	Always active	Moderate	Slow, measured
Mental activity	Always active	Moderate	Calm
Personality	Vivacious, talkative, social, outgoing	Likes to be in control, intense, ambitious	Reserved, laid back, concerned
Emotional response when stressed	Anxiety, fear	Anger, jealousy	Greedy, possessive, withdrawn
Faith or beliefs	Change from time to time	Dedicated/strong	Consistent
Intellectual response	Quick, not detailed	Accurate, timely	Paced but exact
Memory	Good short term, quick to forget	Medium but accurate	Slow to remember but then sustained
Career, life preference	Creative arts, designing, interacting with people	Science or engineering, construction	Management, human relations, care giving
Environment	Easily feels cold	Intolerant of heat	Uncomfortable in humidity
Sleep	Short, broken up	moderate and sound	Deep and long
Dreams	Multiple and quick, fearful	Fiery, often about conflicts	Slow, romantic
Speech	Rapid, hither thither	precise, articulate	Slow, monotonous
Financial	Buy on impulse	Spends money on luxuries	Good at Saving money
TOTAL	VATA	PITTA	KAPHA