According to Ayurveda, India's traditional medical system, each one of us has an inborn constitution, or prakriti, that shapes our bodies, minds, and predilections. According to the Ayurveda the Sanskrit word "dosha" literally means "that which becomes imbalanced." This reflects the Ayurvedic belief that people of different constitutions, left to their own devices, often make lifestyle decisions—and choose yoga practices—that tend to put them further out of balance. Ayurveda also holds that people of different constitutions are prone to diseases that reflect the ways the doshas become imbalanced.
In Ayurvedic thinking, kapha is associated with the earth and water elements. Think heavy and stable. Kaphas tend to be strong, with tremendous endurance, but they also tend towards laziness. Kaphas are more likely than people of other constitutions to be sedentary. Kaphas are prone to depression, mucus-forming conditions such as bronchitis and sinus infections, and Type 2 diabetes (the kind associated with being overweight). If they take care of themselves, though, Ayurveda says they are also likely to live longer than people of other constitutions.
If kaphas do yoga, they are likely to choose gentle styles or restorative classes, things that feel good but don't challenge them too much. Anyone can benefit from relaxing yoga, of course, but to get the full benefits of the practice, kaphas usually need to be encouraged to work harder and do more. Inertia—that is, the tendency to stay still if you're not moving, and to stay in motion if you're already moving—is the operative principle of this dosha. Yoga Experts at Jeevandhara Ayurved Rugnalay suggest such asanas that can reduce our kapha dosha. After that, they may be energized and ready to give it their all.
Similarly, if you can motivate kapha patient to do a challenging practice regularly, they may be able to stick with it, and that can make a huge difference in their mood and overall health.
Pittas are typically passionate and highly intelligent, but they are also prone to anger and aggressiveness. People of this constitution—in which, according to Ayurveda, the fire element dominates—are more likely to develop inflammatory conditions such as lupus, skin eruptions, and heart disease. Many heart attacks, for example, happen in the aftermath of an angry outburst or other high emotions.
If pittas do yoga, they are often drawn to challenging practices, such as vigorous asanas. Even though relaxation is what they need more than anything, they often resist it because they think it's not a good use of their time. One of the challenges of working with people of this constitution is to get them to back off, try less hard in the poses, be less achievement-oriented when they do yoga, and build relaxation into their routines. They often benefit from just the styles of yoga and practices that.
Vatas tend to be creative and high-energy, in constant motion, but easily distracted. According to Ayurveda, in vata dosha the air and space elements dominate. Vatas are more likely to develop conditions such as anxiety, arthritis, and diseases of nervous system. Constipation and insomnia are common complaints.
Vatas tend to choose active, movement-oriented classes. They are less likely to be happy in classes in which the flow is broken up for too long to discuss philosophy or explain the subtleties of anatomical alignment. Due to their restless minds, some vatas may have a hard time with slower, more meditative practices. At the beginning of a practice session, vatas may benefit from flowing poses, such as multiple sun salutations, to burn off some steam. Afterwards, grounding practices, such as standing poses held for a minute or longer can help reduce vata. Some vatas are drawn to vigorous pranayama practices such as bhastrika, kapalabhati, and fancy ratio breathing with long breath retentions. Unless they've gotten themselves well-grounded first, however, these practices can put them even more out of balance.
Ayurveda is a science which deals ahar (diet), vihar (physical exercise dos and donts) and chikitsa (medicinal treatment). According to Ayurveda the vihar chikitsa is also important. Yoga leads to a lot of physical and mental exercise. We at Jeevandhara Ayurved Rugnalay treat patients by using ayurveda as well as yoga therapy. It gives us excellent results. Many diseases like obesity, Sandhivat, Joint Pain, Madhumeha etc. can be treated with the help of ayurveda and yoga therapy.