Prakrti: Pitta

Your prakrti, the physical constitution

with which you were born, is pure
Pitta. This is an unchanging
characteristic and represents your
natural, normal state of being. Let's
take a look at some of the common
qualities of Pitta-predominant
individuals.
Physically, Pitta individuals tend to be
of medium build. A balanced,
proportional physique is the hallmark
of a Pitta. In fact, medium pretty much
sums up the physical characteristics of
a typical Pitta-predominant person.
A medium-sized head resting on a
sturdy neck marks the Pitta. Other
facial characteristics include:
Green, hazel, amber, gray, or blue
eyes with reddish eyeballs: sharp,
penetrating, of medium size, and
evenly placed
A medium-sized nose, sometimes
reddish or veiny
Medium pink or red lips, with a
tendency to cold sores
Teeth even, yellowish, and cavityprone in gums that bleed often

 Medium, evenly-shaped ears, often

red and warm
Thin, soft, fine, straight hair, usually
red, blond, or light brown
A tendency to gray prematurely or to
go bald at an early age
Pittas tend to be well developed
physically. Though average in height
and build, they can often be quite
athletic. Other physical characteristics
of the typical Pitta include:
Well proportioned arms, legs, hands,
and feet
Sturdy, flexible joints
Even, oval-shaped nails that bend,
red nail beds
A balanced chest and shoulders, with
medium-sized shoulders and hips
Fair skin of medium thickness, with a
tendency to freckles
Sunburns easily, moles common
Fine, light body hair
A tendency toward skin problems,
including rashes, dryness or
oiliness in patches, acne
Skin warm to the touch
Pittas can usually gain or lose weight
at will. When they do gain weight it
tends to be distributed evenly,
especially in the chest area. One very
prominent characteristic of Pittas is a
strong digestive system. They are

usually hard-charging and competitive,

with a tendency toward anger and
aggressiveness. Pitta is the fire dosha.
This is the physical constitution
(prakrti) with which you were born. It
gives you some idea of your
tendencies, and your physical
strengths and weaknesses. Now let's
take a look at your current dosha state
to see if you are balanced or
imbalanced.

Vikrti: Pitta Imbalance

Vikrti is a state of imbalance in which
one of the three bodily humors or
doshas is excessive. In your case, you
have an excess of the Pitta dosha. Pitta
is the fire dosha (a mix of fire and
water).
Ayurveda lists forty diseases that are
caused by aggravated Pitta. Though
not as dangerous as an aggravated
Vata condition, a Pitta imbalance is
nothing to sneeze at. Being the fire
element, Pitta is responsible for the
metabolic activities of the body. Pitta
combines fire as the energy of change
with water as the agent of change.
Thus, Pitta imbalances tend to create
illnesses related to metabolic

disturbances and problems with

certain bodily fluids.
Pitta ailments include:
Fevers and excessive perspiration
Foul body odors and bad breath
Jaundice
Bleeding and a tendency to bleed
Cracking of the skin and itching
Genital herpes
Inflammation of the anus, penis, in
fact, any inflammation (diseases
ending in -itis)
Excessive thirst, excessive urination,
diarrhea
Burning sensations in the chest,
body, or skin
Acid indigestion, reflux, gastritis,
peptic ulcers
Skin warts
Anything that increases stress or adds
heat to the body can cause or aggravate
a Pitta imbalance. Things to avoid
include:
Alcohol and drugs, particularly
hallucinogenic drugs
Tobacco (but then, you should avoid
this anyway)
Too much sun
Excessive indulgence, too much
competitive activity (such as

sports)
Hot, spicy foods
Too much sex
Put simply, stop overdoing things.
The best treatment for aggravated
Pitta is to slow down and cool off. Eat
cool foods, especially those with sweet,
bitter, or astringent tastes. Look for
opportunities to cool off: walks when
the breeze is cool, pleasant
conversation in a shady spot, quiet
time. Drink plenty of water.
When choosing activities, try to choose
sports that are less competitive, such
as individual sports (hiking, biking,
etc.), or sports that promote team
effort over individual competition.
Because Pitta is related to vision, good
remedies for aggravated Pitta include
beautiful scenery or art, flowers, or a
cool walk on a moonlit night.
Pitta is most powerful between 10 a.m.
and 2 p.m. and between 10 p.m. and 2
a.m. as well as in the hot summer
months. Avoid exercise or strenuous
activity during these periods.
Meditation can help, especially in the
evening before bed.
For more help, enter your name and

email address in the spots provided at

the end of this page. Pressing the Send
button will send a copy of these results
to us. We'll take a look at it, and
respond with further suggestions for
ways to regain your doshic balance.
For now, read on.

Mind Type: Kapha-Pitta

Your mental characteristics are those
of Kapha, but with a strong Pitta
influence. The simplest way for us to
explain this is to describe the
characteristics of Pitta, and then
mention Vata influences that may be
present. From this, you should be able
to recognize exactly where you stand.
Remember that all three doshas are
present in each individual, but that one
or two usually predominate. The mix
of doshas in each of us is as unique as
our fingerprints. This self-test can only
point you in the right direction. You
will have to decide for yourself what
your actual dosha mix is.
A typical Kapha has the following
mental characteristics:
Kapha is the dosha of water and earth.
These are the energies of attraction

and fascination.
Kapha is the rock upon which all else is
built, the structure that supports the
fire of Pitta and the wind of Vata.
Kapha forms the bulk of our physical
world (earth and water) and the bulk
of our bodies.
Kaphas are sensual beings. Their
dominant senses of taste and smell
make them natural hedonists, and
pave the way to their greatest danger:
descent into decadence, corruption,
and self-indulgence.
Mentally, Kaphas can seem a bit slow
to comprehend, but once they learn a
thing, they never forget it. They like
simplicity, harmony, and calm.
Routine does not phase them. In fact,
they often prefer it and tend to resist
change.
Graceful, melodious, serene, and
abiding, Kaphas are natural survivors.
They are the nurturers to whom all
others turn for restoration and
invigoration.
Kaphas are happiest in an uncluttered,
elegantly simple environment. Their
greatest weakness is a tendency to

hoard. Though naturally generous,

they can become greedy and selfcentered under stress.
When Kaphas are in their Sattvic
(balanced and harmonious) state, they
tend to be peaceful, content, loyal,
loving, stable, compassionate, patient,
devoted, nurturing, and calm.
When Kaphas are in their Rajasic
(turbulent and disturbed) state, they
tend to be attached, desirous, greedy,
materialistic, sentimental, controlling,
hedonistic, and insecure.
When Kaphas are in their Tamasic
(inertial and darkened) state, they tend
to be dull, lazy, lethargic, slothful,
insensitive, torpid, and slow-witted. In
this state, Kaphas are in danger of
turning to theft.
Possible Pitta influences include:
Pittas tend to be aggressive, takecharge individuals. They are organized,
rational, and ambitious. These are the
very traits that Kaphas often lack. If
you have used Pitta's intellectual
prowess to overcome your Kapha
tendencies to lethargy and sloth, then
you are on the right track. On the other

hand, Pitta's ability to rationalize

better than others can lead to Kaphic
excess and unpleasant results.
Pittas are decision-makers, whereas
Kaphas tend to defer to others. Thus
your Pitta influence can help you to
take charge of your life, to become
better organized, and to ensure that
the things you have hoarded as a
Kapha are put to good use.
On the down side, Pittas can be selfcentered, overly aggressive, angry, and
vain. Add these negatives to Kapha's
potential for apathy, greed, lethargy,
and sloth and you have a potentially
explosive mix.
Have you taken the best from both
Kapha and Pitta and avoided the
pitfalls of each? Or have you permitted
the Tamasic tendencies of Pitta to
aggravate your already negative Kapha
traits? Are you somewhere inbetween? These are questions you
must answer for yourself.
To get a clue, let's take a look at your
emotional state.

Guna:

Tamasic Imbalance:
Pitta
Your answers in this section fall into
one of three gunas: Sattvic, Rajasic, or
Tamasic. Within each of these gunas,
your answers are further subdivided
into Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Please
understand that this test uses only
three questions in each of these areas
to determine your guna and your
psychological imbalance, if any. That's
a pretty small sample, so don't take
these results as anything more than a
very general indication of your current
psychological state.
If you would like a more detailed
analysis of your psychological state,
please check the more information box
on the form below and submit it along
with your name and email address.
We'll get back to you as soon as we
can.
Oh, oh. Your responses to the
Emotional state portion of the test
indicate that you are currently in the
Tamasic state. Tamas is the gun
characterized by delusion, apathy,
darkness, and dullness. That doesn't
sound too good, does it? Are you sure
you weren't too hard on yourself? If

you select the Show Checked Items

link below, you'll see a list of all the
items you checked on the self-test. Run
down to the fourth section, Qualities of
Emotion, and check your answers. If
you think you made an error or two, go
back to the questions page (using your
browser's back button) and change
your responses accordingly. Then
press the Evaluate button to
recalculate your totals.
On the other hand, if you're sure your
totals are correct, don't worry. All is
not lost. There are clear steps that you
can take to rebalance yourself. Since
the Tamasic state is the worst of the
three gunas, we recommend that you
seek the advice of a qualified
Ayurvedic practitioner for a complete
evaluation. If you're not sure what to
do, use the form below to contact us
for more information.
Fortunately, your psychological
imbalance is in the same dosha as your
physical imbalance. This means that
the steps you take to reduce or
eliminate your physical imbalance
should take care of your psychological
imbalance, too. Try it and see how
things come out. If you run into
problems, feel free to contact us. You

can also return to this site as often as

you like to recheck your current
balance.
A summary of your emotional
responses is as follows:
Vat Pitt Kaph
a
a
a
Sattvic
1
1
2
Rajasic 2
3
3
Tamasi
2
3
2
c

Get More Info

Want to know more? Enter your name
and email address in the form below,
then press the Send button. Within a
few minutes you should receive a
detailed report by email.
Included in the report will be the
above results, plus suggestions for diet
and lifestyle changes to regain or
maintain your doshic balance. We'll
also take a look at your test results,
and if we have any other suggestions
that we feel will be of use to you, we'll
send them along personally.
Thanks for trying our tridosha selftest. Please feel free to add any

comments or suggestions you may

have.
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comments or suggestions
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If you would like to print these results,

we recommend you use the Text-Only
version of this page. To see the TextOnly version, use the link below.
Show Checked Items List

Items Checked on Self-

Test
Stable Qualities
Vata: Neck small, unsteady.
Vata: Long tapering fingers and toes.
Pitta: Medium body.
Pitta: As a child, hair fine, light.
Pitta: Moderate chin.
Pitta: Medium size, light green, gray,
amber, or blue eyes.
Pitta: Light body hair with fine texture.
Pitta: Fair skin, sunburns easily, freckles
and moles more common.
Pitta: When gaining weight, deposits fat
evenly.
Pitta: Medium build as a child.
Pitta: Medium bone structure.
Kapha: Moderate amount of body hair.
Kapha: Large forehead.
Kapha: Tends to gain weight, especially in
thighs and buttocks.
Kapha: Large, even, gleaming teeth.

Changeable Qualities
Vata: Joints painful, unsteady, cracking, or
stiff.
Vata: Receding gums.
Vata: Dry skin (1/4 inch thick), chaps easily,
prone to corns and callouses.
Vata: Bowel movement can be irregular,
hard, dry, or constitpated.
Vata: If ill: nervous disorders, sharp pain
likely.
Vata: Sexual interest variable, fantasy life
active.

Vata: Either indulges in rich food or diets

strictly.
Pitta: Sclera has reddish or yellow tinge.
Pitta: Can gain or lose weight if puts mind to
it.
Pitta: Deep, red lips, tendency toward cold
sores, fever blisters.
Pitta: Fine, light, oily, blonde, red, or early
gray hair, early thinning or baldness
possible.
Pitta: If ill: fevers, rashes, or inflammation
likely.
Pitta: Over-sexed, arouses easily.
Pitta: For women: May bleed heavily and
long, loose stool accompanies period.
Pitta: Loves proteins, caffeines, and hot,
spicy, and salty foods.
Kapha: Full, moist lips.
Kapha: Any climate fine (dislikes humidity).
Kapha: Tongue swollen with thick, curdy,
white coating.
Kapha: Tendency toward eye puffiness.
Kapha: Loves sweets, dairy, bread, and
pastry.

Qualities of Mind
Vata: Spends impulsively, money is to be
used.
Vata: Do many projects all at once.
Vata: Concentration is short, short-term
memory is good, but forgets quickly.
Pitta: Constantly organizing, likes to
proceed in an orderly fashion.
Pitta: Enjoys planning and organizing,
especially if created by self.
Pitta: Organized thinker.
Pitta: Plans spending, money is for
achieving a purpose.

Kapha: Loyal with many friends.

Kapha: Prefers to follow a plan or idea.
Kapha: Calm, likes to relax, leisure
activities.
Kapha: Takes time with making decisions,
sticks to them.
Kapha: Works well with routine.

Qualities of Emotion
Vata - Rajasic: Anxious.
Vata: Dreams about flying, restless,
nightmares.
Vata - Rajasic: Nervous.
Vata - Tamasic: Tendency to fear.
Vata: Feelings and emotions change easily.
Vata - Tamasic: Can be self-destructive.
Vata - Sattvic: Communicative.
Pitta - Sattvic: Tolerant.
Pitta - Rajasic: Angry.
Pitta - Tamasic: Can be destructive.
Pitta - Rajasic: Manipulative.
Pitta - Tamasic: Tendency to hate.
Pitta: Aggressive about opinions and
feelings, give opinions even if they are not
asked for.
Pitta - Tamasic: Can be vindictive.
Pitta - Rajasic: Irritable.
Kapha - Sattvic: Patient.
Kapha - Sattvic: Devoted.
Kapha - Rajasic: Desirous.
Kapha - Tamasic: Feels victimized.
Kapha - Rajasic: Attached.
Kapha - Tamasic: Tendency to apathy.
Kapha - Rajasic: Greedy.