This is an essential part of Ayurvedic theory that can help you make wise self-healing decisions.
Ayurveda defines twenty basic characteristics, each of which appears in 10 pairs:
Heavy—Light
Oily—Dry
Stable—Mobile
Slimy—Rough
Gross—Subtle
Cold—Hot
Slow—Sharp
Soft—Hard
Dense—Liquid
Cloudy—Clear
These characteristics may be seen in the environment around us as well as in our own bodies. The weather today might be light or heavy, liquid or dry, mobile (windy) or steady, hot or cold, overcast or clear, and hot or cold. Any of these attributes can be found in the food we consume.
For example, ice cream is dense, greasy, cold, soft, and liquid. It doesn't matter if our skin is oily or dry, rough or smooth. Our moods can be heavy or light, cloudy or clear; our thinking can be slow or sharp, our thoughts peaceful and stable or mobile and hyperactive, clear or clouded; and our thinking might be sluggish or sharp.
Changes in these attributes affect us all the time.
Vata dosha is aggravated by cold, windy, clear, dry weather, which can lead to colds and a variety of vata problems including sleeplessness, constipation, and arthritis. Pitta is aggravated by hot, humid conditions, which can result in irritability and rage, as well as physical symptoms like acne, eczema, or skin rashes.
Colds and coughs, sadness, lethargy, overeating and oversleeping, and weight gain can all be worse by cloudy, dreary, damp, or rainy weather. On a scale of one to ten, each of these paired attributes symbolizes the extreme.
According to two Ayurvedic principles, the two traits in each pair influence or affect one another:
1. Like breeds more like.
2. Opposites have a negative effect on each other.
Ayurveda's healing ideas are based on these ideas. When an imbalance occurs, successful therapy necessitates the development of opposite attributes.
A cool drink, a swim, or herbs with cooling characteristics, for example, may substantially assist calm pitta and lower the heat if there is too much of it (excess pitta). Playing tennis in the sun, eating hot meals, or going to the sauna will not benefit a person suffering from excessive heat.
Similarly, if you're chilly and shivering from being outside in the cold, warm soup, a warm blanket, or a hot bath will help you feel better.
Because they are so natural, these basic cures immediately make sense when we hear them. Ayurvedic physicians have studied nature and identified these properties in both organic and inorganic matter.
Ayurvedic therapy include determining a person's disease in terms of these traits, as well as correcting any imbalances.
How is this accomplished? Excessive dryness in the body—constipation, dry skin, emaciation, and so on—is often associated with aggravated vata; excessive heat—burning urine, irritated eyes, fever, in ammation, anger, or a critical attitude—is frequently associated with aggravated pitta; and undue heaviness—lethargy, overweight, congestion, and excess mucus—is frequently associated with unbalanced kapha.
Whatever the symptoms are, you must first comprehend them before adjusting your lifestyle—diet, exercise, and so on—to reestablish balance and wellness.
Ayurveda's hundreds of remedies can certainly help, but it's ultimately your own moment-to-moment awareness and self-observation, sensitivity to your own constitution and unique health requirements, and, perhaps most importantly, your willingness to act on your knowledge, that will make all the difference between poor health and a vital, happy, healthy, long life.
You may also want to read more about Ayurveda and Holistic Healing here.