What's My Constitution?
Discover the unique mix of elements that reside in you!
Ayurveda teaches us that our constitution or prakruti, the special mixture of the five elements in the body and mind (earth, wind, water, fire, ether), is determined at the moment of conception and remains consistent throughout our lifetimes.
By understanding the combination of the five elements that reside within you, you can address every physical, mental, and emotional imbalance using principles of Ayurveda. The combination of elements is categorized in three elemental substances, called doshas. They are called Vata (air and ether), Pitta (fire and water), and Kapha (earth and water). Every person possesses each dosha, but in varying ratios. Knowing what ratio you possess allows for an understanding of what needs to be taken in (via diet, herbs, lifestyle practices) to balance and heal. We as beings are constantly absorbing information through our five senses. That is how we make sense of the world, and it is also what can cause balance or imbalance! Ayurveda addresses all five senses through its distinct, practiced healing modalities.
Instructions: Go through the quiz below and select the one answer that best fits you from each category. Your results will be emailed to you. Note: For people 60 years and older, please choose the answer that has been true for the majority of your adult life from ages 20-55.
RESULTS
Click on the constitution that you tallied most in to learn more about yourself! We are all made up of a combination of all three doshas, but there will either be one primary dosha (most of the tallies, spare one or two), two dominant doshas (fairly equal number of tallies between two doshas or at least four in one and the rest in another), or a tridoshic nature (fairly equal number of tallies between all three doshas) that emerges when we classify our elemental blends.
Vata
Physical Characteristics
Remember that physical characteristics should always be looked at within the context of your ethnicity.
You likely have a long, narrow skeletal frame with narrow shoulders and hips. Your face is oblong-shaped and on the thinner side, with eyes that are smaller in size. Your complexion is on the dull or dusty side, with thin and dry skin. Your hair is likely dry and may be frizzy or coarse. You probably have long, narrow fingers with rectangular palms. You often feel cold, and probably seek out warmer environments. Your speech is on the quicker side (with an occasional tendency to ramble), and you usually find it easy to make small talk.
Personality: Mental & Emotional Tendencies
You are a vibrant person with a general excitement for life. You have even been called bubbly by others and been told that your personality is infectious. You have a creative or artistic side which amplifies your higher sensitivity and sometimes you might even feel like you do not fit in well with societal standards (you march to the beat of your own drum!). Because people of a Vata nature possess the qualities of air and ether, you may experience occasional anxiety and when you are unbalanced you can be indecisive, unpredictable, and moody. Your friends would describe you as fun-loving, happy, and enthusiastic.
Digestion
You likely have a somewhat irregular appetite, and a tendency to skip meals altogether. Your bowel movements tend to be a bit dry, so you may not have a predictably regular habit of eliminating, and you may sometimes experience constipation.
Energy Levels, Stamina, & Sleep
Your light body supports your preference for maintaining a high level of activity. You likely have a lot of energy, but your stamina is limited, so you may sometimes experience feelings of "burn out". Despite knowing this about yourself, you probably have a difficult time saying no to things you genuinely care about.
You tend to sleep fewer hours with a more restless sleep (sometimes bordering on insomniac tendencies). You likely prefer a soft bed with lots of covers, and it is important to you that you stay warm while you sleep.
Air + Ether
Pitta
Fire + Water
Physical Characteristics
Remember that physical characteristics should always be looked at within the context of your ethnicity.
You likely have a moderate skeletal frame with well-defined musculature. Your face is angular, with intense eyes that are moderate in size and possibly deep-set. Your complexion is on the rosy side, with oily skin that can be prone to rashes. Your hair is likely fine and may turn gray early. You probably have moderate fingers with square palms. You often feel warm and possess good circulation. Your speech tends to be very clear and articulate and you are great at public speaking.
Personality: Mental & Emotional Tendencies
You are an intelligent person with great concentration and memory. You have a very warm side that tends to come out strongest around people you are close to. You have strong leadership qualities with an even stronger side of passion. Because people of a Pitta nature possess the quality of fire, you may experience occasional burnout and when you are unbalanced you can be angry, jealous, and judgmental. Your friends would describe you as ambitious, hard-working, disciplined, and dependable.
Digestion
You have a strong appetite, and skipping meals can cause you to become quite irritable. You experience two-three bowel movements per day and your eliminations tend to be on the softer side, even sometimes tending on the side of diarrhea. It can be common to experience heartburn and indigestion.
Energy Levels, Stamina, & Sleep
Your stamina is moderate by nature, paired with a strong will, which lets you push yourself when you really want to.
You require a moderate amount of sleep, six to eight hours, and you prefer to sleep in absolute darkness. Your sleep is on the lighter side, but if any interruptions occur and you awaken, you are also quick to fall back asleep. In all likelihood, you prefer a relatively firm bed with fewer covers. You can definitely be a night owl, and sometimes, you are most productive late at night.
Kapha
Earth + Water
Physical Characteristics
Remember that physical characteristics should always be looked at within the context of your ethnicity.
You likely have a stockier, thicker build. Your face is on the rounder side with a smooth texture, with large, beautiful eyes. Your complexion is probably pale and in general usually lacks color, and your skin is moist, soft, and thick. Your hair is full, luxurious, wavy and perhaps a bit oily. You probably have shorter, wider fingers with square, fleshier palms. You often feel cool but if you do sweat, it tends to be profuse with a sweet or neutral odor. Your speech tends to be very slow, with soft and sweet words and a non-confrontational style.
Personality: Mental & Emotional Tendencies
You are a calm, loving person with a steady disposition that is not easily disturbed. You react slowly to circumstances, reflecting the stable nature of the earth element. Because people of a Kapha nature possess that quality of earth, you may experience occasional lethargy and when you are unbalanced you can be stubborn, complacent, and uninspired. Your friends would describe you as compassionate, nurturing, affectionate, and gentle.
Digestion
You have a consistently low appetite, and skipping meals does not affect you (in fact, you might even feel better!). You experience daily bowel movements and your eliminations tend to be larger and pale in color. It is common to experience sluggish digestion and a feeling of heaviness after eating.
Energy Levels, Stamina, & Sleep
Your stamina is very strong by nature, paired with impressive strength (physical and emotional).
You like to sleep for longer periods of time and your sleep is quite heavy, with a difficulty in waking up. You are truly able to sleep anywhere, and there can be a tendency to oversleep. You are not likely to be a morning person, with a feeling of sluggishness when you wake up in the mornings.
Vata-Pitta / Pitta-Vata
Air + Ether + Fire + Water
Physical Characteristics
Remember that physical characteristics should always be looked at within the context of your ethnicity.
Your skeletal frame is probably rather slight and you may have long limbs, and hips that are on the narrower side. Your musculature is lean, with your weight being generally steady. Your face may be heart-shaped, with facial features that are angular, and eyes that are small to medium in size. Your skin is probably rather thin and transparent and may tend toward being either a bit dry or a bit oily. Your hair is likely fine and may be either curly or straight. You probably feel cold and will seek out warmer environments to warm your chilly hands and feet!
Personality: Mental & Emotional Tendencies
Your friends would probably describe you as fun-loving and passionate. You are intelligent and creative and can utilize these strengths to complete almost any project you set out to complete. Your adventurous spirit gives you the drive to explore the world. You also have a love of learning and your passion allows you to achieve impressive academic feats. In general, your intensity drives you, and it's coupled with a love of life that still allows you to enjoy the "little things".
Digestion
Your natural digestive strength allows you to eat as you please for the most part, with some possible food sensitivities. There's a good chance that you often skip meals because your appetite can be variable. For Pitta dominant (Pitta-Vata vs. Vata-Pitta) individuals, you may find it harder to skip meals or feel some anger if you do. There may be a bit of multi-tasking going on while you eat or you may tend to rush through your meals. When you are healthy, your bowels likely move fairly regularly and your stools tend to be naturally well-formed. When aggravated or stressed, your digestive system may tend toward gas or bloating, and in Pitta imbalances there may be indigestion and diarrhea.
Energy Levels, Stamina, & Sleep
Your body being on the lighter side coupled with a competitive nature keep you active! There's a good chance you have an abundance of energy to the point that you probably have a difficult time saying no when asked to take on more, giving you a tendency to overexert yourself.
Your sleep tends to be on the lighter side and when you are stressed you may experience insomnia. In general, you sleep less on average. You may sleep hot or cold (depending on which dosha is dominant here), but you likely have a clear preference toward one or the other.
Pitta-Kapha / Kapha-Pitta
Fire + Water + Earth + Water
Physical Characteristics
Remember that physical characteristics should always be looked at within the context of your ethnicity.
You are likely to have a well-proportioned and moderately-sized skeletal frame, with a sturdy bone structure and build. Your weight might be steady or tend to fluctuate a bit, with a likelihood of carrying a few extra pounds. Your face is a combination of kapha’s characteristic roundness with pitta’s sharp features. Your eyes are likely medium or large in size, bright and captivating, and your gaze is probably both piercing and compassionate. Your skin tends to be on the oilier side, and may have some reddish undertones. There could also be a good chance of a history of acne. Your hair is soft, and may be straight or wavy with an early gray tendency. Your body temperature is usually warm or neutral, but you definitely prefer a drier climate to a humid one.
Personality: Mental & Emotional Tendencies
You are an intelligent person with great concentration and memory, with a calm and steady demeanor that comes from your kapha side. Your speech is clear and articulate which allows you to easily command a room; you are a natural-born leader. You are probably ambitious, hard-working, and dependable. You tend to love learning and possess a natural affinity for problem-solving. Your principles are very important to you. You tend to be a perfectionist, and when unbalanced, this can cause you to become critical or yourself or others.
Digestion
You are likely to have a great appetite and a passion for food, even going so far as to call yourself a "foodie". There may be a big tendency to overindulge, with some emotional eating behaviors, which causes your digestion to sometimes become sluggish. Your eliminations are likely very regular, with the stools tending to be on the soft and oily side, which means you rarely experience constipation.
Energy Levels, Stamina, & Sleep
You likely have a steady and lasting energy in doing the things you love. Your strength and endurance are also impressive and allow you to reach athletic goals well when your will is set on it. When you are unbalanced, you may feel symptoms of lethargy or lack of motivation.
You tend to sleep really well and if you awaken, it's easy for you to fall back asleep. If Pitta is dominant, you likely prefer a cooler room to sleep in. You may have the capacity to be quite productive late at night, but probably also suffer a distinct sluggishness if you sleep in past 6:00 or 7:00am.
Vata-Kapha / Kapha-Vata
Air + Ether + Earth + Water
Physical Characteristics
Remember that physical characteristics should always be looked at within the context of your ethnicity.
Your skeletal frame is likely moderate in size and you also have lean musculature, with a tendency of weight fluctuation. You are probably on the taller side as well. Your face is a blend of kapha’s characteristic roundness, and vata’s length. Your eyes are probably about medium in size and may very well be uniquely dazzling. Your complexion probably tends to be combination, and it is neither oily nor dry, but somewhere in between. Your hair may be moderately thick with a possibility of coarseness, and may even have a few curls. Your body tends to feel cool most of the time, so you love the sunshine and actively seek our warmer climates.
Personality: Mental & Emotional Tendencies
You see yourself as a creative, visionary type. Your kapha side grounds you and adds a calm and steady demeanor to your big idea personality. You are likely a gentle, sensitive, and loving soul. You are the type of person who, when they get attached to something or someone, you approach them with significant devotion.
Digestion
Your appetite is rarely high and consistently irregular. Your creative side may play a part in your kitchen, but there's a high likelihood that your digestion is squeamish, tending to be on the sluggish side (kapha dominant) or the dry, gassy side (vata dominant). Your bowels may be a bit dry or sluggish, with relatively firm stools. This can sometimes lead to constipation.
Energy Levels, Stamina, & Sleep
Vata tends to be on the gentler side in terms of strength and stamina, yet kapha is observed as steady and strong. So for you, it is vital to be able to find balance in activity and rest and relaxation. Your general enthusiasm for life and love of adventure has likely left a tendency to overexert yourself, despite having moderate endurance. Your ability to focus probably fluctuates, from being able to be hyper-focused, to having days when you simply cannot coerce your mind to cooperate on the task at hand.
You sleep moderately in length, but you will feel your best when you go to sleep by 10:00pm and wake up around 6:00am, otherwise you might feel sluggish and find it much more difficult to wake up. You prefer to sleep in a softer bed with lots of covers to ensure you're warm and cozy. When kapha is dominant, you are truly able to sleep anyplace, anytime (a great trait for university students!).
Tridoshic (Vata-Pitta-Kapha)
Air + Ether + Fire + Water + Earth
Physical Characteristics
Remember that physical characteristics should always be looked at within the context of your ethnicity.
Because you have an equal blend of all five elements, your skeletal frame is well-proportioned and is likely about medium in size. Your strength and stamina are exceptional, and your musculature is naturally athletic. Your weight remains consistent. Your face may include a combination of vata’s length, pitta’s heart-shape with sharper features, and kapha’s characteristic roundness and your skin is well moisturized. You have bright eyes which are likely medium in size. Your hair is soft and medium in texture and volume. Your body temperature is on the neutral side, so it's easy for you to adapt to any climate.
Personality: Mental & Emotional Tendencies
You have a great combination of traits from your balanced tridoshic nature. Just some of these qualities include being intelligent, creative, ambitious, compassionate, calm, and articulate. When in balance, you have the ability to disconnect from the world and not let it affect you negatively. Because of your balanced nature, success is a sure thing in your career and personal life.
Digestion
Once again, your balanced nature gives you many digestive benefits! You likely have a good appetite and naturally strong digestion which pretty much lets you eat anything you want without any issues. It wouldn't be wrong to call you a foodie, either, since your ease with food allows you to really love it! When in balance, you have regular eliminations that are well-formed. If you are experiencing any imbalance, depending on your imbalanced dosha at the time, you can experience either gas or bloating (vata), diarrhea or indigestion (pitta), or sluggishness (kapha).
Energy Levels, Stamina, & Sleep
Your equal balance of elements allows you to possess excellent overall health and stamina. Your high energy allows you to pursue any athletic feat you set your mind on and your strength gives you the ability to achieve your goals every time.
Your sleep is of great quality and you sleep an average of about eight hours, without any issues. Insomnia or sluggishness when waking are not general issues for you, although they can occur if you are greatly out of balance. There's a good likelihood that you do not stay up too late at night and prefer to go to sleep at an earlier hour, while also waking at an earlier hour.