“Getting to know you. Getting to know all about you…” La la….
Learn how your dosha type interacts with other Vatas, Pittas, & Kaphas.
Note: This tip is written for each dosha type. First take our dosha quiz to find out your dosha-type and then read the tip for your type:
Self-knowledge, the ability to understand ourselves–not just why we do certain things the way we do, but how our character and personality affect others and our environment–is one of life’s most valuable accomplishments.
Our focus for this week is a hot “tip sheet” on your particular personality and character of your dosha type, revealing how your dosha type characteristics interact with others and affect your life.
FOR VATA:
Let’s look the qualities of Vata:
The basic qualities of Vata are light, dry, and active. As a Vata, you are generally hopeful, sensitive, and social. You can flit almost effortlessly from one experience to another, zooming from one creative peak to another. No wonder people find you inspirational. That is… when you are balanced. When you’re out of balance, you may suffer from social anxiety and go so far avoid social situations of any kind -even a trip to the post office or the grocery store can be a monumental challenge.
When you are around another Vata, it may appear to you (and to those around you) that you have found your soul mate. The two of you will relate to many abstract topics, which others find completely unfathomable, and watching you in action is an art form. However, if you, or the vata with whom you are engaging, is out of balance, communication can break down, resulting in disappointment and even anxiety and fear of commitment. The first sign of imbalance is when you and your Vata friend start speaking at the same time. You may think that you have communicated well, but did the other person even hear you? Remember, “like magnifies like!”
Now, let’s spice things up and see how you do with a Pitta. In Ayurveda, any time you mix Vata with Pitta, you get the qualities of hot, light, and dry. What does that remind you of? If you say a powder keg, you’d be right! Dynamite is related to dynamism, which is exactly what happens when a Vata meets a Pitta.
What you can bring to a Pitta is a spirit of light-heartedness! revealing that there is more to life than following a very disciplined program.
Pittas can also keep your Vata on its toes, as Pittas are very task oriented, and you… well, lets just say that keeping on course just isn’t your thing, baby. You have SO many ideas! But we digress (too much Vata no doubt). An unbalanced Vata can irritate a Pitta to the point of explosion. And Pittas are not wonderfully forgiving when something blows up in their face. If you are the culprit, dear Vata, make sure you can smooth their peacock feathers!
Kaphas, on the other hand, understand what it’s its like to be misunderstood. Kaphas are very grounded, quite protective of their friends and family, and can be very loving. When you mix the qualities of Vata and Kapha, you get heavy, dry, and cold. Vata and Kapha share the quality of cold, so too much movement (topics flying!) and miscommunication from you, dear Vata, can cause the Kapha to become more reserved and withdrawn. And Kaphas have been known to hold a grudge for years! Work on your communication skills, dear Vata. Calm down a little and be sensitive to others as well as to yourself, and all will be forgiven, even rosy!
Positive Vata Adjectives:
Creative
Inspired
Energetic
Neutral:
Fast
Sensitive
Challenging:
Indecisive
Unpredictable
Overly sensitive
Your best match: Pitta/Kapha
FOR PITTA:
Let’s look the qualities of Pitta:
The basic qualities of Pitta are hot, light and sharp. The personality of a Pitta is often likened to that of a tiger.
As a Pitta, you are warm, discerning, and endlessly energetic. You can be a leader in any situation, and make it 100 times more interesting. People find you social and you can make them feel welcomed. That is when you are balanced! When you’re out of balance, you tend to be somewhat critical of people. Ok, you’re overly critical to the point of being judgmental. (Did we mention self-righteous? And–dare we say it–anger?) These are your weaknesses, not your strengths, and they can cause you to lose both your objectivity and effectiveness.
When with other Pittas, you may appear unstoppable together. You both have amazing ideas and could quite literally take over the world (if you could decide which one of you is going to run it)! It’s even trickier when one or both of you are out of balance, in which case, one may feel that the other is taking advantage of the situation, and not be giving enough credit. The situation may become quite contentious, but throwing in the towel doesn’t mean that you’re wholly giving up. You never really give up! Remember, like magnifies like!
Kaphas, on the other hand, can keep you grounded what you want to do is CHARGE! Not that there’s anything wrong with charging ahead, but the Kapha usually maintains perspective – slow and measured generally wins over fast and furious. Kaphas can remind you that although you can kill a fly with an elephant gun, a rolled up newspaper is more effective if you have patience (and leaves no giant hole in the wall.)
On the other hand, if you are out of balance, you may feel that you Kapha compadre is too darn slow, and making you forfeit your precious timeline. Remember, a Kapha is water and earth. They are the ones who will throw a bucket of water on your plans if you cross the line!
Lastly, there is your Vata friend. When you mix Vata with Pitta, you get the qualities of hot, light, and dry. What does that remind you of? If you say a powder keg, you are right! Of course, dynamite is related to dynamism, which is exactly what happens when a Vata meets a Pitta. Vatas can teach you to be more light hearted (emphasis on light and heart), revealing that there is more to life than following a very disciplined program
Vatas can, however, have a problem with communication, and quite literally make you explode (especially if you believe something has been completed, but hasn’t). We know you have a fragile (and rather large) ego, dear Pitta, but maybe Vata is just trying to keep you in check?
Positive Pitta Adjectives:
Brave
Passionate
Energetic
Neutral:
Logical
Organized
Challenging:
Angry
Critical
Judgmental
Best Match: Kapha/Vata
FOR KAPHA:
Let’s look the qualities of Kapha:
The basic qualities of Kapha are cold, heavy, and moist. The personality of a Kapha is often likened to an elephant (large, heavy, good memory, patient, kind).
As a Kapha, you are grounded and loving. Your friends and loved ones rely on you to help them through tricky situations and times of stress and loss. You are the one with sage advice for those who tend to make slightly rash decisions. You can let things roll off your back, and are compassionate.
When you are with other Kaphas, your relationship can be very caring and protective of each other. It’s as if you are defending one another when the chips are down. If one or both of you are out of balance, your judgment may become cloudy. You might act on your emotions rather than think out the situation. Remember, magnifies like.
Pittas bring the element of heat into the equation. When you combine Kapha and Pitta, you get the qualities of heavy, hot, and moist. That may sound like a steam room on a cold day, but too much heat in conjunction with your Kapha can cause excessive steam. The heat may be good to warm you up, but it may become a little hard to breathe. Pittas are intense, and can rally you to become motivated, but they don’t know when to quit, where as you do, which is actually a great lesson for the Pitta!
Then there is Vata. When you mix the qualities of Vata and Kapha, the result is heavy, dry, and cold.
Vatas understand what it’s its like to be misunderstood. Vatas are very light and inspirational. They can make you feel light as a feather and you start to feel truly engaged in an activity, until their attention is drawn towards another bright and shiny object. As the attention of the Vata is being held by something other than you, you may feel more reserved and withdrawn, but it’s not your fault!
Positive Kapha Adjectives:
Calm
Sweet
Loving
Neutral:
Slow
Steady
Stoic
Challenging:
Stubborn
Attached
Complacent
Best Match: Pitta/Vata