Ayurveda basics
The core ideas of Ayurveda, explained in plain words, alongside what modern science says.
The three doshas
Ayurveda describes the body through three doshas, or functional patterns. Vata governs movement: breathing, circulation and nerve signals. Pitta governs transformation: digestion, metabolism and body heat. Kapha governs structure and stability: tissues, lubrication and immunity.
Everyone has all three. Your natural mix is your Prakriti (constitution). Ayurveda sees ill health as a drift away from that balance, and aims to steer back through routine, food and, where needed, herbs.
The doshas are a traditional framework for describing patterns, not something a blood test can measure. They can still be a useful lens: for example, the restless, light sleep that Ayurveda calls Vata-type matches what modern medicine sees in stress-related insomnia.
The three gunas
Where the doshas describe the body, the gunas describe qualities of the mind. Sattva is clarity and calm. Rajas is drive and agitation. Tamas is heaviness and inertia.
Ayurveda aims to grow Sattva: through regular sleep, fresh food, time in nature and calm company. Modern psychology would recognise much of this as good sleep hygiene, stress reduction and social connection.
Dinacharya: the daily routine
Dinacharya means daily routine. It times the day to natural rhythms: waking early, eating the main meal at midday when digestion is strongest, a light, early dinner, and sleep by about 10 p.m.
Modern circadian science supports the core of this: regular wake times, morning light and earlier meals all help the body clock, sleep and metabolism.
The Dinacharya day
- 16 amWake with daylight
- 21 pmMain meal
- 37 pmLight, early dinner
- 410 pmSleep
- Kapha
- 6–10, twice a day
- Pitta
- 10–2, twice a day
- Vata
- 2–6, twice a day
Source: Ashtanga Hridaya, Sutrasthana 2
Text version
Ayurveda divides the day into dosha periods. Kapha: 6 to 10 a.m. and 6 to 10 p.m. Pitta: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Vata: 2 to 6 p.m. and 2 to 6 a.m. Suggested routine: wake around 6 a.m. with daylight, eat the main meal around 1 p.m. when digestion is strongest, a light early dinner around 7 p.m., and sleep by 10 p.m.
Trayopastambha: the three pillars of health
Classical texts name three supporting pillars of health: Ahara (food), Nidra (sleep) and Brahmacharya (here meaning moderation, or using your energy wisely).
It is a simple, durable idea: before any medicine, look at how you eat, how you sleep and how you spend your energy.