The Ayurvedic health system has been described in a previous article. How Ayurveda Can Help Diabetics, and this article assumes that you have read it and understand the meaning of the term dosha, that is, body type or constitution.

Your unique personal dosha is best and most accurately determined by a qualified practitioner of the Ayurvedic lifestyle system.

But if you want to try it yourself and determine your predominant dosha, here is what you can do … answer these questions as follows:

Select the answer (A, B, or C) in each category that most applies to you. If more than one answer applies, choose the one that best suits your needs. For personality and mental traits, answer based on how you have felt and acted for most of your life.

Physical characteristics

1. Your height is:

1. Higher or lower than average

2. Average

3. Height and width

2. Your body structure is:

1. Slim and light, with lean muscles.

2. Moderate and symmetrical, with well developed muscles.

3. Large and broad, with strong muscles.

3. Your weight is:

1. Below average

2. Average

3. Above average

4. Regarding weight changes, you find it:

1. Difficult to gain weight

2. Easy to maintain weight.

3. Difficult to lose weight

5. The texture of your skin is:

1. Dry, rough and thin; prone to goose bumps

2. Hot and oily; easily irritated or inflamed

3. Cool, wet and thick

6. Your eyes are:

1. Small, dry and active

2. Drilling; sensitive to light

3. Big and soft

7. Your hair is:

1. Dry and brittle; easily knotted

2. Medium and oily texture; tendency to lose weight or turn gray

3. Thick and oily; abundant

8. Your teeth are:

1. Crooked or protruding; receding gums

2. Of moderate size, with a tendency to yellow; red or bleeding gums

3. White, strong and well formed; abundant gums

9. Your nails are:

1. Dry, rough and brittle; break easily

2. Soft, pink, flexible and shiny.

3. Thick, smooth, shiny and hard

10. Your stamps are:

1. Prominent; crack easily

2. Medium, loose and flexible

3. Large and well padded

11. Your hands are:

1. Thin; long fingers with prominent knuckles

2. Half; warm pink and soft

3. Big and thick; smooth knuckles

12. Your body temperature runs:

1. Cold, especially in the hands and feet; you have bad circulation

2. Higher than average; you tend to “run hot”

3. Cool; sticky

13. Your urine tends to be:

1. Scarce, of course

2. Abundant, yellow

3. Moderate amount, concentrated color

14. When you get sick, it’s usually in the form of:

1. Pain and swelling

2. Fever and skin irritations, such as cold sores.

3. Congestion

15. When it comes to the weather, you don’t like:

1. Cold, dryness, wind; you prefer warm weather

2. Heat, scorching sun, fire; you prefer cool, well-ventilated areas

3. Cool and humid climate; Although it can tolerate many different climates, it prefers it not to be cool and humid.

Personality traits

16. Your speech tends to be:

1. Fast and frequent

2. Sharp and cutting

3. Slow and melodious

17. In general, most people are:

1. Active, busy, hurried, moody, or nervous

2. Ambitious, motivated, competitive and resourceful

3. Calm, content, conservative, and rarely irritated

18. At your best, you are:

1. Adaptable, creative, spiritual and imaginative; an abstract thinker

2. Brave, intelligent, focused and efficient; a perfectionist

3. Loving, trustworthy, affectionate, calm and patient; a kind soul

19. At your worst, you are:

1. Fearful and nervous

2. Angry and critical

3. Too attached and lazy

Food and activity

20. When it comes to activity, you like:

1. Be active and on the go; it’s hard for you to stay still

2. Physical activities with a purpose; competitive activities

3. Recreational activities; sitting around

21. You walk:

1. Quickly, often looking at the ground

2. With purpose, with focus and attention

3. Slowly and quietly

22. Your appetite:

1. It varies daily; sometimes you forget to eat

2. It is regular; you never skip a meal

3. Is stable; likes to eat, but can easily skip meals

23. You tend to eat and digest:

1. Quickly

2. Moderately

3. Slowly

24. When your digestion is out of control, you get:

1. Gassy or constipated

2. Ulcers and heartburn

3. Lethargic and overweight

25. Your favorite foods are:

1. Salty, crisp or cold; carbonated or caffeinated drinks

2. Spicy, sour or bitter; BBQ sauce, meat, pickles, fried

3. Creamy, sweet, thick, or smooth

26. Your resistance is:

1. Out of stock quickly; you get exhausted easily

2. Quite strong; you can handle various physical activities

3. Well; you have a constant energy level

27. Your sleeping habits are:

1. Light; have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep

2. Consist; you sleep well for an average time

3. Deep; you sleep a lot and deeply and have difficulty waking up

28. Your moods:

1. Change fast

2. Change slowly

3. They are mostly stable

29. When you are under stress, you become:

1. Excited, anxious, worried and fearful

2. Angry, critical, demanding and aggressive

3. Withdrawn, depressed and lonely

30. When making a decision:

1. You have a lot of ideas and you change your mind easily

2. Collect facts before forming an opinion

3. You’re stubborn; you make up your mind quickly and don’t change your mind often

31. Your attention span is:

1. Shorts

2. Detailed and thoughtful

3. In the “big picture”; you can concentrate for long periods

32. Your memory is:

1. Shorts; you learn fast and forget quickly

2. Generally good

3. Good in the long run, though you learn slowly

33. When it comes to projects, you are:

1. Good at getting things started, but have trouble finishing them

2. Organized and you will see a project from start to finish.

3. Slow to start, but good at getting things done

34. Your friends:

1. They change often and are easily done.

2. They are mostly related to work or in a team

3. They last a long time and are deeply meaningful.

35. When it comes to money, you:

1. They like to shop and often overspend

2. I don’t like to spend except on special items

3. I prefer not to spend and I prefer to save

36. Your dreams are:

1. Frequent and colorful

2. Romantic and casual

3. Uncommon and disturbed or intense

Determine your dosha

Your (A) answers correspond to Vata, (B) to Pitta and (C) to Kapha … add your answers to determine your predominant constitution.

The characteristic that receives the most responses is the most predominant force in your overall dosha.

Note that it is common to have a double dosha, such as Vata-Pitta, Pitta-Kapha or Vata-Kapha. It is also possible, although more rarely, to have the same balance between the three.

But your unique personal dosha will be a combination of all three in one proportion or another.

Once you’ve determined your unique personal dosha, you need to figure out what lifestyle and diet changes you should make to improve and maintain your health. Again, this is best determined by your Ayurvedic consultant.

The following article Can an Ayurvedic Diet Help Control Blood Glucose Levels? It is a general discussion of the Ayurvedic diet.