The constitutions
Ayurveda reads a person as a proportion rather than a category. Three doshas — vata, pitta and kapha — are present in everybody; what differs is the ratio you were born with, which the texts call prakriti. These ten cards describe what each proportion tends to look like from the inside, and what tends to unsettle it.
The three doshas
KaphaEarth and water — the one that holds everything together.PittaFire and water — the one that turns things into other things.VataAir and ether — the one that moves everything else.
Dual constitutions
Most people are one of these. The first dosha named is the stronger one, and it sets the tone; the second modifies it.
Kapha–PittaClay fired hard — patience with real heat inside it.Kapha–VataA deep channel with a fast current.Pitta–KaphaFlame on oil — the strongest engine the tradition describes.Pitta–VataFire fletched with air — aim first, speed second.Vata–KaphaWind over still water — the two that both hate the cold.Vata–PittaWind on flame — ideas that arrive already on fire.