How Discovering My Dosha Changed the Way I See Myself
I used to think of balance as holding still and being the same every day — calm, productive, steady.
But Ayurveda taught me something else.
Balance isn’t about holding still, it’s about managing movement — learning to notice when you’ve drifted off course, and finding your way back again.
When I first learned about the three doshas — Vata (air and ether), Pitta (fire and water), and Kapha (earth and water) — I was fascinated by how simply they explained human nature.
Each one is a blend of the five elements (ether, air, fire, water, and earth), and each person carries all three within them, just in different amounts.
Our unique mix shapes how we think, feel, move, eat, and even how we rest.
Some people have one dominant type — fiery and focused (pitta), or calm and grounded (kapha), or airy and creative (vata).
But when I took the time to study my own patterns, I realised I wasn’t mostly one or another. I was something in between.
Then in a workshop, I discovered I’m what Ayurveda calls tri-dosha — an almost even balance of all three doshas.
It’s not very common, but it suddenly made sense of the different aspects I’d felt in myself. How I can have periods of calm and periods of restlessness. How I can love order and structure, yet also crave freedom and spontaneity. How I can be driven and fiery, but deeply compassionate too.
At first, I thought being tri-doshic might make life easier — more balanced, more adaptable.
And in some ways, it does. I can often understand how others feel because I’ve been there myself — scattered like Vata, determined like Pitta, and steady like Kapha.
It definitely gives me a kind of empathy across all the doshas, a way to see through different eyes.
When I’m balanced, I feel connected, grounded, and creative all at once. I have a deep sense of inner harmony that feels rare and whole. And from this position, I can lean into whichever energy I need most, whether that’s fire for focus, air for inspiration, or earth for calm.
However, there’s the challenge of staying balanced and centred, when everything moves.
There’s a more complex side to being tri-doshic because my balance depends on all three doshas, when life tips even slightly, everything feels it. If I skip rest, eat the wrong foods, or take on too much, imbalance shows up quickly.
Ayurveda calls this the “moving centre” — when all three doshas are present, but constantly shifting. For me, it means balance is a daily conversation, not a permanent state. Three’s a need to constant pay attention.
What I’ve Learned About Myself
Discovering I’m tri-doshic has changed the way I see myself and a lot of negativity has lifted.
My shifting nature isn’t something to fix, it’s something to understand and enjoy.
I now see my creativity as Vata’s imagination, my determination as Pitta’s fire, and my calm as Kapha’s grounding.
It’s all me and each dosha invites self-acceptance.
If you’ve never taken a dosha test before, it’s a lovely way to start learning more about yourself. You can take a simple dosha quiz here and see which elements feel most familiar. Let curiosity guide you.
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When do I feel most like myself — calm and steady, focused and fiery, or light and creative?
Which parts of me seem to shift with the seasons, and what might that tell me about my dosha balance?
What small choices help me feel more centred and connected to my body, senses, mind, and spirit?
If I could describe my inner nature as a mix of elements — air, fire, water, and earth — what would my personal “recipe” look like?
