దర్శన ఆయుర్వేద Prakṛti — a self-assessment
In Ayurveda, your prakṛti is the balance of three forces — vāta, pitta, and kapha — that you were born with. It shapes how you digest, sleep, think, and fall ill. Answer twelve honest questions for a first reading of yours.
Before you begin
Your prakṛti is the nature you were born with — steady across your whole life. It is not a score, and no type is better than another.
Answer for how you have genuinely been over the years — not how you feel today, and not how you would like to be. Go with your first instinct; it is usually the most honest.
Reference
Ayurveda reads the body through three working principles. Everyone carries all three — what differs is the proportion. These are the same tridoṣa — the three seeds — you'll find at the centre of our mark.
Air + Space · movement
Vāta governs motion — breath, circulation, the nervous system, the coming and going of thoughts. Vāta types tend to be lean and energetic, with dry skin, cool hands, a quick mind, and an appetite and routine that vary from day to day.
Balanced: creative, adaptable, quick to learn, lively. Aggravated: anxiety, broken sleep, bloating, dryness, pain that moves. Steadied by warmth, oil, regular meals, and rest.
Fire + Water · transformation
Pitta governs metabolism — the digestion of food, ideas, and impressions. Pitta types tend to be of medium, athletic build, with warm skin, strong appetite, sharp focus, and the drive to finish what they start.
Balanced: clear, decisive, articulate, strong digestion. Aggravated: acidity, inflammation, skin rashes, irritability, overheating. Cooled by moderation, calm, and not skipping meals.
Earth + Water · structure
Kapha governs structure and lubrication — the build of the body, the fluid in the joints, stamina and immunity. Kapha types tend to be solid and strong, with smooth skin, deep sleep, an even temper, and steady, enduring energy.
Balanced: patient, grounded, loyal, strong stamina. Aggravated: weight gain, congestion, heaviness, lethargy, slow digestion. Lightened by movement, warmth, and lighter food.
Two terms matter here. Prakṛti is your constitution — the proportion of vāta, pitta, and kapha fixed at birth and steady through life. Vikṛti is your current state — what is disturbed right now, shifting with season, age, diet, and stress.
A self-test like this estimates your prakṛti, which is why we ask you to answer for lifelong tendencies rather than today's mood. Reading vikṛti — the imbalance a treatment actually works on — is the physician's task, done through Nāḍī Parīkṣā (pulse reading), tongue, history, and examination together. That is the still point at the centre of our mark: the vaidya, reading and regulating the three.
Questions
What this self-assessment can tell you — and where the physician's reading begins.
Prakṛti is your constitution — the balance of the three doṣas (Vāta, Pitta, Kapha) you were born with. It is steady across life and shapes how you digest, sleep, think, and fall ill. Most people are a blend of two doṣas, led by one.
No. It is a simplified educational self-assessment. A true prakṛti assessment is made by a physician through Nāḍī Parīkṣā (pulse reading) and a full history. Use this as a starting point, not a diagnosis.
Prakṛti is your stable, lifelong constitution. Vikṛti is your current state of imbalance — what is disturbed right now. Treatment in Ayurveda works to bring vikṛti back toward prakṛti.
Your prakṛti (constitution) stays the same through life. What changes is your vikṛti — the current imbalance — which shifts with season, age, diet, stress, and habits. That is why we ask you to answer for how you have been across your life, not just today.
An online quiz is a useful guide if you answer honestly about lifelong tendencies, but it cannot replace a physician's assessment. Pulse, tongue, history, and examination together give a far more reliable picture than self-report alone.
