In this episode of “5 Minutes,” Dr. Robert Svoboda explores how to recognize signs of imbalanced Vata and understand its role among the three doshas.

First of all, remember that there are three doshas. Fortunately, Ayurveda is very simple in this way. There are three doshas: Kapha, Pitta, and Vata. Kapha represents congestion of all kinds because Kapha is made of water and earth. It represents accumulation and heaviness. Kapha itself is not complicated. Pitta is heat. When something is burning, it may be because Kapha has created some kind of slow burning process somewhere, or it may be because Vata is blowing on the fire. Either way, Pitta is involved, and you have to deal with it.

Vata is the most complicated, and we should always expect that Vata will become aggravated in some way. Why? Because Kapha, Pitta, and all the tissues and wastes of the body are pangu. Pangu means they are lame or unable to move on their own. The only thing that moves is Vata.

Therefore, whenever any movement of your organism is no longer natural and normal, and things are not happening as you expect them to happen, you should suspect that Vata is disturbed in some way. This can mean constipation or diarrhea. It can mean that you are not breathing as you normally breathe. It can mean that your digestion slows down or speeds up. It can mean that your thinking slows down, speeds up, becomes stuck, or that you experience repetitive thoughts that you cannot easily release. Any change in the movement of anything, whether physical or nonphysical, can indicate a possible aggravation of Vata.

It is also important to remember that there is no pain in the body without the influence of Vata. Sometimes it is connected with Kapha, usually when there is pressure or heaviness. Sometimes it is connected with Pitta, when there is burning or sharp pain. Stabbing pain can also be caused by Vata. Any pain in the organism involves Vata in some way.

This does not mean that if you have pain after exercising heavily the previous day, your entire organism has aggravated Vata. It may simply mean that the muscles used during your workout have temporarily become fatigued and are displaying that fatigue through a localized Vata disturbance. If you are looking for a more general aggravation of Vata, then you need to consider how that pain is affecting the rest of your organism.

Remember also the other qualities of Vata. Whenever these qualities increase within you, there is a good chance that Vata is aggravated. In particular, dryness is important because neither Kapha nor Pitta is dry. Both are associated with moisture. If you become unusually dry, and it is not due to an obvious reason, such as being in a desert environment, pay attention. This dryness can appear in parts of your body, and it can also appear in your mind.

If you notice dryness or other changes that were not present before and there does not seem to be a reasonable cause, then you should consider that Vata may be out of balance.