Your body must have Vata, or motion, to breathe, to perform peristalsis, which allows food to pass through the digestive tract, to circulate blood, to keep the heart beating, and to send nerve impulses from one part of the brain to another. All the cells of the body contain these three basic, abstract principles - the principle of movement, the principle of metabolism, and the principle of structure. Pitta controls metabolism and digestion, and Kapha controls structure. We've all had the experience of reacting to specific situations and circumstances differently from other people. Through it, we can see how our bodies are unique expressions of nature's intelligence. The concept of psychophysiological body types is one of the most important ideas in Ayurveda. With the information about Ayurveda in this chapter, you'll be able to identify your particular body type in accord with ancient principles and learn some of the strengths and vulnerabilities that are associated with that body type. Ayurveda is the oldest tradition of knowledge having to do with health, originating more than five thousand years ago. Our source of knowledge for this article comes from Ayurveda, which in Sanskrit means "the science of life."

In order to reawaken your body's intelligence effortlessly and to reestablish proper sleep, you need to understand how your body functions. Vata controls all movement in the body, whether it's the movement of thought or the movement of bowels, the vibration of vocal cords or the gesticulations of hands, or even the dance of DNA as it replicates. The three doshas are known in Sanskrit as "Vata," "Pitta," and "Kapha." Specifically, there are three basic doshas that emerge as expressions of metabolic tendencies in both our physical bodies and our psychological makeup. These psychophysiological tendencies or propensities are organized in Ayurveda as body types, or, in Sanskrit, "doshas." This individuality, even though it's unique, is manifested along certain patterns, in that we all have certain propensities or tendencies to express ourselves in certain ways. We are unique expressions of nature's intelligence. Most of us possesses psychological, biochemical, emotional, and intellectual individuality. When I drink a cup of coffee, nothing happens because I happen to have a strong Kapha constitution, other people may have only two sips and their nerves get jangled. One person can hear a little bit of criticism from somebody and not mind at all; another person may react very violently and angrily; a third person may start worrying about his or her self-image.