We’ve covered Ayurveda before—notably here and here—but for those new to it or needing a quick primer, it’s a 5,000-year old healing system that connects our inner health and outer glow to the actual cosmos. Ayurvedic wisdom says everyone is made up of water, earth, fire, space, and air, but in proportions unique to each person. These combinations form three functioning principles: vata, pitta, and kapha doshas. Every single one of us was born with a dominant dosha.
But thanks to changing weather, everyday stressors, and other external changes beyond our control, our dosha can get out of whack, manifesting in a very physical way: sluggishness, spacey thoughts, irritability, and restless sleep are just a sampling of symptoms. Sometimes these effects last for just a couple months; in other cases, it could be much longer—which you’ve probably just come to accept as your “new normal.”
“When a person is in an ‘aggravated state,’ that means they have an aggravated dosha that needs to be addressed in order to bring the body back in balance,” says Amrit Devgun, naturopathic doctor and applied ayurvedic practitioner at Northwestern Health Sciences University.
The questions that follow will help you determine which dosha is aggravated, and reveal the ways it can be remedied through lifestyle and diet changes. Answer them based on how you’ve been feeling over the past six months or so. And try not to think too much about each one—go with the first thing that comes to mind without letting personal judgments influence your answer.
Devgun practices out of Northwestern Health Sciences University’s Bloomington Clinic, which is open to the public and carries ayurvedic oils and soap. This questionnaire is a jump-off point for ayurvedic teachings and does not serve as a replacement for an in-person assessment. The quiz is, as Devgun refers to it, a “2D perception” of your current condition, where body language and other behaviors aren’t factored in—deeper aspects that can be taken into via a clinic visit.
Located in Bloomington, Northwestern Health Sciences University Bloomington Clinic is open to the public and offers natural care services in one location for the whole family. Providers are part of Northwestern Health Sciences University, a non-profit, industry leader in integrative and natural healthcare education that provides access to the latest evidence and state-of-the-art technology so you get the natural solutions you truly need. Services include chiropractic treatment, therapeutic massage, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, naturopathic medicine, physical therapy, and lab services. The clinic carries Banyan Botanicals’ ayurvedic oils and soaps, and its onsite bookstore has Auromere ayurvedic soaps, natural deodorants from Schmidt’s, and many other natural products. NWHSU Bloomington Clinic offers monthly educational seminars led by trained providers. For more information, call the clinic at 952-885-5444.
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