Children Have Doshas, Too

This one is for the parents

When I lived in the city, and I would pass a schoolyard or a playground, I liked to play the Dosha Game. It's a made-up game where I try to spot the little Vatas, Pittas, and Kaphas. It’s a perfect place to hone your Ayurveda skills because it’s easy to differentiate the doshas.

If you’re new to my Ayurveda Section, you might want to read this first:

Truth be told, we are not exactly doshas. The doshas are energies or forces in Nature that make up our unique constitution (Prakriti).

Here in the West, we sometimes simplify things by referring to someone as being more Vata, Pitta, or Kapha.

In India, where Ayurveda originated, this practice of identifying people by their dosha is not as prevalent. The focus is on the person's current state of health (Vikriti), which is as it should be.

Nevertheless, I often find myself obsessed with observing which dosha is more prevalent in people, and it's often easier with children, who haven't yet lived a lifetime of perhaps being in a state of imbalance.

The children who are predominantly Vata are usually the busy bees.

Buzzing around joyfully, they’re usually happy to be active no matter what their skill level is. But then they crash and burn. They’re all about movement and often don’t know when to stop.

Vata children are often labeled as ADHD.

Vata is the dosha of movement (elements are air/space) so by nature, they like to move. Or in other words, they can't sit still.

They are highly creative and love change.

Vata children often learn quickly but forget just as quickly.

They tend to be delicate and deplete easily. Dietary and lifestyle changes can help significantly.

The Pitta children are the athletic ones and the organizers.

They’re usually leading the pack on the playground and can sometimes appear a little bossy.

They have good stamina, but look out when they get hungry–they need to eat right away, or they get crabby.

They’re the ones you’ll see with their coats flung open when the weather is cold–Pitta is the fire dosha, and they quickly become overheated.

The sweet Kapha child is often sitting on the sidelines, not too interested in running around, but the other kids are drawn to him or her because of his or her warm, loving nature.

Kapha children are robust and sturdy (earth and water are the elements of this dosha) and tend to gain weight quickly.

They have great stamina, and usually learn slowly, but remember forever!

Change can be very hard for Kapha children.

When my kids were young, I remember being fascinated by the Constitutional Psychology theory of William Sheldon. He described different physical types of children and named them Ectomorph, Mesomorph, and Endomorph.

Now, having studied Ayurveda, I realize that in all likelihood, Sheldon must have been familiar with Ayurveda and the doshas.

He described an Ectomorph as having a thin build and very little fat (Vata), a Mesomorph as someone muscular, with solid bones, low-fat, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist (Pitta), and an Endomorph as someone with large bones and a propensity to store fat (Kapha).

I guess my fascination with Ayurveda began way back then and I didn’t even know it!

“Your constitution is determined at birth by the states of balance or imbalance of your parents’ rhythms during conception, as well as from the particular permutations of the five elements in the sperm and ovum at the time of conception.”

—Maya Tiwari - "The Path of Practice: A Woman’s Book of Ayurvedic Healing"

I find this fascinating! We all have the three doshas at play within us, but just like adults, children are usually a combination of two predominant doshas, and rarely three.

Whatever combination we are born with is called our Prakriti–a Sanskrit term that means “Nature” or “first creation”.

Our Prakriti never changes, and so to maintain good health, we must pay particular attention to the dosha or doshas which are dominant.

For example, if you have a child who is mostly Vata, he or she is probably often cold because they don’t store a lot of fat.

So, it’s best to stay away from cold liquids and food, especially during Vata Season which is fall-early winter. Also, make sure they get lots of rest and downtime.

Gentle yoga is perfect for little Vatas! Vata children are the anxious ones and believe it or not, can benefit from learning meditation and proper breathing techniques.

They are also prone to constipation because of the dry nature of Vata. Triphala is an extremely safe Ayurvedic herbal formula that can help tremendously. Consult with your child’s healthcare practitioner if you feel this might be helpful.

If your child is predominantly Pitta, you will want to focus on keeping them cool.

Especially during Pitta Season (late spring/summer). They build up heat very easily in their body. Feed them cooling foods and stay away from spicy food.

Yoga, meditation, and breathing are also ideal for Pitta-type children. I know this may seem far out, but if you begin teaching children these practices at an early enough age, problems such as anxiety and anger can be greatly minimized.

Swimming is another wonderful activity for the Pitta-dominant child.

Kapha children are the ones that need to be encouraged every day to get outside and play.

They may not be drawn to the same activities as Vata and Pitta children so it’s important to find an activity that they love.

Their diets should be low in fat and especially sugar.

Late winter/early spring is Kapha Season and kids with predominantly Kapha dosha tend to produce a lot of mucus and get lots of spring colds. Avoiding mucus-producing foods like dairy, sugar, and fast foods can help significantly.

September is a back-to-school month for most children, and it’s a great time for parents and teachers to take a closer look at their children from an Ayurvedic point of view.

I have studied Ayurveda with Dr. John Douillard, and he is an excellent resource for parents (he has six children of his own!).

And one of the absolute best books that I can recommend to parents is “Perfect Health for Kids: Ten Ayurvedic Health Secrets Every Parent Must Know.” Read it, and then share it with your child’s teacher. Trust me, you will never look at your children the same again!

Much Love,
Barbara