How pervasive is the influence of the three doshas in human life? Not only do they govern specific areas of the body and their functioning, they regulate the physical and psychological development of various stages of life. Just as we divided the body into three distinct segments according to the dominant influence of a particular dosha, so we can divide our life span.
Kapha Stage
Look, for instance, at the initial stage of human development, from birth through puberty. This phase is characterized by nourishment and growth in the body’s substance and size. This phase is called the kapha age because one of the main qualities of this dosha is that it adds, unit by unit. It is because of this quality that children continue to grow and accumulate body mass regardless of what or whether they eat. They naturally have a greater amount of fatty tissue, which is also characteristic of kapha. During these early years, kapha-related disorders, such as colds, sinus, allergies, ear and respiratory infections, are the most common ailments. Notice that these illnesses all occur within the kapha zone of the body.
Pitta Stage
In the next stage of life, which begins at puberty, we notice that the body’s growth potential is suddenly converted into reproductive potential and the increase in mass and size begins to slow down. The body develops distinct sexual characteristics and shukra dhatu becomes active, creating semen in the male and ovum in the female.
The transforming quality of this stage continues to manifest well into middle age, but after puberty, it takes on a more psychological nature. During these pitta years, the increased “fire” gives people ambition, courage, energy and motivation to achieve their goals and overcome obstacles. We see mainly pitta-tented disorders arising during this time, including skin disorders, food allergies, hyperacidity and other digestive disturbances.
Vata Stage
Around middle age, we notice something new starting to happen to the mind and body. Our drive starts to wane. The skin begins to dry and wrinkle. The body becomes more frail and may lose weight, and the muscles start to lose some of their tone and flexibility. Hair thins and grays. Strength and stamina gradually decrease and the mind loses its clarity. The system is starting to feel the drying, separating and immobilizing effects of vata dosha as it dominates this phase of human life. Vata’s influence brings a natural tendency toward dehydration: tissues waste away and the natural cycles of metabolic activity are disrupted.
The diseases which most frequently appear at this time are vata-telated disorders, such as insomnia, sensory depletion (loss of hearing and weakened eye sight), memory loss, anxiety and various degenerative and neurological problems. To prevent doshic imbalances and disease, this stage demands that we pay much more attention to diet and lifestyle than we did during the first two stages of life.
All living things, without exception, grow, reproduce and die in this natural kapha-pitta-vata cycle. We see the same cycle occurring in the plant and animal kingdoms as we see in human life. For instance, as a seed sprouts and grows into a seedling, it absorbs more and more water and nutrients and rapidly increases in size. It is green, soft, and tender. When the plant matures, it stops growing in size; it hardens and its color darkens. It produces flowers, fruits and seeds. In the last phase of its life, the plant becomes dehydrated and shrinks. No matter how much water and fertilizer it gets, it continues to shrivel until it dies.
During the kapha and pitta stages of life, disease symptoms may sometimes be suppressed. However, once vata’s influence takes over, the body can no longer hide nor mask symptoms, and occasional discomforts turn into debilitating disorders. Vata’s mobile potency easily concentrates toxins in weak dhatus, where they disrupt the dhatus’ metabolism and deprive them of nutrition.
Vata’s drying tendency dehydrates the dhatus and impairs immunity. Toxins and wastes may accumulate in the body during the kapha and pitta periods, but the evidence of degenerative disease will usually start to appear with the onset of the vata stage of life. This is when individuals becomes aware that they have serious health problems. Diseases which could have been easily prevented in earlier years now become difficult to treat because their manifestation is supported by an irreversible cycle of nature.