April 2008
The first question Ayurvedic doctors ask is, “Who is my patient? What is this person’s essential nature?” They look for clues that will reveal the patient’s constitutional type or dosha, which is like a blueprint of the innate tendencies built into every aspect of one’s mindbody system. Keep Reading
Where's Deepak
April 10 Copenhagen
April 10 Stockholm
April 12 Dublin
April 14 London
April 16 Amsterdam
April 19 Johannesburg
April 21-25Carlsbad, CA
Living Perfect Health
A powerful way to nurture our experience of bliss is spending time in nature. Connecting with the natural world heals the body and mind, allowing radiant joy and divine love to flow through every aspect of our being. Read more
What We're Reading
The Spontaneous Healing of Belief
By Gregg Braden
What We're Eating
Mother Earth's Apple Pie
Our recipe can be found here
Words of Wisdom
“Making your doshas happy will make you happy. This is the secret to balancing the whole mind-body system.”
– Deepak Chopra
“Pleasure is Nature's test, her sign of approval. When man is happy, he is in harmony with himself and his environment.”
–Oscar Wilde
“Our feelings are our most genuine paths to knowledge.”
–Audre Lorde
Chopra Center Spotlight
This month our Chopra Center Staff Spotlight features Teresa Long. Read about Teresa here
Journey into Healing
June 19-20, Lake Lanier, GA
30-day special ends May 19
Seduction of Spirit
July 7-11, Dublin, Ireland
30-day special ends June 7
Soul of Healing
Nov 3-7, Carlsbad, CA
6-month special ends May 3
The Signature Chopra Center Wellness Program
Perfect Health
May 26-30
30-day price ends April 30
Featured Massage Treatment
Shiro-Abhyanga-Nasya is a classic Ayurvedic treatment to help relieve sinus congestion. Keep reading...
On the Air
Tune in to Sirius Stars Channel 102 every Saturday at 10am EST for your weekly dose of Chopra balance and wellbeing. Learn more about Deepak's Wellness Radio show
What's My Dosha?
Every day people around the world ask themselves, “What’s my dosha?” or “What is a dosha and what does it mean to me?”
A definition of this Sanskrit word is “mindbody constitution” or “mindbody personality.” According to Ayurveda – the 5,000-year-old "science of life” – there are five master elements or mahabhutas that make up everything within our bodies and everything outside of our bodies: space, air, fire, water, and earth. Space carries all the aspects of pure potentiality – infinite possibilities; air has the qualities of movement and change; fire is hot, direct, and transformational; water is cohesive and protective; and earth is solid, grounded, and stable.
At the moment we are conceived, these five master elements are sprinkled into our DNA and our physiology. Of course, because they are sprinkled by a divine hand, each of us has a different amount of each master element in our mindbody constitution. Certain combinations of the elements occur more frequently than others: These are space and air; fire and water; and water and earth.
These three combinations are referred to as the doshas. So when someone asks, “What’s my dosha?” the answer is found by assessing which combination of the master elements is predominant in their body and mind. If it’s mostly space and air – we call that Vata; if it’s primarily fire and water, we call that Pitta; and if it’s mostly water and earth, we refer to that as Kapha. The three doshas are Vata . . . Pitta . . . Kapha. Since each of us has all five of the master elements within us, we also have all three doshas. But typically, each person has one primary dosha.
Aside from this being a fun way to look at ourselves and everyone and everything in our lives (dogs and cats have doshas, as do cars, houses, and geographic locations), figuring out your dosha is a helpful way to maintain balance in your life. It’s like holding up a mirror to your bodymind and seeing what needs to be adjusted and healed. Once you know what your innate tendencies are, you can make more nourishing choices. One easy, natural technique that balances all of the doshas is meditation. A spacey Vata, a fiery Pitta, and a lethargic Kapha can each move forward on the path to balance through a regular meditation practice.
This issue of Namasté celebrates balancing yourself through the doshas. David delves more deeply into the characteristics of each dosha, while Deepak explores Ayurveda’s focus on the individual’s unique constitution and inner intelligence. This month our featured workshop is Journey into Healing, a mind-body immersion where Deepak, David, and guest experts such as Vasant Lad and David Frawley give you a deeper understanding of Ayurveda, the doshas, and natural practices for health and well-being.
By nurturing ourselves and finding dynamic balance in our lives, we are also caring for our extended body – the environment around us. This April 22 is Earth Day, and we invite you to celebrate and try our recipe for Mother Earth's Apple Pie. Also read our Living Perfect Health feature to learn how different kinds of nature experiences can help you balance your dosha.
Take our Dosha Quiz and find out right now what’s in or out of balance in your life. If you feel overwhelmed, if you’ve been barking at people, or if you feel sluggish, completing the quiz will help you identify the cause and restore your natural equilibrium.
After you have taken the quiz, send an email to mydosha@chopra.com and let us know your dosha. We will randomly select one entry to be our guest at our Perfect Health program, where you will spend a week at the Chopra Center, living Ayurveda and learning about your dosha in an intimate environment. Each day our Healing Arts Masters will indulge you in Ayurvedic massage therapies, using dosha-specific balancing herbs and oils. You will be pampered with healing treatments and set on a path to maintain and increase your well-being when you return home.
We wish you great peace and happiness in the month ahead, and as always, we welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions at feedback@chopra.com.
Namasté,
The Chopra Center Staff
P.S. Please share your comments, questions, and suggestions with us
Dosha Q&A
Q: Can our primary dosha change over the course of our lifetime? Growing up, I was mainly Kapha and was overweight and sluggish. As an adult, I’ve practiced the martial arts and changed my diet, and now my metabolism burns hotter and my movement is more quick and agile. My body has undergone a total makeover and I think I’m now a Pitta type.
A: It may help to clarify a common misunderstanding about doshas and the difference between prakruti and vikruti. First, everyone possesses all three doshas. At the moment of conception, each of us has a unique combination of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha that stays the same for the rest of our life. This is known as your prakruti (a Sanskrit term that means “nature” or “the first creation”). Your prakruti is your base point and it determines what will keep you in harmony with your nature and what will cause you to get out of balance and become sick. Trying to change your prakruti would be like trying to change your stature from short and stocky to tall and thin, or changing the color of your eyes or the texture of your hair.
In contrast, your vikruti is the current state of imbalance in your doshas. When patients come to the Chopra Center, we’re mainly concerned with assessing their vikruti and finding out what imbalances need to be addressed. Ayurveda teaches that the secret to perfect health is maintaining balance in the body and mind and living in tune with your unique nature. By exercising and changing your diet, you have done a great job correcting your Kapha imbalance and improving your health. We recommend taking our dosha quiz to get the most current assessment of your vikruti.
Featured Workshop: Journey into Healing
Join Deepak, David, and a team of guest experts for Journey into Healing this June in Lake Lanier, Georgia. Journey into Healing integrates the healing arts of the East with modern Western medicine, guiding you in the practical tools for creating the health and inner calm you’ve been seeking. Special topics include holistic cancer care, pain management, the wisdom of natural herbs, and overcoming addictions. Read more here
Words of Wisdom
–Sushruta Samhita
–Sir William Osler
The Ayurvedic sages declared, Ayurveda amritanam – “Ayurveda is for immortality.” Although we might have hoped for a formula for eternal youth, the essence of this statement is: the purpose of Ayurveda is to create a balanced physiology that can support enlightenment.
Keep Reading
Grow Younger,
Live Longer
Join us for Grow Younger, Live Longer, our premiere Alaskan cruise. This June 4–11 aboard a magnificent all-suites cruise liner, Deepak and David will guide you in their ten-step process to reverse your biological age. Experience Alaska’s pristine beauty as you learn from the masters of mind-body healing and transformation.
Learn more about Grow Younger, Live Longer
Balancing Your Dosha
Tulsi, or holy basil, promotes purity and lightness in the body. Learn more about Tulsi 
How We're Stretching
Yoga for your dosha.
Keep reading....
Dream On
Discover balance, healing, and transformation
If you have wanted to explore holistic healing but were unsure where to begin, Renewal Weekend is for you. This spring in New York City, Deepak & David will introduce you to the principles and practical tools of mind-body medicine and Ayurveda. You will learn daily practices for releasing stress and healing your physical and emotional pain.
Find out how you can discover your path to true health! Call us at 888.736.6895 or read more here
Teacher Feature
Dawn Tassi
Rockport, Maine
Perfect Health instructor
Read about Dawn here
Find a teacher in your hometown
Words of Wisdom
“It is slavery to live in the mind unless it has become part of the body.”
–Kahlil Gibran
“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.”
–Etty Hillesum
What's in Store
Replenish our Earth and nourish yourself with the Chopra Center Earth Day package. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Earth Day Network.
In Their Own Words
Gianni Catino is on our Teacher's Path to become certified as a Perfect Health instructor. He recently wrote us a letter sharing his recent experience at the Journey into Healing workshop.
Read Gianni's letter here
What We're Watching
What We're Supporting
The Celebrate Your Life event is coming to Chicago this May 30–June 1. This is a full weekend of workshops and lectures from renowned authors and speakers, including Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Debbie Ford, Gary Zukav, Neale Donald Walsch, and many others. Call 877.300.7352 or click here for more information.
Survey Winners
Congratulations to the winners of our Namasté Survey drawing! See the list of winners here