Ayurveda: The Starter Guide

All of life is made up of five elements:

• Space (ether) — the openness that holds everything.

• Air — movement and flow.

• Fire — warmth, energy, and transformation.

• Water — fluidity, softness, and cohesion.

• Earth — steadiness, structure, and strength.

These elements shape both the outer world — the seasons, the weather, the land — and our inner world — our bodies, energy, and emotions.

The world can also be described through twenty qualities, paired as opposites:

• heavy/light, hot/cold, oily/dry, soft/hard, stable/mobile and so on.

These qualities show up everywhere — in the food we eat, the climate we live in, even our moods.

Ayurveda teaches that balance comes when we use opposites to heal — cooling when hot, moisturising dry skin, resting when restless, moving when fed up.

Ayurveda says each of us has a special body–mind type, made from three energies called the dosha.

The dosha are how the five elements live inside us — shaping the way our bodies grow, the way we think and feel, and even the way we move through the world.

• Vata (air + space) — light, quick, full of ideas and movement.

• Pitta (fire + water) — warm, focused, good at changing and transforming.

• Kapha (earth + water) — steady, strong, caring, and calm.

Everyone has their own mix of these three — like a personal recipe that makes you you.

When the dosha are balanced, we feel healthy and happy. When one takes over too much, things can wobble — we might feel tired, restless, moody, or unwell.

At the centre of health is Agni, our inner fire. Agni digests not just food, but also experiences and emotions.

When Agni burns steadily, we feel energized, clear, and strong. When it weakens, toxins and confusion build up in body and mind.

Protecting and supporting Agni is one of Ayurveda’s greatest teachings.

Ayurveda says the mind can be seen in three shifting shades, like the colours of the sky. All of them are natural and needed in life — but balance matters.

Sattva — the clear shade

• Calm, bright, peaceful, joyful.

• Like a clear morning sky filled with light.

• Brings harmony, balance, and understanding.

Rajas — the restless shade

• Always moving, changing, chasing, never still.

• Like a sky filled with rushing winds and shifting clouds.

• Brings energy, passion, and drive — but too much can create stress or distraction.

Tamas — the heavy shade

• Slow, dull, heavy, sleepy, or confused.

• Like a dark night sky without stars.

• Brings rest and grounding — but too much can lead to inertia or fogginess.

These three shades are each a part of life.

We need all of them — rest from Tamas, motivation from Rajas, and clarity from Sattva.

Ayurveda guides us to Sattva.

Ayurveda sees true health as a balance in four dimensions:

• The body — everything physical and tangible.

• The senses — how we connect with the world through sound, touch, vision, taste, and smell.

• The mind — our thoughts, feelings, and inner world.

• The spirit — the deeper self, where life energy, joy, and intuition flow.

When these four are in harmony, we experience real well-being.