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More Prakriti and Vikriti Concepts

by Alex Duncan

Prakriti is my birth constitution. Example. I am an AIR dominant type. So I am cold, dry, light, mobile (erratic) etc. I.e. vata dominant. This is my hard-wiring. Think of this as a nimble little fighter jet. Light, quick, erratic etc. My vikriti (not that I want it!) is a modification to my prakriti, usually depicted in terms of an excess of either V, P or K. It never really changes who or what I am, though if it becomes long-term, it may look that way.

For example, my nimble little fighter jet could either loose some weight, get a bit dry and even lighter, faster, more erratic (excess vata relative to normal) or get a bit overheated and oily (excess pitta) or get a bit gummed up and weighted down (excess kapha). But ‘underneath’ my ‘blueprint’ is calling out ‘you are a light, nimble fighter jet’. The vikriti is an imbalance, an excess relative to the blueprint. So no matter what the situation, you always want to determine as soon as possible, and respect the prakriti in the treatment.

If you are a V type with a P vikriti, your logic is to reduce P without upsetting V. This means combining the regimes for VP. It is a bit like treating a VP type. Another way to look at it is to start by drawing up a vata reducing regime (that keeps the prakriti in check) then ‘pushing’ or ‘leaning’ it in a direction that helps to reduce excess pitta. I have commented to this effect in your case study also. If you saw only excess P, and gave a 100% P reducing regime, then saw some V excess coming in, you can bet your bottem dollar that V is a main player in the prakriti.

Either a V pure or a V-dual, say a VP dual type. At the end of the day, it is safer to treat the prakriti, or base the regime therein, then modify that regime to counter the vikriti. Another example would be a K type with a V imbalance. Find the common ground – what helps reduce both V and K? like spices, and some salty and sour foods (as they are all heating). And remove things that increase both V and K, like too many salads and cold things. If the vikriti in this example is V, then regularity must be emphasized (it wont hurt K to eat at regular times).

Alex Duncan, Ayurvedic Educator, lives in the South of France where he runs Gardoussel Retreat www.gardoussel.com offering Ayurvedic consultations and various Ayurveda & yoga workshops and retreats. Contact Alex on (France): +33 (0) 4 66 60 16 78.