I wanted to make a correction based on feedback from Amy. Thank you Amy!

Amy: My understanding of his teaching was that the ideal situation was not necessarily to try to achieve tridosha but to observe / act in a way to bring balance day to day so that the more productive / positive characteristics of one's true dosha self were able to 'shine' through.

I wholeheartedly agree!!

I previously wrote

Ideally you want all 3 of your Doshas to be balanced, which is called Tridosha.

Tridosha (all Doshas equal) is not the goal for everyone. I didn’t explain myself very well, because of my haste to get the letter out before our Sunday’s Pranayama and Meditation.

In my opinion, you do want to be balanced within the Doshas, BUT that balance will be different for everyone according to their constitution. Everyone is born with their own constitution that is perfect (somewhat) for them. In this sense, you can say you are perfect just the way you are. I only say ‘somewhat’ based on the fact that we inherit unbalanced physical, mental and emotional traits/patterns from our ancestors.

This perfect (original/true) self, which you are more like at birth, has been covered over with years of programming, misperceptions, worn out beliefs and expectations. One of the ways to get back to your natural self (your Tao) is through balancing your Doshas. Everyone has their own Tao…their own natural self. Not everybody is meant to have children, to run their own business, be a musician etc etc.. It is important for our own wellbeing to fully embody our individual Tao. To fully embody our true nature means cutting through all the years of programming, misperceptions, worn out beliefs and expectations that having us living out of line with out Tao. Since you were born perfect, embodying your Dosha/Natural state brings perfection to the environment. It isn’t just about you. There is a bigger picture. You are part of larger and larger systems: your family, the city you live in, country, and the globe. If we all ran off our original program (the Doshas being a small part of that) the whole system would be more inline with the TAO/Natural order of the Uni-verse.

The Ayurvedic systems, through the study if the Doshas, is one way of looking at and understand the nature/Tao of ourselves and the world around us

We tend to be stronger/dominate in or have more of a particular Dosha/Element. I am Pitta (fire) by nature. It gives me a set of strengths…as well as weaknesses. It helps me do what I do, digest mental concepts and help people burn up and through their own stuff. However, if I don’t keep myself balanced I get burned. I can suffer from “Burn out” because I love to always be on the move – like a flame. Likewise, others can be buried alive (Kapha) or run out of breath (Vatta).

One’s diet is an easy way to help balance the Doshas. The diet usually helps to bring down the stronger/excess Dosha, so it is more balanced with the others. For example, the Pitta diet is usually cooling. By eating foods with less fire and doing exercises like yoga (in this instance, a slower more relaxed yoga) the Pitta’s fire is brought back into balance.

Then there are the seasons of the year. They affect and change Doshas also. I have come to understand that there is no frozen balanced point in time and space. The Yin and Yang is fluid and ever-changing from hour to hour daily to the months of the year. For me, growth on a physical, mental and spiritual level is about learning to flow with the universe around us. Maturity is about being able to stay in balance with the Tao and the constant fluctuating elements that make her up.

Peace out…and IN!!! Jon