Your original nature is established at the time of conception and pretty much stays the same throughout your life. Often it is known as your “constitution.” In Sanskrit, it is called Prakrti and is defined as “the original or natural form or condition of anything, it’s an original or primary substance.”
To put it simply, it is the inherent nature of a person (reflected in one’s particular body, mind and spirit).
What is a constitution?
Our individual constitution is made up of the elements that exist all around us, from the space, air, fire, water and earth components. In last week’s blogpost, I introduced the different elements or building blocks that make up our world.
How do we receive our individual constitution?
A person’s constitution is formed at conception, as I mentioned, so it is reflective of the constitution or state of being at the time in which you were conceived as well as the state of your birth parents at that particular point in time. It’s sort of like knowing your DNA but on a broad, energetic scale. Since your constitution is received at the time of conception, it is at that point in time when your physiological and psychological tendencies become fixed.
Why is it important that we know our constitutional makeup?
There are several reasons:
It helps us to understand our tendencies and what we might have an affinity for so that we can maintain our physical and mental balance through our choice of diet, herbs and exercise.
It helps us to understand which might be the best environment for us to live in and which career path would be ideal for us to pursue.
In general, when we know our constitutional tendency, we can more easily predict the direction of our imbalances. Then, we can go for treatments or practices that will be the most effective for maintaining our wellness balance.
Knowing our constitution will help us to achieve harmony in our relationships and it helps us to establish an appropriate life routine.
How do we determine what our constitution is?
Well, that is based on an evaluation. This evaluation can be as simple as completing a single questionnaire which I have provided here for you to download (see below) or, for a more complete evaluation, you can meet one on one with an Ayurvedic counselor (me) who can go through a series of assessments in order to get the clearest perspective of your unique nature.
On the podcast this week, I am covering lots more details on the concept of Ayurvedic Constitution. Be sure to tune in!
Namasté, Kim.
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