According
to Ayurveda prakruti means physical constitution of a person and vikruti
means the state of disease. Prakruti helps in deciding the therapeutic
regimen. Depending on the predominance of a single dosha, or different
permutations and combinations, Prakruti could be of seven types out of
which the three main types are vata, pitta and kapha. Ayurveda is oldest
science known to mankind and mainly aims at maintenance of health.
Prakruti i.e. science of nature means innate character, physical
constitution or disposition of a person. According to Ayurveda, from
birth to death, doshas influence the health status and physical
constitution of a man, either positively or negatively. The term
Prakruti is a Sanskrit word that means, "nature," "creativity,"
or "the first creation." The combination of Vata, Pitta, and
Kapha that was present in the individual at the time of conception is
maintained throughout his lifetime. Different persons can have different
combination of Vata, Pitta and kapha as their basic constitution or
Prakruti. That's why two people react differently when exposed to a
similar situation. Thus according to Ayurveda everyone is unique and
each one of them has a distinct body constitution, which is totally
different from each other. The concept of Prakruti and Vikruti can be illustrated by reference to our body temperature. When healthy, we maintain an average body temperature of about 98 degrees. Although, different persons can have different base temperatures, it does not change much so long as the person is healthy. When we go outside on a winter day, our body temperature may go down slightly; but will pick right back up to the normal if we are healthy. When we are sick, or catch a cold, our body temperature will go up. This indicates that we are sick or outside our normal base condition. We may take medicine to bring the body temperature back to the normal range. In analogy to Ayurveda, our present temperature may be considered as Vikruti because Vikruti means the state of disease. So it is important to understand the Prakruti and Vikruti of our body. Arm with this knowledge we can map a treatment strategy. This is the basic premise of Ayurveda. The diagnostic system developed by Holistic Online can be utilized to determine both your Prakruti and Vikruti. Ayurveda teaches us how the Vikruti can be changed by means of diet and meditation so as to approach the Prakruti or the state where we can have perfect health.
