Dear Diary - Day Minus 10 - Dr Dhan and the Dosha of Delight

I couldn't help but notice that the Meedhupparu Resort has an Ayurveda Village associated with it. So, being of an inquisitive mind I did a little research to try to determine what the Ayurveda Village is. It appears to be an entirely self-contained health resort with its own accommodation... but I might be wrong.  Anyway, this is what I found out...

The blue tinged chap with the Tommy Cooper hat illustrated above is Dhanvantari who is considered the father of Ayurvedic medicine... Dr Dhan - the Main Man...

Ayurveda is an ancient Indian philosophy guiding and inspiring us in the ‘art of living wisely.’ In simple terms, ayurveda is a holistic system which guides us so that we can live a healthier and more balanced lifestyle. It recognises that we are all unique and focuses on food, lifestyle, massage, yoga and herbal remedies to suit our individual make-up. Or, in my case, an individual focus on beer and cigarettes.

According to Ayurveda, each of us has a unique mix of three mind/body principles which creates our specific mental and physical characteristics. These three principles are called 'doshas'. Most of us have one or two doshas which are most lively in our nature, with the remaining one(s) less significant. Groovy... I have a Dosha. Better go and find it then.....

I discovered my Dosha on a website called http://www.whatsyourdosha.com. Apart from the fact that I had to give my e-mail address, thereby committing myself to a lifetime's worth of unsolicited Dosha-related drivel, I discovered that I am Kapha. Not to be confused with the insulting Afrikaans term for black people.

So now I know... Apparently Kapha-type people tend to have sturdy, heavy frames, (yup, that's me.... fat) providing a good reserve of physical strength and stamina (I'm not sure about this). This strength gives Kaphas a natural resistance to disease and a generally positive outlook about life (Really? What about the recent man-flu?). The Kapha dosha is slow, and Kapha types tend to be slow eaters with slow digestion. They also speak slowly. They are calm and affectionate but, when out of balance, can become stubborn and lazy. Cold and wet weather aggravates Kapha. They need lots of exercise and need to be careful not to overeat.

Fantastic! You learn something new every day. I used to be Scorpio, now I'm Kapha! Good on you Dr Dhan... I just wish the last line had read "They need lots of food and need to be careful not to exercise."