If Prakriti Is Your Nature, Vikriti Is Your Now

In Ayurveda, health is not a fixed state—it’s a balance we return to, again and again.

Namaste,

There’s a popular assumption in wellness circles that once we “figure out our type”—whether through astrology, personality quizzes, or dosha quizzes—we’ll finally know how to live. Ayurveda agrees in part. It says: yes, there’s a unique blueprint you were born with. But it also whispers something else—something just as vital.

That you can’t live well by understanding your nature alone.
You have to understand what’s happening now.

In Ayurveda, this distinction is captured in two Sanskrit words: Prakriti (प्रकृति) and Vikruti (विकृति). Your Prakriti is your original constitution. Your Vikruti is your current imbalance.

And if you’ve ever thought, “I don’t feel like myself lately,” this concept might offer both language and relief.

Understanding Prakriti (प्रकृति)

Ayurveda teaches that we are each made of a specific combination of the three doshas—Vata (वात), Pitta (पित्त), and Kapha (कफ). These doshas are expressions of the five elements: space, air, fire, water, and earth.

• Vata is the energy of movement—linked to air and space.

• Pitta governs transformation, digestion, and heat—associated with fire and water.

• Kapha offers structure and steadiness—rooted in earth and water.

Your Prakriti is the specific proportion of these doshas present at the time of your conception. It influences how your body functions, how your mind processes stress, your energy levels, your digestion, your skin, and even how you tend to respond emotionally.

Some are born with one dominant dosha, others with two in equal measure, and a few rare individuals with a near-perfect balance of all three. Ayurveda sees no one type as superior. The key is not to become someone else, but to return to the rhythm that is already yours.

But that’s just the beginning.

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What is Vikruti (विकृति)?

Vikruti is the state we enter when life begins to pull us away from that original balance.

The word itself comes from Sanskrit: “vi” meaning “after,” and “kruti” meaning “creation.” So Vikruti literally means “what happens after creation.” It’s the result of all the forces that act upon us: time, environment, emotion, habit, and choice.

If Prakriti is your blueprint, Vikruti is your renovation project—often started without a plan.

It represents the accumulation or elevation of one or more doshas beyond their natural state. And unlike Prakriti, Vikruti is not fixed. It can change from season to season, even day to day. It can last for a weekend—or for a decade, if left unexamined. And the longer it remains unaddressed, the more likely it is to evolve into something that modern medicine might diagnose as disease.

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Causes of Vikruti

Vikruti can be caused by nearly anything that throws your doshas off balance. It’s often a slow drift rather than a dramatic rupture.

Some common causes include:

Lifestyle factors: irregular routines, excessive screen time, chronic stress, lack of movement

Dietary reasons: eating foods that aggravate your dominant dosha, eating too late or too quickly

Environmental influences: extreme weather, air pollution, noise, travel

Mental and emotional stress: grief, anxiety, burnout, suppressed emotions

These influences don’t just affect the body. They impact the mind, the senses, and the quality of your inner life. Ayurveda looks at all of it—because imbalance is rarely isolated.

Recognizing Vikruti: Listening Before Diagnosing

Before you need an Ayurvedic practitioner, you need a pause. A moment of self-inquiry. Start small. Ask how you feel after meals. Notice if you wake up rested or foggy. These little observations matter more than perfection.

Ayurveda isn’t about outsourcing your body’s wisdom. It’s about learning to listen. Many minor imbalances can be gently corrected at home—if we’re paying attention.

Take constipation. A common occurrence in many of our lives. The modern response might be to reach for a laxative. But Ayurveda suggests asking:

What have I been eating lately? * Have I been sleeping well? * Am I anxious or mentally overloaded? * Did I skip lunch again or eat on the go?

** These questions often reveal more than any diagnosis can. They’re the beginning of awareness.

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Also, your tongue, eyes, skin, and posture are all messengers.

Is there a coating on your tongue? A dullness in the eyes? A new rash or stiffness in the body?

Your routine (or lack of one) often tells a story: disrupted sleep, late meals, too much stimulation, not enough rest.

And most of all, your own story—how you feel, how you’ve felt lately, and what your instincts are telling you.

In Ayurveda, diagnosis isn’t a declaration. It’s a dialogue. A way of getting intimate with your current state, so that balance can be restored—not forced.

Balancing Vikruti: Restoring Doshas

Once an imbalance is identified, the goal isn’t to “fix” you. It’s to gently guide you back toward your center.

Depending on your Vikruti (imbalance), this might involve:

Dietary changes: Favoring warming, cooling, or drying foods depending on the dosha in excess

Lifestyle shifts: Creating routines, adding rest, reducing stimulation, encouraging movement

Herbal support: Gentle remedies tailored to reduce the aggravated dosha

Cleansing therapies: In some cases, therapies like Panchakarma may be suggested for deeper detoxification
(Note: These are more advanced therapies and typically done under guidance. For most people, small daily shifts are the first line of care.)

But most often, it starts small. With a warm cup of cumin-coriander-fennel tea. Or a regular bedtime. Or fewer screens after sunset.

Healing isn’t a performance. It’s a practice.
It doesn’t need to be dramatic to be effective.

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The Role of Self-Awareness in Ayurvedic Health

What makes Ayurveda different is that it puts the power of observation back in your hands.

By paying attention to how you feel—and by learning to decode your symptoms— you become a participant in your well-being. A steward of your own balance.

Practices like Dinacharya (daily rhythm) and meditative awareness don’t just prevent Vikruti. They help you feel when something is starting to slip. They give you time to catch it. To shift course. To restore.

In a world that rewards productivity over presence, this can feel radical.

But it’s actually a return to something we’ve always known.

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In Conclusion

Ayurveda doesn’t just ask: Who are you?

It also asks: How are you now?

Recognizing your Vikruti is the beginning of a more responsive, respectful relationship with your body and mind. It reminds you that health is dynamic. That your symptoms are not inconveniences—they’re communication. And that you always have a path back home.

If you’re curious to explore your own Vikruti—or Prakriti—I encourage you to speak with an Ayurvedic practitioner (I happen to know one!).

And remember: imbalance is not failure. It’s just the body’s way of asking for your attention.

Vikruti is simply the Ayurvedic word for imbalance. And most of us experience it more often than we realize.

Just by living—through seasons, emotions, daily habits—we’re constantly shifting between balance and imbalance.

The goal isn’t to stay perfectly balanced. The goal is to notice when we’ve drifted, and return to center as often as we can.

I’ll be exploring these concepts in person at my upcoming Ayurveda 101 workshop in New York City on May 29. It’s a gentle, welcoming space for beginners—and a great place to ask questions and start connecting with your own rhythms.

You can read more about the workshop here by following the link below.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see some of you at the workshop. If you want to be included on a list to inform you of future events, please send me a message.

Until next time,