Ayurveda considers life to be a union of body, mind and soul. There are three body types according to individual dominance, known as the three doshas:

• Vata - Air
• Pitta - Bile
• Kapha - Phlegm

Dhatus are seven types of body tissue. Malas are the three types of body excretions.

This dosha initiates and promotes biological activity responsible for all internal and external movements of the body. These include:

Prana (Head) - supports breathing, the primary life force
Udana (Throat) - supports glandular functions
Samana (Stomach and Duodenum) - supports gastric functions
Vyana (Heart and Blood vessels) - supports circulatory functions
Apana (Semen/Faeces/Urine) - supports elimination

This dosha is responsible for generating body heat, metabolism, and certain psychological attributes of the individual.

The main function of this dosha is to promote healthy body tissue and maintain the balance of fat, water, and other fluids.

Each of the doshas must exist in dynamic equilibrium to each other in order to maintain the body's prakruti, the original balance of the individual's dosha inheritance. A disturbance in any one of the doshas causes imbalance and malfunction, resulting in the manifestation of disease.