Vikriti
Definition - What does Vikriti mean?
In Ayurveda, vikriti refers to an individual's state of relative health or imbalance. Vikriti, also spelt as vikruti, can be translated from Sanskrit as 'after creation.' Following the moment of conception, a person's biological constitution is subject to influence from the external environment.
Vikriti assessment is used in Ayurveda in order to determine what aspects of the external environment have impacted a person's physical, mental or emotional wellbeing.
Yogapedia explains Vikriti
According to Ayurveda, each individual has a constitution known as prakriti. This is made up of the unique ratio of vata, pitta and kapha that is established at conception. The balance of these doshas in a person determines their unique set of physical, emotional and mental tendencies, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.
The ratio of vata, pitta and kapha in a person at any particular time can be compared with their biological constitution, as a means determining the root causes of illness or disease.
Environment and lifestyle can cause an imbalance in any of these three doshas and a divergence from prakriti, known as vikriti. This state of imbalance is not static; it can change from day to day, season to season or even in different stages of life. Vikriti is best understood as whatever doshic tendencies are being expressed in the present moment.
Assessing vikriti is the initial step in any Ayurvedic treatment, as it is used to determine the cause of symptoms. Functional indicators such as digestion, elimination or sleeping patterns can use used to assess vikriti, alongside a comparison with the individual's natural prakriti.
During These Times of Stress and Uncertainty Your Doshas May Be Unbalanced.
To help you bring attention to your doshas and to identify what your predominant dosha is, we created the following quiz.
Try not to stress over every question, but simply answer based off your intuition. After all, you know yourself better than anyone else.
