Prakriti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution Your prakriti, or personal constitution, is your inborn pattern of dosha predominance, the sum of all your innate tendencies, the source of everything that manifests within your personal microcosm. Fixed in your metabolism at the time of conception, inherited from the man and woman who begot you, your prakriti accompanies you your whole life long. Prakriti can be literally translated as "first reaction," and your prakriti strongly influences your first reaction to any change in your surroundings. It reflects all the facets of your physical and mental existence that govern the way that your body and mind instinctively react when they are confronted by a need to adapt. Many of the traits you prize in yourself, and many of the qualities you hate, spring from your prakriti. This book introduces prakriti and the philosophy that created it, and shows how we can use knowledge of prakriti to optimize our health and well-being.