Before You Set Another Intention, Read This

An invitation to come home to your own rhythm

I’ve been learning so much about myself since having my Australian soul sister, Leisa Porteous-Semple, staying with me. She is a functional medicine gut specialist, and we’ve been besties since the moment we met in 2012. Over the years, we’ve travelled extensively together.

She wanted to go to Peru with someone who understood Theta Healing, and our mutual friend Steve Parker said, “I’ve got just the girl for you!” He connected us. Thank you forever, Steve!

I have never met someone I could so easily live with and spend copious amounts of time with, in any situation, comfort zone or not. There is clearly a soul connection there, which we’ve only briefly explored, choosing instead to stay grounded and present with each other.

Leisa and her lovely partner Adam have been living with me since December 1st, and it has been nothing but ease and flow. She and I impact each other’s lives on a regular basis and turn to one another for healing and guidance. It’s great having therapist friends, most of mine are, in some capacity!

Anyway, she started talking to me about being Vata in the Ayurvedic world. I’d never really researched that before, but beyond food, she was talking about lifestyle, comfort zones, and how we function energetically and practically. She is also Vata.

So I asked my good friend AI (Adeline Inteligente, as I call her) to create a comprehensive quiz for anyone – male or female – to discover what percentage of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha they are.

After taking the quiz, I shared my answers with ‘Her’, noting which ones aligned with Pitta and Kapha, and asked her to create a personal profile for my current phase of life, age, and circumstances. Apparently, phase of life really matters.

Fascinating! It explained so much about me to me. It also confirmed many things I’ve always known intuitively. ‘She’ even validated moments when others have told me what I “should” be doing, when instinctively I knew it wasn’t right for me. For example, cold wild swimming. You go have a great time, I’ll be inside by the fireplace, thank you very much!

So I thought I’d share the quiz I took, so you can gain some new insight (or a refresher) about yourself and how you function.

Going into a New Year often creates all sorts of stressors and expectations for ourselves. Take the pressure off. Be at ONE with yourself, whatever that looks like for you. We are all different. Pay attention to your inner guidance system. Your intuition is your best friend.

Remember, it’s a full moon on January 3rd and a wonderful time to burn labels. This is a shamanic exercise I do annually. Write down, on separate pieces of paper, each trait or label that no longer serves you or that you’re ready to release. I also burn the “good” ones so I’m not capping my potential. Fire transmutes energy into Light – it’s incredibly powerful.

Write the label (for example: doubt). Feel into it. Blow that energy into the paper. Place it in the fire and make sure it burns completely. Take in the energy of the fire.

Here’s the Ayurvedic Quiz! Enjoy, and Happy New Year!

Below is a comprehensive, gender-neutral Ayurvedic Constitution Quiz suitable for any adult (male or female).
It identifies your primary Ayurvedic type (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) and shows how each dosha expresses itself in body, digestion, mind, emotions, and lifestyle.

This version is:

Balanced (not age- or gender-specific)
Accurate for both constitution (prakriti) and current imbalance (vikriti)

Ayurvedic Dosha Quiz

Discover Your Natural Constitution

Instructions

Answer based on most of your adult life, not just recent changes
If two options feel true, choose the one that fits more consistently
Record V (Vata), P (Pitta), or K (Kapha) for each question

SECTION 1: BODY & PHYSICAL TRAITS

My body frame is:

V Slim, light, narrow, or delicate
P Medium, athletic, well-proportioned
K Broad, solid, sturdy, or stocky

My weight tends to:

V Fluctuate easily
P Stay stable unless I overindulge
K Increase easily, slow to lose

My skin is usually:

V Dry, thin, cool
P Warm, oily, sensitive, prone to redness
K Thick, smooth, moist

My hair tends to be:

V Dry, thin, frizzy
P Fine, oily, premature graying or thinning
K Thick, lustrous, wavy

SECTION 2: DIGESTION & METABOLISM

My appetite is:

V Irregular or variable
P Strong and consistent
K Mild or slow

When I skip meals, I feel:

V Lightheaded, anxious
P Irritable, angry
K Fine, not strongly affected

My digestion is most often:

V Gassy, bloated, sensitive
P Hot, acidic, sharp
K Slow, heavy

Bowel movements tend to be:

V Dry, irregular
P Loose, frequent
K Thick, slow, regular

SECTION 3: MIND & THINKING STYLE

My thinking style is:

V Quick, creative, scattered
P Focused, analytical, sharp
K Steady, methodical, calm

I learn best by:

V Listening, imagining, connecting ideas
P Studying, analyzing, applying
K Repetition, hands-on experience

Under pressure, I become:

V Anxious or overwhelmed
P Irritable or controlling
K Withdrawn or resistant

My memory is:

V Quick to learn, quick to forget
P Sharp and accurate
K Slow to learn, long-lasting

SECTION 4: EMOTIONS & STRESS RESPONSE

My dominant emotional challenge is:

V Fear, worry, insecurity
P Anger, frustration, impatience
K Attachment, resistance, complacency

When stressed, I tend to:

V Overthink or freeze
P Overwork or argue
K Avoid or shut down

I express emotions by:

V Talking them out
P Acting or confronting
K Holding them in

I feel most balanced when I have:

V Safety, warmth, reassurance
P Purpose, clarity, success
K Comfort, stability, harmony

SECTION 5: ENERGY & ACTIVITY

My energy pattern is:

V Bursty and variable
P Strong and driven
K Steady and enduring

Exercise I prefer:

V Gentle, flowing, varied
P Competitive, intense
K Slow, rhythmic, sustained

I tend to:

V Start many projects
P Push projects to completion
K Maintain and preserve projects

My response to change is:

V Excited but unsettled
P Strategic and controlling
K Resistant but steady once adjusted

SECTION 6: ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE

I feel best in:

V Warm, calm, cozy environments
P Cool, organized, efficient spaces
K Light, dry, stimulating settings

Weather that affects me most:

V Cold, wind, dryness
P Heat, sun, humidity
K Cold, damp, cloudy

My sleep is usually:

V Light, interrupted
P Moderate, affected by heat or thoughts
K Deep, long

My natural pace of life is:

V Fast, changeable
P Goal-oriented, intense
K Slow, steady

SCORING

Count how many times you chose:

V (Vata)
P (Pitta)
K (Kapha)

Percentage Calculation

Vata % = (V ÷ 24) × 100
Pitta % = (P ÷ 24) × 100
Kapha % = (K ÷ 24) × 100

RESULTS INTERPRETATION

VATA DOMINANT

Creative, intuitive, adaptable
Needs grounding, warmth, routine

PITTA DOMINANT

Intelligent, driven, focused
Needs cooling, moderation, softness

KAPHA DOMINANT

Calm, loyal, stable
Needs stimulation, lightness, movement

DUAL DOSHA (Very Common)

Example: Vata–Pitta, Pitta–Kapha
Balance requires addressing both tendencies

Important Ayurvedic Insight

Your constitution (prakriti) is lifelong
Your imbalance (vikriti) changes with stress, age, trauma, lifestyle

If your current state feels very different from your lifelong pattern, you may be seeing imbalance rather than true constitution.

I’m back at my desk Monday January 5th and look forward to connecting with you in a free Compass Mind Shift Call: https://bit.ly/SOMindshift to help guide you to total alignment and flow for 2026.