Prakruti or Constitution of a person according to Ayurveda
The 'Prakruti' or basic constitutional nature of each individual is determined at the time of conception. At this stage, the constitution of the individual is determined by the permutations and combinations of the five basic eternal elements that manifest in the parents 'Sukra' and 'Arthava' - Male and Female gametes. Once birth has made it's elemental imprint, we cannot alter it to suit our needs. While we may be influenced positively or negatively by our culture, society and environment, our basic nature at birth is established from the interlacing of the five eternal elements and the combination of these elements present on birth remains constant. However, the combination of the elements that go to the continuous physiopathological events in the body alters in response to the changes in the environment, food habits and daily routine e.t.c.
A person can be of any one Prakruti, combination of two Prakruti (Sanisaragaj) or combination of all three (Sannipataj). According to Ayurveda there are seven Prakrutis: