They say Ayurveda is 5,000 years old, but if Acharya Charaka had seen Instagram, he might have added a new chapter on “Digital Rogas.” Sitting under a banyan tree, I can almost imagine him, sighing, “Ah, here comes another Vata-dominant soul doomscrolling their way to insomnia.”
I have been practising Ayurveda in Bangalore for twenty-five years now, and I never imagined I’d need to prescribe “digital fasting” as often as I prescribe Triphala. But here we are—social media has become the new vyadhi hetu (cause of disease), and my clinic mirrors that madness. One day, I decided to look at it all through the dosha lens, and what I found was pure Ayurvedic comedy.
Let’s start with Vata. Airy, quick, impulsive, creative Vata types. They are the champions of endless scrolling. Their thumbs are in constant motion, swiping up like a sacred ritual. One young woman, Niharika, complained of dry skin, eyes, and scalp. I asked her about her daily habits. “I scroll Reels for four hours every night,” she said sheepishly. “It helps me relax.” Vata people love stimulation, novelty, and unpredictability, precisely what social media feeds are designed for. But the irony is, the more they scroll, the more restless they become. Dryness, anxiety, insomnia—they arrive like uninvited guests at a wedding. I told Niharika, “You don’t have a shampoo problem. You have a scrolling problem.” She laughed. I prescribed oil massages, a warm diet, and a hard limit on screen time. Her skin improved. She also sleeps. She even began doodling again—on paper, not on Instagram stories.
Then there’s Pitta. Ah, Pitta. The fierce, fiery doers. These are your opinion-posters, your reel debaters, your story warriors. They wake up ready to take on the world—and tell the world what it’s doing wrong. “Dr. Nayak, I posted a reel on organic eating, and my friend replied with a sarcastic emoji. I haven’t slept since,” said Aditya, a 29-year-old software engineer and part-time food crusader. He had a pitta rash on his neck, acidity, and tension headaches. “Did you reply to her?” I asked. “Yes. With a 300-word essay. And a meme.” That’s Pitta for you—driven, perfectionist, and easily inflamed. Social media gives them a battleground, but their bodies pay the price. I told him, “You can’t win every argument, but you can win your peace of mind.” He switched to gardening reels and street photography and began watering plants instead of flaming comment sections. His skin cleared. So did his mind.
Now meet Kapha—the gentle, stable, loyal liker. Kaphas don’t post much. They don’t argue. They don’t scroll endlessly. But they spend too much time just watching.. “Doctor, I feel stuck,” said Ramya, a schoolteacher with chronic fatigue. “I like watching cleaning videos for hours. I never actually clean. Just…watch.” That’s classic Kapha—drawn to comfort, routine, emotional security. But excess Kapha leads to stagnation. Their social media use becomes passive—hours of watching but not doing. I told her, “Ramya, your phone is clean, but your mind is cluttered.” We added a Kapha-pacifying plan—brisk walks, light food, ginger tea, and yes, a one-hour social media cap. She called me three weeks later, ecstatic. “I finally cleaned my kitchen. And I feel lighter!”
Then come the mixed dosha users—Vata-Pitta, Pitta-Kapha, and the wonderfully conflicted Vata-Kapha types, who like ordering filter coffee and chamomile tea at once. Take the case of Sneha, a young mother with a Vata-Kapha constitution. “I open Instagram just to unwind,” she said, “but two hours later, I’m lying on the couch, frozen, comparing my life to influencers who bake gluten-free cookies with their toddlers in spotless homes.” That’s the Vata-Kapha trap—endless stimulation (Vata) mixed with inertia (Kapha). She felt both scattered and stuck. I told her, “You’re jumping between overwhelm and stagnation. It’s like running in sand.” We simplified her digital diet—15-minute limits, notifications off, and a calming tea of ginger and tulsi. Before checking her phone, I asked her to start her day with light movement. Within two weeks, she said, “I feel like I got my mornings back.” That’s what balance feels like—not just being online but alive.
Another curious mix was Ramesh, a Kapha-Pitta hybrid. Calm exterior, boiling interior. “I don’t post much,” he said. “But I mentally correct everyone’s captions.” He spent hours watching content he secretly disapproved of. His body showed signs of heaviness, acidity, and tension. I said, “You’re absorbing everything, judging half, and expressing none. That’s like eating without ever digesting.” We introduced light exercise, cooling foods, and a ‘no-comment’ policy on social media. He began focusing on creative cooking videos and joined an actual cooking class. Now he uses Instagram to find recipes, not rivals.
Want to know where you fall in the scroll cycle? Here’s a quick Ayurvedic cheat sheet.
Digital Dosha Check.
- Vata? Set screen-time limits. Use calming routines and warm food.
- Pitta? Schedule breaks. Avoid debates. Stay hydrated and cool-headed.
- Kapha? Move first, scroll later. Watch energising content. Limit passive viewing.
What amused me most was that these patterns weren’t rare. They repeated. Again and again. In teenagers and senior citizens. In engineers and artists. Even among doctors. One of my colleagues, a sharp Pitta type, once sent me a 2,000-word WhatsApp message on why Instagram influencers are “destroying the sanctity of Ayurveda.” I replied with a laughing emoji. He hasn’t messaged since.
Studies confirm that excessive social media use impacts sleep, dopamine levels, cortisol spikes, and mental health. But what Ayurveda knew all along is this: It’s not just what you do, but who you are when you do it. The dosha lens helps us see why two people can use the same platform differently, and the consequences vary. Vata’s nervous system gets overstimulated. Pitta’s temper gets triggered. Kapha’s motivation gets dulled.
One day, I asked a group of junior doctors, “What if Instagram had a dosha setting? You could switch to ‘Vata mode’ and it would only show calming reels. Or ‘Pitta mode’ for inspirational content without conflict. Kapha mode? Just cute dogs and a 15-minute timeout every hour.” They laughed. But then one said, “Actually, that sounds useful.”
There was one particularly insightful case—Anil, a college student with frequent panic attacks. “Social media is ruining my life,” he said. “Whenever I open it, I feel like I’m not doing enough. Everyone’s travelling, achieving, and glowing. I’m just… breathing.” Classic Vata-Pitta dual imbalance—overstimulation mixed with performance pressure. I asked him to experiment for 10 days: avoid all platforms, follow a fixed routine, eat warm food, and spend 30 minutes in nature daily. When he returned, his face had changed. “I didn’t miss it,” he said. “I didn’t miss myself in it.” That’s the core of it—social media, when misused, disconnects us from our rhythms.
But here’s the paradox. I also post on social media. I share health tips, small reflections, and patient stories. Sometimes, it connects people, heals, and informs. Social media is not the villain. It’s the way we engage with it that matters. Just like fire, it can cook your food or burn your house. That’s why Ayurveda always says samyak prayoga, which is the correct use.
When I give talks now, I include digital wellness in my advice. I ask patients to observe their emotions after using social media. Are they inspired or irritated? Energised or exhausted? I encourage families to have screen-free dinner times. Couples should switch off their phones an hour before bed. After following the advice, one patient returned and said, “Doctor, my husband and I finally sat down and had a real conversation. For the first time in weeks. It was nice.”
There are lighter moments too. A teenage boy came in and said, “My mom made me delete Instagram. She says Ayurveda says it’s bad.” I replied, “Ayurveda doesn’t ban Instagram. But it does say, know yourself. And act accordingly.”
Social media habits, like food, should match your nature—what Ayurveda calls satmya. A Pitta type may need a break to cool down. Vata types do better with calming content and a fixed routine. Kapha types must stay alert to avoid getting stuck. We can’t all use technology similarly and expect the same results.
A small tip I often give: If you’re Vata-prone, set a fixed time and duration for online activity. Use balancing oils—sesame is excellent. For Pitta types, avoid inflammatory content and ensure you log off by 9 PM. Take cooling herbs like Brahmi. For Kapha, follow every 30 minutes of passive scrolling with 10 minutes of movement—walk, stretch, clean a drawer.
As I write this, I get a WhatsApp ping. A Vata patient sent me a GIF of a kitten wearing sunglasses. I smile. Even kittens are on social media now.
But let me end with this: The doshas live not just in our bodies but also in our behaviour. Our devices don’t just reflect our minds—they amplify them. Choose your scrolls, posts, and likes with awareness because the health of your nervous system might depend on what you click.
Ayurveda says, “Yukti vyapashraya chikitsa”—healing comes from thoughtful intervention. Maybe it’s time to extend that to our phones, too.
