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Chikitsa

Last updated: December 21, 2023

What Does Chikitsa Mean?

Chikitsa is a Sanskrit term, broadly defined as 'therapy,' but also understood as the application of consciousness or caring. It is a concept prominent to all major Ayurvedic texts, many of which have a Chikitsa Sthana or 'section relating to therapy'. Chikitsa is used to refer to any type of treatment or therapy intended to correct an imbalance or manage a specific illness.

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Yogapedia Explains Chikitsa

Ayurveda takes a holistic and broad-based approach to health and healing. As such, Chikitsa therapies incorporate a wide range of techniques, including diet, massage, herbs, Panchakarma, Pranayama, Asana and even meditation.

Chikitsa can be classified into several sub-types:

  • Shodhana Chikitsa– treatments which focus on detoxification, purification and elimination of excess doshas
  • Shamana Chikitsa – palliative treatments used to address symptoms
  • Ahara Chikitsa – food-based treatments
  • Rasayana Chikitsa – rejuvenation therapy
  • Sattavajaya Chikitsa – psychological therapy

Regardless of the method, Chikitsa focuses on restoring equilibrium to body, mind, spirit and senses. This generally involves finding a relative balance between the three gunas, the seven dhatus, the three doshas and the fifteen sub-doshas, as a means of treating Vikriti (imbalance).


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.

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