Vata, pitta and kapha are the three doshas of the body. Doshas are the principles of nature or forces that manifest from non-material energy, laced with the intentions of consciousness. They apply to everything on the planet and in the universe, as conceived by humans.
Ayurveda [understands] that all things move between energy and matter… According to post-modern physics and particle physicists who study what space is made of, that space between the nucleus of an atom and the electrons that spin around it is filled by something that can be affected by intention, perhaps called “consciousness.” ‘Hard-core’ scientists like to ignore these theories and the data that does not fit with their pre-hardened concepts of what is real. They have denied the reality of consciousness as an element of science, yet it has emerged in the field of physics, blooming between their hard-core doubts. Ayurveda incorporated this idea of consciousness in its original foundations by grounding our minds’ intentions in these three doshas.
Doshas are not physical entities, nor are they ‘the elements.’ They are principles or forces that reflect the qualities of the elements – ether/space, air, fire, water and earth.
– excerpt from Everyday Ayurveda, Daily Habits That Can Change Your Life by Dr Bhaswati Bhattacharya