Ayurveda is India's traditional health system. Dating back more than 5000 years, it is based on the theory of constitutional body types, or doshas. Ayurveda teaches that health is maintained by the balancing of these three subtle energies. Everyone has a unique constitution or combination of doshas. Doshas are based on the five elements fire, water, earth, air and ether. Although there are five elements, there are only three doshas: vata, pitta and kapha. Vata is the combination of air and ether, pitta is the combination of fire and water, and kapha is the combination of water and earth. Each person is a combination of elements and the qualities that are attributed to these elements. Ayurveda, which means the science of life,takes into account the different stages of life and aging, and includes not only food and herbs, but also diet, exercise, massage, color, light, sound, hygiene and more.