An understanding of your body type, 'dosha' is of paramount importance on the path of yoga.

An individual who is exceptionally irritated on windy days is probably a Vata person. Being sluggish and lazy are the traits of a Kapha dominated individual, and an argumentative person may be responding to a Pitta personality.

For a novice, there are many ways to check your body type; you can visit a reputed ayurveda physician, or answer questionnaires available in the net or in books and get a general idea.

"You become what you eat", goes the old adage, and according to ayurveda, every individual is considered unique and needs special individualised diet for perfect balance of doshas, so what may be taboo for one maybe an essential part of another's diet.

Factors such as age and gender, tendencies to vata, pitta or kapha, the level of toxins in the body and even the season and climatic condition of the place play a part in deciding the ideal diet. To take full benefit of the practice of Yoga, right food has to be an integral part of a yogi's diet.

But even without any special guidance it's possible to follow a reasonably easy regimen while choosing your food to get that fine sense of well being.

Instead of emphasising on vitamins, minerals, calcium and proteins, the ayurvedic diet believes that all six tastes should be satiated in any complete meal. The six tastes being: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent.

Pepper and garlic, ginger and turmeric, asafoetida, fennel, chillies and jaggery, coriander, cloves and cardamom are all part of the staple Indian kitchen. Even vegetables, fruits, lentils and grains fall in the category of these six tastes, sour lemons and sweet carrots, pungent ginger and garlic, astringent cabbage or apples to name a few.

To satiate different cravings and to balance the appetite and digestion our grandmothers used these judiciously.

As much as possible incorporate fresh, seasonal vegetables and fruits in the diet. In today's life of fast transport and globalisation, we have mangoes and watermelons in winters and winter vegetables in the summer. These create an imbalance in the body for the physical body is inured to the local weather and by feeding it out of season food we confuse the body's metabolic intelligence leading to the production of toxins that translate into disease.

By going on diets that leave out carbohydrates and include proteins or fruit juice, we are starving the body of essential nourishment.

Each body type has a particular shape and physical attribute. Kapha people are generally plump with the pitta type being of medium build and the vata light and thin.

In our desire to lose weight, we tamper with this essential body type that we are born with, again leading to imbalance.

Obesity is a problem that can affect any body-type and the reasons for this can range from physical, hormonal to psychological. The ayurvedic diet will include different textures of light and heavy, warm and cold according to the individual's body type. Cheese, butter, ghee and nuts all play their part in the balanced nutrition and well-being of the body.