Ayurveda and Raising Children

A child who does not like sport is not a child who is failing: it may simply be a Kapha child, whose qualities express themselves elsewhere. What does Ayurveda propose about how to help children grow up and thrive in their lives?

Ayurvedic psychology starts from observing each individual. Just from the three doshas and the dominance of one or two of them, we can already understand that one child functions differently from another: their emotional and physical functioning, their interests, but also their difficulties, are connected to their constitution.

Our school system, which is also reflected in everyday life, often carries an expectation of uniformity: we try to treat every child the same way, to steer them toward the same goals, with no exceptions and no discernment. According to Ayurveda, this works against the harmonious development of each person's personality, with their own strengths, talents, and qualities.

A Kapha child, who much prefers not to move around, constantly judged in school sports, develops frustration, a complex about their athletic ability. And we do not often enough value the less visible qualities that children who are not great athletes bring: patience, kindness, simplicity. Rajas children, for their part, are sometimes criticized because they are always busy doing something, without their achievements really being acknowledged, as though it were simply expected. And Vata children are often criticized for daydreaming too much, for never sitting still.

The spirit of Ayurveda instead invites us to look at each child, to build on their strengths and potential, to recognize them, to value each one's singularity, and to give them the space to grow into it.

What kind of framework best helps a child flourish into their potential? It is more a matter of supporting the child's Prakriti, understanding each child's own talents and nature, and affirming them in their personality, rather than trying to tame them. This same way of looking, applied to ourselves, is already the beginning of an owned singularity.