Levels of Dosha Increase and Decrease

Chaya / Sanchaya means first level increase of Dosha in their own place.
Kopa / Prakopa mean increase and overflow of Doshas from its own place to other place. It has the potential to cause the disease.
Shama / Prashama means decrease of increased Dosha and restoration of health.

Qualities that influence increase and decrease of Tridosha

Chaya
Chaya means slight increase of Dosha in its own place. It produces dislike against the things that would cause further increase of particular Dosha. It is a self defense mechanism of the body to avoid further increase of Dosha, which may lead to disease.

Kopa
Kopa – suggests further increase of Dosha and overflow of increased Dosha into other body channels. It causes appearance of symptoms of increased Dosha, leading to onset of disease process. The premonitory symptoms of the disease can be observed at this stage.

Sama
Sama means normalcy. Restoration / decrease of increased Dosha to its normal levels.

Qualities that cause Chaya, Kopa and Shama of Vata

Hot along with dryness, movement, etc causes Vata Chaya.
Coldness along with dryness causes Kopa.
Snigdha (oilyness, unctuousness) and other qualities- Guru (heavy), Usna (hot) , pichila (stickiness), sthira (stability) etc. associated with hotness bring about its Shamana of Vata.

Qualities that cause Chaya, Kopa and Shama of Pitta

Teekshna (piercing, strong) and other qualities- dryness, lightness, etc associated with cold cause Pitta Chaya- mild increase of Pitta,
The above qualities associated with hot, cause Pitta Kopa – profound increase of Pitta.
Manda (viscous, mild) and other qualities like stickyness, stability etc, associated with cold bring about Pitta Shama- reduction back to normal.

Qualities that cause Chaya, Kopa and Shama of Kapha

Snigdha –(unctuous, oily) and others –heaviness, stickiness, mild, etc along with cold qualitycauses Kapha chaya. (mild increase)
Same Snigdha – unctuous, oily etc qualities associated with Usna – hot cause Kapha Kopa
Manda- dull and others- rough, dry, clarity, movement, lightness associated with cold quality bring about Kapha Shama- reduction to normal.

OVERALL

Vata Dosha –
Ushna (hot) + Ruksha (dryness) and associated qualities cause Vata Chaya
Sheeta (cold) + Ruksha (dryness) and associated qualities cause Vata Kopa
Ushna (hot) + Snigdha (unctuous, oily) and associated qualities cause Vata shama.

Pitta Dosha –
Sheeta (cold) + Teekshna (piercing, strong) etc qualities cause Pitta Chaya
Ushna (hot) + Teekshna (piercing, strong) etc qualities cause Pitta Kopa
Sheeta (cold) + Manda (mild, dull) cause Pitta Shama.

Kapha Dosha –
Sheeta (Cold) + Snigdha (unctuous, oily) cause Kapha Chaya
Ushna (hot) + Snigdha (unctuous, oily) cause Kapha Kopa
Ushna (hot) + Rooksha (dryness) cause Kapha Shama

Fluctuation of Dosha in different seasons

Vata undergoes chaya (mild increase) during summer by the use of Plants possessing such as lightness, dryness etc. It is especially so, in the bodies of persons possessing such qualities. But during summer, Vata does not undergo profound increase due to the heat of the summer. (Remember, cold is a quality of vata). Hot is opposite to Vata, hence there is no increase by a large extent.
Similarly, Pitta undergoes chaya in rainy season, because of production of Amla viplaka (sour taste at the end of digestion) of water and foods. But it does not undergo further increase in rainy season, because of coldness. (Remember, hot is the quality of Pitta) Coldness checks further increase of Pitta in rainy season.
Kapha undergoes Chaya in winter by the use of foods with cold and oily qualities. But it does not undergo prakopa because Kapha becomes solidified due to severe cold of the winter.
So, activities and food habits can cause increase or decrease of Dosha. At the same time, seasonal effect also may cause Dosha increase or decrease.

Generally the treatment for the combination of Vata and Pitta is similar to the regimen of summer.
For Kapha and Vata combination treatment, it is similar to the regimen of Vasanta- spring because Maruta- Vata is Yogavahi; Yogavahi means, Vata, when associated with Pitta, boosts Pitta Dosha, when it is associated with Kapha, it boosts Kapha Dosha.
For the combination of Kapha and Pitta the treatment shall be similar to the regimen of Sarad/Autumn

Action of increased Dosha
When there is a flood, the water gushes into the cities very fast, but the reversal process is very slow. Similarly, the increased Doshas spread throughout body from foot to head to produce diseases but the decrease of Dosha and restoration of normalcy takes a very long time.

Dosha is the main cause for disease
Like a bird flying high in the sky cannot escape from its shadow, the root cause for disease lies in Tridosha. Even the mental qualities such as Satva, Raja and Tama are influenced by Tridosha.
Dosha get vitiated, then cause vitiation of body tissues (Dhatu) and waste products (Mala) to cause disease.

The Doshas should be treated properly when there are in Chaya stage (mild increase) only.
In their stage of Kopa (Dosha enhanced imbalance), they should be vanquished without opposing / interfering with one another Dosha.
When there is simultaneous enhanced increase (Kopa) of all the three Doshas, the most powerful / most aggravated Dosha should controlled first, without opposing the remaining Doshas.

The treatment which cures one disease and gives rise to another disease- sooner or later, is not Shuddha- pure/ good/appropriate; A pure treatment is that which cures one – diseases and does not give rise to another.

Three kinds of causes for Dosha increase

The causes of Dosha increase can be categorized as
– Less involvement (Heena yoga),
– Wrong involvement (Mithya yoga)
– Over involvement (Atiyoga)
Of
Artha – sense organs
Kala – season
Karma – action .
So, less, wrongful or more involvement of sense organs / seasons / action leads to Dosha
imbalance.

Artha – Senses and their correlation
Hinayoga – Poor association of sense organs – insufficient, inadequate, contact or non- contact with the objects of senses- sound, touch, sight, taste and smell with their respective sense organs. For example, not at all hearing to sounds, or living in a low lit area etc
Atiyoga is over indulgence. Seeing objects which are very minute, bright etc, gazing for a very long time, hearing to loud music etc.
Mithya Yoga – wrong indulgence with sense organs – seeing / hearing frightening, very close, very far, disliked and abnormal objects etc.

Kala – seasons
Kala is of three kinds, cold, hot and rainy.
Hinayoga of the Kala is – less cold in winter, less temperature in summer and less rain in rainy season.
Atiyoga is – more rain in rainy season, more temperature in summer etc.
Mithyayoga is manifestation of qualities opposites of the natural ones of the season. Example – rain during summer, cold weather during summer etc.

Karma- Activities
Three types of actions pertaining to mind, body and speech lead to Dosha imbalance.
Heenayoga – very less speaking, very little physical activity, very less thought process.
Atiyoga – excessive speaking, excess physical activity and excessive thinking.
Mithyayoga – wrong speaking, wrong physical activities and wrong, evil thinking, suppression of natural urges, improper postures, abrupt jumping and falling, speaking – too much immediately after meals , harboring of desires- attachment, passion, hatred, fear etc.

These are the causes for increase of Doshas, thus increased they produce many kinds of diseases, involving the mind, tissues, viscera, bones and joints.