What Is Your Body Type?

Joseph Pilates was a mesomorph. He could extend his legs to 45 degrees and still maintain a neutral spine, i.e., not arching his back and risking injury. His exercise program is patterned after this. Someone with longer limbs, especially legs, would have a more challenging time doing this exercise. The weight of their longer legs would challenge their ability to keep the back of their waist toward the floor.

What is your body type? How does this influence your lifestyle habits and choices?

When I was in high school, Levi's jeans were one of the cool looks. Levi's jeans are built for an ectomorph, someone with long thin legs and a wider waist. I am a combo of mesomorph and endomorph; I have thighs and a more compact waist area. My thighs serve me well in cycling classes and in stability postures in yoga. However, if I tried on a pair of Levi's that fit my thighs, the waist area was too large. It was not cool to use a belt if the fabric had to be gathered at the top. I did not fit the Levi's mold.

In the Sheldon Somatotype, each of us "inherited a body type based on skeletal frame and body composition." As a Simply Psychology article notes, "There have been theories surrounding body composition and personality since antiquity. However, William Herbert Sheldon originated the Somatotype in the 1940s."

The three types are characterized the following ways:

• Mesomorph: Muscular, broad shoulders, defined waist, and slim hips.
• Ectomorph: Tall, long thin limbs, and little body fat.
• Endomorph: Round and solid, and often appear overweight.

I share this information because I think it is important to understand our physical body type so that we may work in harmony and appreciation with our gifts and challenges. Self-understanding negates self-judgment. Accepting our body type and understanding our strengths leads to self-mastery and happiness.

I have also studied the Ayurvedic system, which describes three body types, or "Doshas": Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. From a Banyan Botanicals article:

• Vata: Slender, tall, and quick to learn and grasp new knowledge, but also quick to forget.
• Pitta: Medium physique, strong, well built; sharp mind and good concentration. Orderly, focused, assertive, and self-confident.
• Kapha: Easygoing, relaxed, slow-paced; affectionate and loving. Forgiving, compassionate, and non-judgmental. Physically strong, with a sturdy, heavier build.

I am not the first person to correlate these three Ayurvedic doshas with the Sheldon Somatotypes. A mesomorph, strong and muscular, can be assertive and possibly quick to anger. We can have an "aha" moment when we realize our personality characteristics are strongly influenced by our physical body type. A Kapha, who has a solid build, perhaps appearing overweight by our "Twiggy" (am I dating myself?) cultural standards of beauty, has enduring patience and is slow to anger.

In relationships, these doshas and body types have a strong influence. The Vata gets up early in the morning. The Kapha gets up late, is slow to get moving, and has the endurance to stay up late if working on a project. The Vata works on a project, but not non-stop. The Vata needs to eat regularly to keep blood sugar levels balanced. The Kapha can skip meals and then feast on a meal. The Vata will come back to the project several times before finishing it, and will tend to jump to a new idea and has to work on "stick-to-it-ness."