Satmya
Satmya: individual habituation — what your body has grown used to and now suits it. Understand the principle that tempers every Ayurvedic rule.
Satmya comes from sat, "that which is": literally, what has become suited to oneself. The term refers to beneficial habituation — a food, a climate, a habit that the body integrated long ago and that now agrees with it, even when it contradicts the theory. Its opposite, asatmya, refers to what remains foreign and poorly tolerated.
It is an essential safeguard in Ayurveda: general rules (by dosha, by season) always apply through the filter of individual history. The daily coffee of a thirty-year habitual drinker does not have the same effect as a novice's first cup; a spicy dish that is unremarkable to someone who grew up in South India can set a Northern European's digestion on fire. From this the tradition draws a method of gradual change: you never break an established habit abruptly, even a bad one — you reduce it in stages while introducing the new one — a precious principle for starting Ayurveda without upending everything.
The concept also covers adaptation to the seasons and to places (okasatmya): moving house, travelling or changing your diet calls for a period of acclimatisation. A concrete example: rather than cutting out evening cheese overnight, halve the portion for two weeks. See also how to adapt your plate to the seasons while respecting your habits.