Our bodies have three doshas (vata, pitta, kapha) in unique proportions. These are biological energies that are responsible for all the functions of our body. In Ayurveda, we call your natural state of "balance" Prakriti.
If one or more of these doshas moves away from their natural state of balance, we will develop symptoms and then disease.
Qualities of kapha
Kapha dosha is made up of the elements water and earth. With its stability and liquidity, it is responsible for the formation of healthy bones and ligaments and the lubrication of the body.
Recognizing the kapha qualities within yourself will help you keep this dosha balanced whether kapha is your dominant dosha or not. In the chart on the left, you will find the physical and emotional characteristics of a kapha dominant person.
Recognizing the imbalance:
We all have all three doshas in our body, and one combination is not better or worse than another. Knowing your natural state of balance will help you recognize and interpret the signs of imbalance. For example, when kapha dosha has exceeded its normal levels, you can start experiencing overweight, lethargy, colds, stubbornness, asthma, and mucus in the menstrual blood.
Five tips to help you balance your Kapha dosha
Sleepless
Regular physical exercise
Be careful not to get stagnated in life
keep warm and dry
Follow kapha dietary guidelines
1.Sleepless
Wake early, preferably before sunrise, and avoid sleeping during the day. Since Kapha's naturally tend to love sleeping, it is best to watch out for oversleeping. Sleeping too much will make you sluggish and slower. Six hours is plenty for kaphas. Don't worry about getting too little sleep kaphas sleep very deep, so they will recharge quicker than other people.
2. Regular physical exercise
And with this, I mean to be physically active daily. This could be a walk in nature, a walk after each meal, or yoga first thing in the morning. When Vata dosha is balanced, and you know that you are a kapha dominant person, doing some more vigorous exercise can be appropriate.
3. Be careful not to get stagnated in life.
Since kapha are often very stable people, stagnation can be right around the corner. Slowly pushing yourself out of your comfort zone once in a while can be a perfect thing.
4. Keep warm and dry
Kapha's naturally have a cool body temperature, so during the colder seasons, make sure to stay warm inside and out. Have warming foods and drinks but also dress warmly.
5. Follow kapha dietary guidelines
Warm, light, and dry foods are favorable. Kaphas go well on lightly cooked foods, lighter grains, and enough extractive vegetables
Add spices to your cooking. Preferred spices: Cumin, mustard seeds, fresh ginger, and turmeric
Go for bitter astringent and pungent tastes and use less sweet, sour, salty tastes
Dry cooking methods like baking, grilling, sautéing are preferred overcooking, steaming, or boiling.
Using the 60/40 augmenting/extractive method will keep your kapha balanced.
"Like attracts like, and the opposite brings balance."
In Ayurveda, there is a saying like attracts like and the opposite brings balance. When experiencing a kapha excess, you will naturally crave sweet, sour, and salty foods. BUT these are the cravings of your imbalance. To heal this kapha imbalance, it is essential to introduce the opposite qualities. Therefore if you are experiencing an excess of kapha qualities (heavy, slow, steady, solid, cold, soft, oily), you will need to introduce food and exercises with the opposite qualities (light, mobile, quick, dry, hard).
Always start with one thing at a time. Implement it into your daily life and then when that feels nice and you no longer think about it, then pick something new.