The Kindness of Kapha

We are all a mixture of all 3 doshas and all 5 elements. The balance of these changes as we go through life, whilst one is generally more ‘dominant’ it does not always mean that this will be the case. It may be helpful to complete a dosha questionnaire every now and again to see what your balance is. Please connect with me to receive a free questionnaire.

Kapha Dosha 

The elements associated with Kapha are earth and water. Kapha means ‘that which sticks.’ The qualities of Kapha are earthy, grounding, juicy, damp, unctuous. The moisture of Kapha gives lubrication to the body.

The taste associated with the earth element is sweet. Therefore sweet foods can increase Kapha. Other foods which can increase Kapha include dairy and tropical fruits (naturally damp forming and cooling, for example banana, mango, avocado). To decrease Kapha we need to eat more pungent, salty and green leafy foods and less moisture forming foods.

When in balance Kapha is grounded, supportive, loving and very heart centered. The body moves easefully and the mind is open and steady. 

In excess Kapha can physically create too much ‘damp’ in the body, commonly with excess mucus, particularly in the chest, throat, sinuses and nose. (The seat of Kapha is siad to be the chest). This congestion eventually spreads around the whole body and is called AMA (meaning toxins). Psychologically an excess of Kapha can be overly grasping and possessive.

When we don’t have enough Kapha we can feel ungrounded and lacking in focus, craving love and affection as well as craving grounding or sweet foods. We can also practice grounding Yoga and breathing.

To reduce or avoid excess Kapha we need to avoid the foods which increase this dosha. We still need the sweet flavour in our food because otherwise we will crave this and over indulge, but we can find this in sweet root vegetables, and natural (no sugar) sweeteners. We can also practice Kapha dispersing breathing such and kapalbhati, and dynamic movement to prevent the body becoming heavy and stuck. 

The season for Kapha (in northern europe) is largely December until March, when the climate is cool and damp. During this time we are more prone to accumulate moisture in the body and to become more stagnant in our energy, so it is important to keep moving and to eat lots of foods (see above) which helps to avoid Kapha building up and becoming too dominant in the body and mind. 

The time of day for Kapha is 6am – 10am and 6pm -10pm. In the morning it is important not to lie in bed for too long or we tend to feel sluggish during the day, because this is the Kapha time and it kind of takes over. In the evening Kapha naturally helps us to relax and unwind, and so we can then allow this natural process to help us to relax. In Ayurveda we say that it is ideal to go to bed between 9- 10pm in the Kapaha time.

Consider your Kapha! What do you notice about the qualities or patterns described in your body or mind or fluctuations at the different seasons or times of day?