KAPHA DOSHA If you don’t have any knowledge already of the ayurvedic doshas, you may benefit from listening to our episode #39 Realign your life with the ayurvedic doshas before listening to this episode! to recap: in Ayurveda medicine, we are each made up of 3 main doshas, or Types that we tend to hold more or less of in our bodies, minds, and spirits. It is said that when these 3 dosha constitutions are in balance with each other, WE are in balance – thus our bodies are healthy and vibrant, our minds are clear and calm, and we are much more in flow. In this episode, we’ll dive into the third type, Kapha dosha. we’ll be covering the energetics behind this dosha, some mindset tweaks, and how you can bring balance to certain areas of your life. You’ll walk away from this episode knowing if you need less or more of Kapha dosha in your life to find your middle ground. The Kapha dosha is associated with the elements of Earth and Water. Think calm, slow, heavy, cool, soft, and steady. This dosha is associated with the respiratory system – the sinuses, throat, and bronchi, as well as fluids, regulation, and nourishment in our bodies – like the acids that aid digestion and the lubrication for our joints, spine, and nerves. Imo its main energy is in the root and heart chakras. If you have a predominance of Kapha dosha in your physical body, you’ll find - You have a strong or heavy build with excellent stamina, large eyes, soft and radiant skin, thick hair and normal digestion - gain weight easily - are prone to a slow metabolism, congestion, oversleeping, depression, and lethargy If you have dominant Kapha energy in your mental/emotional body, you find - you make slow decisions, are detail oriented, and consistent - often experience the following: stubbornness/sluggishness/stagnancy/depression/dullness/complacency - prefer routine and doing one thing at a time - you have a subjective feeling of heaviness in the mind and may find yourself deeply stuck in a pattern that isn’t serving you (without realizing) this dosha also has a multitude of strengths – when it’s in balance in the mind we are thoughtful, forgiving, patient, and even tempered. When it’s in balance in the body we feel a strong sense of support, grounded-ness, and endurance. The Kapha mind also tends to be more emotionally stable and even-tempered especially when in balance – this dosha is compassionate, empathetic, laid-back, and has a cool temperament. Stress may send this dosha out of balance which may cause them to be over analytical, judgmental, jealous, or competitive. They resonate with the earthy astrological signs – Virgo, Capricorn, and Taurus, as well as the watery signs Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. in order to bring balance to any dosha, we use opposites as medicine. Kapha is earth and water – the opposites would be light, warm, dry, and active.

Any meditations or movements that warm the body, stimulate circulation, and encourage movement in general to help release “stickiness” from the mind/body are beneficial for Kapha. The key is for this individual to feel light, clear, and to release stagnation and heaviness. By incorporating activity, change, movement, and stimulation - the Kapha can better avoid stagnancy, excess coolness, or heaviness in the mind body spirit. For yoga poses, the best are ones that help awaken the body gradually through the senses by using breath, imagination, and the stimulation of emotions – preferably in the morning to set Kapha up for more energy throughout the day. Example of a good yoga flow for kapha would be sun salutations in between standing poses, like forward bends and twists. Breathing slow and rhythmic to maintain concentration during the poses. As far as meditation goes, anything that focuses on releasing attachment, cleaning mental sluggishness, or focuses on purification are great for kapha dominant persons. As far as foods, tastes that stabilize Kapha are pungent, bitter, and astringent. Examples: pungent – chili peppe