You keep working-out but your waistline doesn’t seem to be getting smaller. You feel lethargic even after eight hours of sleep. Your favourite activity is sleeping and cold weather makes it even more difficult to get out of bed. You definitely are a Kapha dosha type.
If you are reading about your dosha, chances are you know or have already heard about Ayurveda. But before we go further, we will talk about the basics of Ayurveda and what dosha is.
Ayurveda is a 5000-year-old science that talks about bodies and constitution. According to it, our bodies are made up of five elements namely, water, fire, earth, air and ether.
The combination of these 5 elements gives rise to three different body types, Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These body types are your basic inherent constitution.
Body types or doshas as in Ayurveda, are a group of energies that define the personality of a person. At any given time or moment a person has one dominant and two passive doshas.
The ideal human state is having all three doshas in perfect balance. In reality, based on our environment, genetics, food habits and emotional state, one dosha is prominent. This dosha determines your personality, your life and your predisposition to diseases.
Based on your dosha, you can even take decisions that matter in your life. You can create the healthiest and emotionally best version of yourself.
What is Kapha dosha?
Kapha is the combination of two elements of Ayurveda, Earth and water. The earth element is more dominant than water.
Earth is synonymous with stability and Kapha dosha brings structure and stability to the body. Kapha dosha provides protection to the body.
This governs all the structural and lubrication related functions in the body including the formation of bones, muscles and bodily fluids.
The nature of Kapha is to provide lubrication. It lubricates your joints and keeps them from functioning for a long time. When Kapha becomes unbalanced, there are chances to develop joint and bone issues like Arthritis.
Kapha also governs the weight of the muscles. Excess Kapha can reduce your muscle mass and increase your fat in the body leading to obesity.
How to know if your dominant dosha is Kapha dosha?
Emotional characteristics
If you are calm, composed and stand firmly on the ground with your decisions are a Kapha.
Kapha dosha types are the most grounded of all. They are governed by earthy qualities which make them excellent decision-makers. They are steady, slow and have a sharp long-term memory.
Kapha people are not superficial. They take time to do proper research and work in a very focused way. They are more specific and are usually experts in their subject. Their eye for detail is impeccable.
Kapha people are extremely loving and nurturing. If need be, they have the ability to completely devote themselves to something or someone.
Kapha people are routine-oriented. They take charge of their health
Kapha people are very happy and lively but when Kapha goes out of balance they can become depressed.
Physical Characteristics
Kapha people have excellent stamina and athletic build. They have dark and thick hair, big eyes, warm and oily skin.
Since they are very calm and composed they often get a very sound sleep. Their digestion is very good and have regular bowel movements.
Kapha people have strong bones and joints and have a lot of flexibility too. When Kapha becomes excess, it leads to weight gain, heaviness, fluid retention and allergies.
Kapha people have a greater chance of acquiring diseases like diabetes, obesity and depression.
Kapha strengths
Kapha people can be referred to as the most mature people in a group. They are warm, tender and extremely supportive. They are great co-workers.
They are often calm and composed. They are extremely down-to-earth and humble.
They can be cool in chaos and can work under a lot of pressure too. They are focused on individuals and takes time to complete a project. Their work is impeccable and mostly fault-proof.
They are not dreamers, they live in the present and enjoy life right now for what it is. They are not daydreamers, they are the tortoise that wins the race.
Kapha Weakness
They can be extremely slow at times. When Kapha is unbalanced, lethargy can take over and they can become extremely lazy.
Just as with Vata, Kapha dosha people are sensitive to cold weather. Keeping warm and drinking ginger tea during the day is good for keeping the dosha in check.
They tend to lack stimulus and sometimes have no motivation or the zeal to complete the task ahead of them.
Kapha people are prone to depression and worry. They tend to overthink when out of balance.
They take the weight of the world on their shoulders due to their nature and end up hurting themselves.
They lack stimulation and can easily become couch potatoes. They love food, which in excess, can lead to obesity.
They are not very quick in their thinking and words, this prevents them from making decisions in stressful situations.
Kapha colours
Because of their earthy nature, Kapha people tend to like warm shades of red, yellow, brown or green. Avoid colours like whites, blues, greys too much. These are pale colours and resembles coldness and dampness, the two things that aggravate Kapha.
Kapha Fragrances
Kapha people should tend towards warm & spicy fragrances. They love fragrances such as Rosemary, Eucalyptus, Peppermint and Basil. They also like fragrances like lavender and winter sage.
How to balance Kapha dosha?
When Kapha goes out of balance, your body becomes slow and lethargic. There is no stimulation in the body and your metabolism drops considerably.
Your body is prone to asthma and diabetes. You tend to become emotionally depressed and unavailable.
Kapha can go out of balance due to any one of these reasons. If you have been living in cold and damp weather for a long time. Kapha can also aggravate if there is a lack of movement in your life.
If you have been noticing these signs lately, chances are you have an unbalanced Kapha. An unbalanced Kapha can also be diagnosed if you suddenly have episodes of depression or congestion.
Balancing Kapha at an early stage is not very difficult. Learn to listen to your body. These simple steps can bring your Kapha back to balance.
Diet for Kapha dosha
In Ayurveda, food can be used to balance doshas. Since Kapha people are prone to slow metabolism and heaviness, it is important for them to eat light and warming food.
Kapha people should favour dry, raw and fresh food like salads and fruits instead of oily, fried and processed food.
Eating too much oily food can aggravate Kapha and cause a lot of digestive issues and congestion.
Eat naturally sweet fruits, vegetables and sweeteners like jaggery instead of processed food with tons of sugar.
Fruits like apples, grapes, pomegranates, melons, kiwis are good for Kapha.
Eat cooling vegetables like cucumber, potatoes, asparagus, bottle gourd, pumpkin etc.
Unlike Pitta dosha, Kapha people can benefit a lot from warming spices. Favour all spices like mustard, cumin, cinnamon, ginger. Limit your intake of salt as it increases water retention.
Limit your intake of pickles and yoghurt.
Eat overnight soaked nuts to pacify Kapha.
Reduce the intake of dairy. Dairy aggravated Kapha. Small amounts of ghee and low-fat milk can be taken sparsely.
Breathing exercises for Kapha dosha
Heat generating breathing exercises or pranayamas like Kapalabhati (skull shining) or Bhastrika (bellows breath) are best for Kapha dosha.
For Kapalabhati, make your exhalation active and inhalation passive. Kapalbhati can be performed by quick exhalations and small inhalations. See how to do Kpalabhati here.
For Bhastrika (bellows breath), forced inhalation and exhalation is performed. Watch this video here to understand better.
Routine
Routine favours Kapha. Set up a regular sleep and wake-up cycle. Waking up early before sunrise boosts the metabolism which is especially beneficial for Kapha dosha type.
Daily massage for Kapha dosha
Since Kapha is an earthy force, a daily dry massage with silk gloves is very beneficial due to its stimulating nature.
Do this every day for 10 mins before bathing. Rub your body to release excess Kapha through your skin. This will increase the metabolism in the body
Exercise
Kapha people should not spend a lot of time on sedentary activities. It is very important for these people to maintain movement in their lives.
Kapha people are very stable and determined and challenging sports and activities like bodyweight exercises, running, swimming, callisthenics and ashtanga yoga are ideal for them.
Meditation for Kapha dosha
Since Kapha dosha is earthy, stable and sticky, active meditation is ideal. Osho meditation, mindful walking or dancing meditation is ideal for such people.
Take part in creative activities like a painting to connect with your creative side as well. It would be beneficial for Kapha to go out in nature and just observe their surroundings for some time.
Panchakarma
Panchakarma or a five-step Ayurvedic detox is the most potent way to balance your doshas. Get in touch with an Ayurvedic doctor or do a home-based panchakarma to get your doshas in check. It clears all the toxins and negative energies from the body and rejuvenates it.
A person with balanced doshas has clear glowing skin and a strong mind. These few simple steps can be included in your life to eliminate excess Kapha.
Be active and spend less time indoors, connect with people around you. Your body is a machine, use it to its full potential. Keep it active, lubricated and your doshas will be in perfect balance.
Be like earth, soft yet sturdy enough to hold everything together. You are the glue that keeps family and friends together.
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Chakshu is a US alliance certified yoga teacher, a biotechnologist and an Ayurveda evangelist. Her passion is to help people live a toxic-free life, emotionally and chemically. She loves reading self-help books. When she is not writing, she is busy thinking about life.
