HOW TO BALANCE
KAPHA DOSHA
The kapha dosha is comprised of Earth and Water elements, meaning it’s heavy (like a rock) and grounded (like the roots of a tree). If you are currently experiencing a kapha imbalance then there’s a high chance you are suffering from some or all of the following symptoms…
In Ayurveda, we say that like-increases-like. For example, if you are feeling cold and then go outside in the middle of winter, wearing only a t-shirt and sandals, then evidently you are only going to increase the cold sensation. Whereas, if you are feeling cold and you then decide to mix a lovely warm cup of cocoa and sit by the fireplace in your favourite fluffy slippers, well now you are taking actions to relieve or lessen the cold sensation. This example might seem obvious, but diagnosing symptoms like this and then performing rituals to offset those aggravations is fundamentally what embracing Ayurveda is all about. So now that you understand the process of balancing a dosha, lets talk more specifically about what you can do to balance a kapha aggravation…
Kapha balancing foods
Ayurveda places a huge emphasis on the importance of the foods we consume...
In fact food is seen in Ayurveda as being like medicine because all foods carry different qualities (or energies), which can affect the doshas within you.
To understand the best foods for kapha, we need to first look at the qualities of the dosha.
The qualities of kapha are…
• Heavy
• Cold
• Oily
• Soft
• Dense
So favouring foods that are the exact opposite of these qualities will bring your pitta back into balance. For example try to consume foods that are…
• Light
• Warm
• Dry
• Hard
• Airy
Therefore we advise you to favour the following type of foods…
• Light foods (fruit, veg and salads are good but in moderation because they are also cold, so cooked or stewed is better)
• Warm and warming foods (hot meals are better than cold)
• Dry foods (like beans, dried fruits and granola)
• Rough foods (by which me mean those with a lot of rough fibrous quality, such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and dark leafy greens)
• Spicy foods (most spices are great for uplifting the kapha dosha)
And try to reduce or avoid the following foods…
• Heavy and dense foods (sorry Kaphas but that means a lot of fun grub like puddings, cakes, pasta, bread, nuts, cheeses and red meat).
• Oily and deep fried foods (sorry again, balancing Kapha does mean reducing a lot of rich and decadent foods)
• Cold and cooling foods (as said above, fruits, salads and veggies are okay but in moderation)
• Sweet Foods (especially those with refined sugar)
• Sour foods (avoid too much sharp foods like citrusy fruits and vinegar)
• Salty foods (excess salt can cause fluid retention which is a classic kapha symptom)
Please take the dietary information listed above as a guide only. Ayurveda is more of a practice than it is a strict set of rules. There are far too many people nowadays that get bogged down in the details and at Kalsi we are on a mission to keep Ayurveda simple. Please understand that your health and wellness is entirely unique to you and we would much rather you use the advice on this page as a guide to inspire your own decisions, because (let’s be honest) nobody knows you better than you do. Please never be hard on yourself and remember that even changing just one or two of the things mentioned in this blog can reap huge returns to your health and wellness.So, on that note, let us now talk a bit more about what you can do to balance your kapha dosha…
KAPHA BALANCING
RITUALS
Get Moving!
One of the best ways to counter the heavy and sluggish quality of kapha is to simply get moving. The kapha dosha might be slow and steady, but it also posses a great sense of endurance, and often kapha types find that they can sustain great levels of exertion once they get going. The hardest thing for kapha however is actually taking that first step. Perhaps try listening to your favourite invigorating music to stimulate yourself into action. You will be amazed at how good you feel for it and also what you are capable of achieving once you begin.
Keep warm and dry
The kapha dosha is inherently cold and damp which means you need to to keep yourself nice and warm when trying to offset a kapha imbalance. Favour hot and spicy foods to keep yourself warm within and avoid having too many cold drinks and snacks. Kapha can also be balanced with invigoration, so doing more physical activities to get your blood flowing will most certainly help to increase your body temperature. If you have access to a sauna, then that is also a great activity for balancing kapha because it is heating, stimulating and drying all at the same time.
Challenge yourself
The Kapha dosha thrives on ROUTINE!
This is largely because kapha is the earthly element and the dosha that binds and holds everything together. Structure and repetition are bold kapha qualities and those who are experiencing a kapha imbalance right now tend to find it difficult to step out from the regularities that they create for themselves. So, to offset this usual humdrum, one of the best ways to balance your kapha is to shake off that same-old-familiar routine. Try something new, come a little outside of your comfort zone and try doing an activity that is both stimulating and challenging. You will no doubt see the positive changes taking effect.
Wake up bright and early
People experiencing a kapha imbalance tend to enjoy deep and long sleep. In fact craving too much sleep is often a tell-tale sign that your kapha dosha is out of sync. Our bodies require sufficient rest, but having too much sleep often leads to a sense of dullness (tamas) and lethargy that can carry through the rest of your day. Have you ever noticed times when you overslept and instead of feeling rejuvenated you actually ended up feeling heavy and dull? This is a prime example of what happens when the doshas are overindulged. Make it a practice to get about 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Be sure to wake before 6:00 a.m. before the kapha time of day begins. If you wake after this time, getting out of bed becomes harder and you will tend to feel much heavier throughout the day.
Let Go
The Kapha dosha is largely accountable for the caring and compassionate emotions that we all enjoy in life. But when kapha is imbalanced, it creates a sense of attachment to emotions, experiences and material goods. A kapha imbalance may well manifest in your mind as a clinging to the past or an unwillingness to let go of something or someone. Make a practice of recognising feelings and attachments as they arise. Acknowledge them, but then just try to let them go. Yoga and meditation are great tools for teaching this skill, because in these practices, we tend to focus on the breath (Prana; life-force energy), which can be used as a tool to remind us of the never-ending cycle of impermanence. For example, one moment you inhale and the next you exhale, during which the inhalation that you just breathed in has now gone forever. So just remember that nothing in life remains the same and the sooner you can let go, then the happier you and your kapha dosha will be.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this blog.
And lastly…please remember that Ayurveda is more of a practice than a set of strict absolutes. Try not to get stuck in the finer details. We hope this blog can inspire you to do some dosha-balancing rituals that will no doubt help you to reconnect with yourself and bring back your inner peace and harmony.Namaste. 🙏
