May 156 min read

Understanding Kapha Dosha: A Guide to Balancing Your Ayurvedic Body Type

Earth & Water

Predominant in the natural elements of Earth & Water, you are likely to be steady and strong. Usually the friend who all the others rely on for support, these qualities of yours are akin to Earth itself. You are kind, generous, nurturing and sometimes stubborn, attached and unmoving. When in balance, you have steady endurance and stamina. When out of balance, you can become lethargic and stagnant. Sometimes you need to just let things go, creating a balance with a sense of lightness. Kapha predominant people can experience an excess of mucus and congestion in the head and chest region, especially in the Spring when Kapha accumulation starts to melt. Stimulating spices and routines can help loosen things up and remedy sluggishness of body and mind.

Qualities

Kapha is composed of Earth & Water elements. Earth & Water, when combined, form mud. Think of the qualities of mud when imagining Kapha’s qualities. Kapha is heavy, moist, smooth, cold, stable and steady. Kapha can be sticky and mucousy. Excess Kapha can also lead to obesity, swelling (edema), or fibrocystic growths. In the body, Kapha is necessary for building tissues, lubrication and nourishment.

Finding Balance

Your main constitutional dosha will usually be the predominant dosha to go out of balance. Different causative factors can cause other doshas to increase or decrease to an excess, but your constitutional dosha will likely be one to be affected more quickly.

In Ayurveda, the concept of similar/dissimilar is used to achieve balance, remedy illness and promote health. Put simply, like attracts like, and opposites balance.

Kapha is going to find balance through stimulation. Regular exercise is crucial to move fluids that can be slow and stagnant. Get your heart rate up, get your blood and lymph flowing, and the excellent Kapha qualities of stamina and endurance will support you. Kapha can be cold, so warming up with stimulating spices will help ignite that internal fire.

Mindful inquiry: “Is this (food, person, conversation, commitment, habit, place, stuff, etc) something I’m holding on to? Will letting it go create a positive shift in my energy?”

Kapha’s heavy, cold, slow qualities can be balanced with a diet that is light, warming and stimulating.

6 Tastes

A balanced diet is one that contains all 6 tastes: bitter, pungent, astringent, sweet, sour and salty. When the 6 tastes are incorporated into a balanced meal, one feels satiated. Kapha predominant people can utilize different foods and spices to kindle a healthy digestive fire (agni) and help remedy some signs of excess Kapha such as mucous, weight gain or feeling sluggish after eating .

Kapha is increased by sweet, sour and salty tastes and pacified with bitter, pungent and astringent tastes. Digestive spices such as fresh ginger, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, turmeric, garlic, mustard seeds, etc can be used. Pretty much any spice will help increase the digestive power for Kaphas, though excess salt or sour flavor, as well as most sweeteners should be avoided. Raw honey is good for Kapha, as it has a scraping property that can help clear mucus in the lungs and chest region. Depending on the season and strength of digestion, Kapha types could tolerate some raw foods in the warmer months. Generally speaking, Kaphas will want to have dry, warm and well spiced foods like roasted vegetables and light grains like millet or amaranth.

2. Digestion (Agni)

Ayurveda understands digestive health to be the primary influencer of health. If digestion is not working optimally, we are likely to experience imbalance. If digestion is working properly, we are likely to experience health!

How do you know if your digestion is working optimally? There are a few key signs. A coating on the tongue in the mornings can indicate undigested food, also known as ama in Ayurveda. This undigested, unmetabolized matter can lead to an accumulation of toxic waste inside the body, blocking the channels of the body and preventing the proper flow of nutrients and energy. Low energy, brain fog, fatigue are indicators of indigestion, as well as anxiousness, hyperactivity and an inability to focus. And of course, there’s poop. Noticing your waste habits is a very clear indicator of what’s going on in the gut. Hard, pebbly stools or constipation (no bowel movement or scanty bowel movement); diarrhea or loose, unformed stools; or smelly, mucousy, sticky stools are all signs of imbalance.

3. Daily Routine (Dinacharya)

A simple daily routine can have a huge impact on health. Your daily routine is like a ritual: a touchstone that you can always come back to for connection. When you do your daily routines, you are investing in your future health. Over time, these small actions can result in major shifts. Our routines don’t stay the same forever. As the seasons change, as should our routines. Some daily practices, no matter the season:

Wake up, tend to your natural urges first thing (bathroom).
Scrape your tongue with a copper or metal tongue scraper before you eat or drink anything. This removes the buildup of toxins and bacteria that has collected overnight and stimulates the digestive fire. Brush your teeth.
Drink a cup of warm water. This will gently kindle the digestive fire.
Dry Brushing and Abhyanga: Kapha is one of the doshas that benefits most from the practice of dry brushing. As long as there is no excessive Vata imbalance, dry brushing can help encourage lymphatic flow. Because Kapha in nature is moist and heavy, the dry, light qualities of dry brushing help balance this out. Always finish with a bit of warm oil after brushing, then a warm shower. Kaphas can use warm mustard or sesame oil for a self-massage.
Exercise: Kapha types can use stimulating exercise. Sun salutations and movement that gets the heart rate going will help improve circulation of prana (life force).
Breathing: Pranayama is helpful to direct the flow of energy through the body. Bhastrika and Kapalbhati are both warming and invigorating breath practices.
Meditation: Walking meditation gets the body moving and can be used as a tool for clearing the mind. Walking after a meal is also good for digestion, as it gets the internal organs moving with every step. To do walking meditation, first stand and set your intention. Feel your feet touching the ground. You may choose to be barefoot for a deeper connection to the Earth. As you begin walking, focus on the feeling of the feet lifting from the Earth and then touching again. Here is a short video and an article on walking meditation from the late Thich Nhat Hanh, a revered Buddhist teacher. He describes how walking mediation can become a deeply healing practice for repairing our connection to our Earth, as we humans have done much destruction to it throughout time.
Gratitude: Give thanks for the day!

You may want to take on one or two of these practices at a time, until you feel comfortable with those. When one practice becomes a routine, then add the next one that calls to you. Do not try to take on too much all at once when developing new routines. Remember, Kaphas are slow and steady. Embrace these natural gifts and remember to be patient and kind with yourself.

Continued Support

Anahatea offers guided support on your journey of life! Ayurveda is, after all, the study (ayur) of life (veda). Guidance during any phase of this journey can be helpful. We are here to coach you through health, illness, transitions, addictions and difficult phases. An Ayurvedic lifestyle can be extremely helpful for all parts of the human experience. You will get to know yourself better than ever before, and become your own best healer.

Entry to Ayurveda

This is an 8-week program for those ready to start incorporating an Ayurvedic routine into their lives. We will start slowly, and you will begin to identify changes that are happening for you on physical, mental and emotional levels. The main focus for these 8 weeks will be on improving digestion, crafting a positive routine and weeding out those habits that are causing imbalances and illness.

Commitment: 2 months, $300/month

You will receive:

Initial Ayurvedic Consultation ($288 value)
Follow-Up Consultation ($144 value)
Deeper introduction into your Dosha
Ayurvedic diet and lifestyle recommendations tailored to your life and goals
Weekly recipes
Weekly progress calls to support your change
10% off of all Ayurvedic Body Therapies at Anahatea

Integrating Ayurveda

Once you have completed the Entry to Ayurveda 8 weeks, you will be eligible to join our Integrating Ayurveda program. Having already established a foundation of healthy routine and digestion, we will start incorporating more tools to support you on your journey. Together, we can work on improving a specific health concern, or if you have no specific concern we can go deeper into establishing immunity and vitality to support you through each season.

Commitment: 3 months, $250/month