Feeling heavy, congested, and tired? Read this...An Ode to Kapha

We are fully in spring, a windy spring here in colorado. But with the wind comes change, and according to Ayurveda, a change in what dosha, or energy, is in charge.

Ayurveda says you are born with three doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha.

If you have a body, you have kapha. 

If you have a digestive fire and a brain, you have pitta. 

And if you have breath, you have vata. 

You are usually born with one that is the most dominant and there is always one that is imbalanced.

Kapha Traits:

Kapha is what makes up the structure of your body: bones, organs, skin, hair, and nails.

People with lots of Kapha are usually more curvy with full lips, wavy hair, study bones, strong nails, a good immune system, and are naturally very strong, but without muscle definition. Kaphas easily gain weight, but have a hard time losing it. (Please note: this does not mean that people who carry more weight are Kaphic, any of the doshas can cause excess tissue.)

Kaphas are those people you love to be around because they exude love, groundedness, and calmness. They easily settle your nervous system just by being around them.

They tend to get things done but might do it in a slow, methodical way. Kaphas will usually talk pretty slow and take their time making a decision, but once they do, it is very hard to change their minds.

Kapha is the juiciness of baby cheeks and the snotty-ness of childhood. Due to a child’s tremendous growth and expansions during early childhood, it makes sense that Kapha is in charge of childhood development from infancy through the early teen years.

Kapha means “that which holds things together” or “to flourish.”  

So its essential nature is creation, holding, and building. 

Kapha Season

Doshas have seasons and Kapha’s season is SPRING!!

Kapha is the dark, damp nature of the womb space and the heavy, wetness of spring soil. 

Both bring forth life.

Balanced and Imbalanced Kapha

When Kapha is balanced it spurs a groundedness, creativity, fertility, strength, immunity, and vitality.

Ayurveda says it’s the ideal time for making babies and also for planting the seeds of creation in your life. 

In our society, New Year’s Day is the time to set goals, intentions, and make resolutions for change. 

But, in Ayurveda, you should still be hibernating on January 1st and conserving your energy. 

Kapha time brings new, fresh energy so it is a great time to not only plant a garden, but also set goals and plan for the future.

The energy of Kapha is phenomenal, you can’t live and grow, physically, emotionally, or intellectually, without it.

However, doshas have a shadow side.  

Additional meanings for Kapha are “to hug” or “hold onto.”  

Kapha’s drive is to create and it wants those creations to last as long as possible.  

Too much Kapha makes it hard to let things go and may cause you to get overly attached to people and things (think hoarders). Imbalanced Kapha says, “please never leave me."**

Too much kapha creates too much of everything wet in your body: an overabundance of sweat, discharges, and mucous. 

Physically you feel stagnant, congested, heavy, sleepy, and your digestion is slow. 

Colds, respiratory ailments, and allergies hit you hard during spring, especially if you already have too much Kapha.

Your mind gets possessive, lacks a zest for life, feels blocked, and overly sentimental.

So as Kapha is moving in this spring.

Notice how you are feeling physically, emotionally, and mentally: are you tired, heavy, depressed, blocked, uninspired, attached, or super snotty?

Try these things to move out Kapha’s physical and emotional congestion:

1-Dry brush to get your lymph moving. This helps to remove toxins from your body.

2-Move your body!! Kapha is slow and stagnant, it needs movement! Brisk walks, pilates, weight lifting, or a vinyasa yoga class. Whatever suits you.

3-Sit in the sunshine. Kapha is cold, sitting in the sun warms up your body and provides vitamin D.

4-Continue to eat mostly warm, cooked foods and avoid cold, heavy foods (no ice cream quite yet!!). 

5-Indulge in the spring superfoods that move congestion and clear Kapha from your body: microgreens, arugula, and fresh berries. Think bitter, astringent, and spicey.

6-Practice the art of letting go. Start by cleaning out a closet!

Have a healthy, vibrant spring!!

Namaste

~Nichole

PS: Interested in finding out your doshic imbalance? Sign up here to take my quiz.

PPS: Ayurveda is a corner to the work that I do with my clients. Ayurveda gives you a roadmap to health, vitality, and calm. In my Regulated, Resilient, and Rested membership we talk about your imbalance and how it adds your dysregulation and then we start the process of balancing it, so you feel calm, more joyful, content, and energetic! Set up a consult with me to get started.

**Kapha is at the root of healthy attachment. The quality of the mother/caregiver-child relationship can inspire healthy attachment or attachment/developmental trauma as it is known in modern day psychotherapy. If you have struggle with feeling overly, anxiously, or avoid being attached in relationships, please seek support from a therapist specializing in this area.