When Your Dosha Gets you Down-Tips to reduce Kapha dosha

How would you describe the feeling of having a cold? Does heavy, stagnant, lethargic, sticky and congested about sum it up? You’re not alone. Late winter and early spring have a lot of those heavy, stagnant, sticky qualities too. According to Ayurveda, an ancient healing tradition, these qualities are considered Kapha dosha. Meaning these thick and heavy qualities have accumulated to excess bringing about conditions that don’t feel so good.

Elemental qualities exist not only in us but in everything around us. They are the same qualities that describe the five basic elements; Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. Excess Kapha in nature looks like the thick heavy muck that pools as winter snow melts and accumulates. An excess of water and earth. In us it can be the thick mucous that accumulates in our sinuses and lungs, an excess of water and earth-like qualities.

When Kapha is not in excess, it looks different. In nature, it’s the solid ground that nurtures our gardens. In humans, it’s the grounded reliable friend who seems solid and stable no matter what’s going on.

Doshas are mind-body types referred to in the healing tradition of Ayurveda. Each one of us has our own particular mind-body type, or dosha based on basic elemental qualities we are born with and what’s going on in our lives in the current moment. The three dosha types are Vata, Pitta and Kapha. If we accumulate too much of any one dosha, we generally feel unwell, physically and/or psychologically.

When you know your dosha type and the things that are likely to create excess conditions for you, you can make choices to feel better. If you are feeling like excess Kapha dosha is currently dragging you down here’s a few things you can do to feel better.

Give it at Try

Do gently enlivening Yoga; In this 10 minute video, Yoga for a Cold,  I give you some gentle yoga postures to loosen and lighten your lungs and a self massage to relieve sinus pressure and get that mucus moving. Plus a tapping exercise to boost your immune system.

Explore essential oils; Inhaling warming, stimulating oils can counter the cold, sticky qualities of Kapha dosha. Try eucalyptus, lemon or rosemary either in a diffuser or put a couple drops in your hands, rub them together and cup them a few inches in front of your stuffy nose. Take a few deep breaths and/or rub the oil on your chest.

Consume warm spicy foods; Bake with warming spices like cinnamon and ginger. Add garlic and ginger to your stir fry. Drink lemon ginger tea. Limit cold, heavy foods like ice water, ice cream, heavy starchy foods and sweet and sticky foods. Foods that have similar qualities to Kapha can increase Kapha dosha right when you are trying to reduce it.

Move your body. Any activity that gets you moving is helpful since it combats the tendency towards stagnation. Consider a hot yoga class or put on some good tunes and dance around your living room. Dress in bright colours. Try something new.

All of these things lift and lighten an overload of Kapha dosha. Download the birth dosha type quiz and your current condition quiz if you’re curious about your mind-body type. Your birth dosha is your natural type at birth. You will tend towards the mental and physical qualities of that dosha. Your current condition gives you an indication of what dosha may be currently in excess at this point in time. Regardless of your birth dosha, you can accumulate an excess of any one of the doshas. Generally though, your dominant birth dosha will be the one that tends towards excess.

If you need help interpreting your forms, let me know the next time you are in and I can help you understand what it all means!

=)
Stay well!
Lori

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