Feeling heavy & lethargic??? Kapha is the energy of fluidity and structure and gets translated to ‘that which sticks’. It is made up of the elements of water and earth. Its attributes are heavy, slow, cold, oily, dense, soft, static, cloudy and slimy. These energies help to control and build the physical body as well as to lubricate the skin and organs. Kapha dominant individuals tend to be heavy and strong with a slow metabolism. They dislike movement and prefer stableness. In the external world their qualities help them to earn and hold onto money.
When in Balance: calm, tolerant, forgiving, loving, excellent long term memory
When out of Balance in the mind: greedy, lethargic, feeling heavy, attachment to things & people & past experiences, possessiveness, insecurity, depressed, lack of inspiration & motivation,
When out of Balance in the body: gaining weight, water retention, mucus, cough, cold, feeling clammy, lack of appetite, craving sweet & salty, slow moving bowels
Kapha Balancing Tips
Try to get up as early as possible preferably 5am and go to bed around 11:30pm. Kaphas need less sleep than Vatas and Pittas. Try to get moving this will help you to flush out the accumulated toxins and also help you to decrease water retention.
Try to focus on foods which are spicy, bitter and astringent rather than sweet, sour, salty in taste. See if you can decrease the intake of damp and dairy food, as this will increase mucus in the body. Here you can focus on warm, dry and light dishes. One of the main rules for Kapha is: do not eat when you are not hungry - it is okay to skip breakfast
Try to avoid eating in between meals and prefer vegetarian meals of meals with animal products. If you want to eat in between meals take hot spicy drinks, this will help you to get your agni going
To create an uplifting energy in your home you can burn essential oils such as orange, mandarin and grapefruit. Also focus on sharing more and letting go of stuff this will also bring more lightness and ease in your being
Exercise: increase exercise & focus on when practicing yoga on a more dynamic heating practice such as astanga yoga & hot yoga
Fruits: apples, applesauce, apricot, berries, cherries, cranberries, figs (dry), grapes, lemons, limes, mango, peaches, pears, pomegranates, prunes, raisins, raspberries, strawberries. Decrease fruits which increase mucus such as bananas, avocado, coconut, dates, fresh figs, grapefruit, kiwi, melons, oranges, papaya pineapple, plums, watermelon
Vegetables: increase greens such as broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, aubergine, tomatoes, spinach, peppers, kale, kohlrabi, leafy greens, chillies, cilantro, eggplant, corn, collard greens, peas, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, watercress, wheatgrass. Try to reduce olives, cucumber, parsnip, summer squash, sweet potatoes
Grains: favour crackeres, couscous, corn, cereal, buckweat, barely, amaranth, rice cakes, rye, spelt, wheat bran, quinoa, polenta & millet. Try to avoid wheat, oats & rice
Spices: Avoid salt as it increases water retention & mucus. Focus on heating & cooling spices
Nuts: almonds, chia & flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, popcorn, sunflower seeds. Try to avoid cashews, coconut, filberts, macadamia, peanuts, pecan, pine nuts, pistachios, sesame seeds, tahin, walnuts
Beans: All beans apart from soy products & kidney beans
Animal products: prefer white over red meat such as white chicken, eggs, freshwater fish, rabbit, shrimp, white turkey, version & reduce beef, buffalo, dark chicken, duck, lamb, pork, salmon, sardines & tuna
Dairy: try to decrease the intake in general. however if diary is included in your diet try to chose low fat milk & buttermilk, cottage cheese, ghee, goat cheese, goats milk, yoghurt. Adding some cardamon & ginger to your heated milk will ease digestion
Oils: Flax, almond, ghee, corn & sunflower are ok. Try to decrease the general intake
Sweeteners: honey & fruit juices helps to reduce mucus. however focus on taking in less sugar products. Avoid barley malt, date sugar, molasses, jaggary, maple syrup, white sugar
Conclusion
Move, move, move!!! Try to exercise more, , do not sleep to much, avoid dairy food, prefer light foods over heavy foods. Try to focus on foods which are spicy, bitter and astringent. Try not to eat when you are not hungry - for Kapha dominant types it is okay to skip breakfast.