KEY Stimulation, variety, good exercise, reduce sweets, stay warm.
AVOID Cold and damp environments, sleeping during the day, sleeping after sunrise, doing nothing, isolation.
BALANCING KAPHA
Activities that will calm Kapha
Vigorous exercise, especially in the morning between 6am–10am, running, cycling, aerobic activity and competitive sports. Learning a new skill, stimulating the mind, changing or varying your daily routine will keep you from feeling stuck and bogged down. Travel, seeking out new friendships and meeting new people – these will get you out of your comfort zone. Have your main meal at lunchtime.
Stimulating remedies – dry brushing or exfoliating self massage with warmed cold pressed sesame oil, energetic exercise that raises a sweat for at least 30 minutes per day (think running, cycling, yoga or hiking) drinking hot water and lemon with a small pinch of cayenne on waking to stimulate digestion, keeping warm, and standing at one’s desk instead of sitting.
Stimulating lifestyle choices – listening to music or audio that stimulates the mind, walking rather than driving, socialising instead of choosing to be alone.
So-called healthy foods that may increase the mucus and dampness in the body – yoghurt, cheese, bananas, smoothies, acai bowls, chilled drinks, fruit juices, green smoothies.
HOW KAPHA MANIFESTS IN THE BODY
Heavy – Kaphas have heavy bones with solid frames, bulky muscles and can be overweight, they have calm deep voices and are usually quite grounded in mind and body.
Slow/Dull – They can tend to be slow to react, they walk and speak slowly, and only speak after allowing time to think about what they are going to say. Kaphas have a sluggish metabolism.
Cool – They have cold clammy skin, they often get a cold, cough or congestion, and they are drawn to cooling sweet foods.
Oily – They have soft oily skin, hair and faeces and well-lubricated joints.
Liquid – Kaphas tend to have a problem with fluid retention, congestion in their chest, nose and throat, and excess mucus; this can be very obvious in young children with runny noses.
Smooth – Blessed with soft smooth alabaster like skin and a smooth calm nature.
Dense – This quality ensures Kaphas have thick hair, nails, skin and muscles.
Soft – They have soft doe-like eyes and a very soft caring nature, which makes them extremely forgiving.
Static – This unfortunately can make them very happy sitting around, sleeping for long periods of time.
Sticky – They can have a tendency to become quite attached to things they care about.
Cloudy – Kaphas can have a foggy mind in the morning, they can also take a while to understand things at the best of times.
Hard – This quality gives the firm muscles and strength in both mind and body.
Gross – Kaphas can suffer from fatty tissue, blockages and obesity.
Sweet – These people have a sweet nature, and are also drawn to sweet foods that can cause them to become unbalanced.
Salty – Salty taste will assist in digestion, however, too much salt can lead to fluid retention and this can often be a problem for Kaphas.
White – Kaphas have a pale complexion, they love white food especially dairy.
Lifestyle factors to limit – Too much sitting, excess exposure to damp and cold, lying around watching movies for extended periods and spending too much time alone.
Emotions and diet
Kaphas move slowly, speak slowly and don’t like being forced into making quick decisions. They have stable minds and a solid sense of self, but out of balance they can struggle with long episodes of depression and melancholy. These are very private individuals and often suffer alone, making everyone’s problems more important than their own. Kaphas’ first step in addressing their emotions is admitting to what they are feeling, as they often minimise their emotions or laugh them off. Giving themselves permission to cry or show their vulnerability to those they trust is a big thing for Kaphas, who tend to soldier on regardless.
Kapha types love sweet foods and will be the people who crave ice-cream or a sweet treat after dinner. Indulging in habits like this will only lead to weight gain, excess mucus and negative feelings about themselves.
For food that suits Kaphas, see the charts at the back of the book, pages 244–5.
Routine and exercise
For Kapha types to lead balanced lives, they need to challenge themselves and get out of their comfort zones. Often found talking about wanting to begin an exercise or weight-loss program, they need to just start. Once they start something they are the most dedicated and consistent of all the doshas and blessed with strong bodies that have great endurance.
They are natural earth mothers and some may find it difficult to let their children grow up and lead independent lives. Kaphas need to spend more time focusing on themselves and less on others.
Ayurveda is the science that indicates the appropriate and inappropriate, happy or sorrowful conditions of living, what is auspicious or inauspicious for longevity, as well as the measure of life itself.
–Charaka Samhita 1.41
STAGES OF LIFE AND AYURVEDIC SEASONS
It is not only food that affects our constitutions; the environment, time of day, time of year and the weather also have an effect. Certain elements are more dominant in our body at certain times of our lives, to the point where they can dominate or strongly affect our health. These phases (also known as stages) are also named, a little confusingly, as doshas. So you could be a Vata dosha going through a Kapha phase of life in Pitta weather (summer). See more about seasonal eating in The Ayurvedic approach to health chapter (pages 42–6). If you are a blend of doshas or tridoshic (a balance of all three) this could become even more complicated, especially if you are cooking for a family with mixed doshas.
These stages of life are described beautifully in ancient Ayurvedic texts.
Kapha stage: 0 to 18 years – Student
Pitta stage: 18 to 50–55 years – Householder
Pitta Vata stage: 50–55 to 75 years – Hermitage
Vata stage: 75 years to death – Renunciation
The years in each stage are not fixed and will vary with each individual.
The Kapha stage is known as the ‘student’ phase of life as this is a time of learning and discovering boundaries and discipline. It is a time for building knowledge and intellect along with new tissues in the body. Mucus is the by-product of the manufacture of tissue and this is why young children, no matter what dosha they are, always seem to have an issue with mucus.
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