Are you feeling more tired, maybe depressed, envious, allergies acting up, feeling stuck, buying more than usual? If so, you could be experiencing a Kapha imbalance this Kapha season.
Kapha Season
Kapha season is the end of winter into early Summer. It’s important to remember that this ancient wisdom came before climate change. Now a days, it seems like every day can feel like a new season. Thus, I want to explain another way to understand this Ayurvedic seasonal shift.
We learned about Pitta season over the Summer and most recently we explore the season of Vata. This is when the weather is cold, dry and light. Kapha maintains the quality of cold, but shifts from dry and light to wet and heavy.
Make a mental note of the qualities of cold, wet and heavy as this will be important when we speak about ways to promote balance during this time.
Kapha Dosha
Kapha is comprised of water and earth.
Within the body it provides nourishment, stability, structure, and lubrication. It provides us with emotional support and governs emotions such as love, compassion, forgiveness, patience and modesty.
As we learned, Vata governs movement and Pitta governs digestion & transformation. Kapha governs the structure of the body. Thus, it creates the container for which Vata and Pitta can work their magic.
Kapha Qualities
We spoke about the qualities of the season as being cold, wet and heavy. I find this helpful when first learning about Ayurveda, but I do want to explain all of the qualities so that you have that information available. If you find it confusing, just focus on the qualities of cold, wet and dry.
Kapha is cold, wet, heavy, dull, sticky, soft and fixed. Some people also like to use slow to describe the quality of movement this time of year.
The qualities are important as this can help you to understand the nature of doshic imbalances.
An imbalance is when we accumulate an excess of any particular dosha beyond what our unique constitution is made up of. This can also result in a deficit in another dosha, but generally in Ayurveda, the focus is on the excess.
For ease of understanding, let’s pretend we are a math equation. Imagine you were born with a unique ratio of 40% Vata 30% Pitta and 20% Kapha. If you began to accumulate more Kapha, that would cause an imbalance in your entire constitution.
Just like when one bakes, you need the precise measurements of each component. If you put too much salt, it will taste “off”. The more you put into it, the less it will resemble the baked good you intended to create.
Thus, the greater the imbalance within a person, the less you might resemble the person you were put on this Earth to be.
Kapha Imbalance
How do you accumulate too much of any dosha? The easiest way is during the particular season as those qualities are present in nature. There are many other ways too through the food we eat, movement we engage in (or lack there of), lifestyle choices, when we wake up, etc.
So how do you know if you have a kapha imbalance? You might experience one or more of the following:
- Lethargy
- Feeling of heaviness in the body and mind
- Nausea
- Cough
- Allergies
- Feeling Stuck
- Depressed
- Materialistic
- Envious
- Weight Gain
- Excessive sleeping
- Congestion
- Allergies
- Cold
- Sinus issues
- Chills
If you’re experiencing any of those, especially if they started recently or have grown stronger, you might have a Kapha imbalance. I always like to remind people that there are MANY reasons as to why one might experience these. This is just another way of looking at it. It also speaks to a more functional and integrative approach as you are looking at the symptoms and getting to the energetic root of the issue. As they say in Ayurveda, the issues are in the tissues.
Balancing Kapha
So what do you do if you find you have an imbalance?
The qualities we spoke about before (cold, wet, heavy, dull, sticky, soft and fixed) can help understand imbalances AND how to bring oneself back into balance. Ayurveda works with opposites to find balance.
For example, Kapha is cold, so you want to favor warmth. You can do this with all of the qualities as you decide what to eat, how to move, where to go and how to structure your day!
Below is a list of things you do to help prevent a Kapha imbalance during the season as well as manage an imbalance that is already present.
- Regular movement (especially between 6-10 am or pm)
- Sweat producing activities
- Wake up before 6am
- Favor warm, dry and light foods (light as in the quality of being light)
- Eat at regular meal times
- Be mindful of excessive dairy consumption if an imbalance is present
- Favor warm liquids in moderation
- Focus on stimulation (i.e. variety, novelty, new experiences)
- Dry massage
- Favor a less luxurious lifestyle
- Consume kapha pacifying foods (see image below)
Pictured from top left to bottom right: Quinoa, fish, soy milk, spinach (leafy greens), cranberries, mung beans, artichoke, ginger, cinnamon, basil, onion, basmati rice, garlic, olive oil, broccoli
Now the goal is not to do a complete overhaul of your life. Ayurveda is all about balance and that is not a balanced or sustainable approach, friends. Maybe pick 1-2 techniques that seem accessible for you right now and just begin to notice any shifts and changes. Also remember that changes in food can take upwards of a month to begin to see any change, so be patient with the process and remain curious.
There you have it! Now, Ayurveda is a very complex medical system, so please know that there is SO much to know and understand. This information is meant to provide you with a basic overview. Please consult an Ayurvedic practitioner or Doctor with any serious concerns.
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Disclaimer: This post is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute individualized support or medical advice.
Blair is a registered dietitian, certified intuitive eating counselor, E-500 RYT and Reiki Master. She integrates spirituality with modern day science to help people heal and reclaim their relationship with their body and food.