Kapha Dosha: The energy of mid-winter to spring

Kapha dosha is a combination of earth + water elements

Right around the time following the festive season and the beginning of the new year, we see the shift in energies. The drying, frentic energy of Vata dosha that dominated autumn and early winter now gives way to the more grounding, yet cold and static energy of Kapha.

Each of the doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) are made up of two elements:

• Vata - air and space/ether

• Pitta - fire and water

• Kapha - earth and water

And its this mix of earth and water that gives kapha the qualities of heaviness, stability, unctuousness, solidity, coolness, stagnation, softness.

Just take a look outside to see what is happening: the ground is cold, muddy at times. Flora and fauna are still at rest, and even though we are now on the upswing of sunlight, it is still a dark time of year.

The same thing is happening inside us. Our bodies naturally take on the energies of the season (and of times of day and phases in life, but thats for another blog post!).

So you might find that you are feeling a bit more lethargic, heavy in the body (especially after the indulgence of the festive season) and even heavy in the mind. SAD- Seasonal Affective Disorder - can be seen as an aggravation of kapha dosha.

And depending upon you own prakriti, or your own individual mind-body composition or dosha, you will be feeling the energy of this time of year differently. Ayurveda sees that we all take on the energies of the season.

For example, for a predominatly vata person, you may be feeling a sense of relief now. Autumn may have had you feeling anxious, hyperactive, suffering bouts of insomnia and experiencing dryness in your skin, hair and joints. There is more moisture in the atmosphere, but the cold still irritates vata so it is important to take measures to keep warm and oleated, both internally and externally.

If you are a predominalty pitta person, you may be enjoying the cold, as it is a perfect balance with your innate hot nature.

If you have kapha in your prakriti, you will be more susceptible to kapha imbalance like colds and chest infections, depression, lethargy, and weight gain, therefore you should be extra cautious.

Regardles of your prakriti, we all will see signs of kapha imbalance as we march further into winter and especially when we come in to spring.

Getting out into the morning sun and a small does of cold exposure in nature helps to keep kapha in check.

So what are the signs of Kapha imbalance?

Before I start rattling off a list of things to watch out for, I want to inform you of the fuction of Kapha. Each dosha has its function, and we cannot be who we are if there isn't the presence of all three. But in each of us one or two doshas will be more prominent. This is why I personally love the science of Ayurveda - it treats the individual, not the dis-ease. Two people can have the same malady, but will require different methods of treatment. It also explains why two people can be on the same diet and exercise plan, follow it to a T, and come out with vastly different results. We are each unique in our prakriti.

But I digress.

Kapha's functionin our bodies (and in the unvierse): is primarily to provide nourishment and stability.

• Kapha nourishes growth, healing, and boosts immunity and vitality

• It is present in the lymph and plasma; muscles and connective tissues; adipose tissue (fat); semen, myelin sheath of the nervous system and the brain;

• It supports the body in structure and compactness. It lubricates the joints, aids in the digestive process, nourishes the bain cells and nervous system. Aids in sleep, memory retention, and provides enery to the heart and lungs. The main seat of Kapha dosha in the body is in the lungs and pulminory cavity.

• Emotionally, Kapha keeps us grounded, give us a feeling of contentment, forgiveness, and compassion.

Without Kapha, Vata would age and deterioroate us at an astronomical speed, and Pitta would incinerate us from the inside out.

The main seat of Kapha in the body is in the chest. This includes the lungs, heart, and respiratory tract. This is importatnt to remember.

When Kapha is aggravated, it can look like:

• Congestion, colds, hayfever, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, and any disorder of the lungs

Kapha's main seat in the body is in the chest. Most lung and heart issues will be kapha related.

It can also look like:

• lethergy, weight gain, low metabolism, gastritis, obsessive eating, joint pain and stiffness, hoarding (of things or feelings and emotions)

• And if not addressed can lead to pathological manifestations such as diabetes, obesity, fibroids and PCOS, Parkinsons, MS, depression and a lack of understaning and satisfaction in life.

But never fear- our bodies are giving us clues all the time to let us know when something is off - it's just learning to recognize the signs.

In spring, when the earth is warming and the light is growing stronger, this is the time a lot of us will suffer from hayfever.

Again, think about what's happening in nature - the earth is thawing, the hard, frosted ground turns soft and muddy.

Same thing is happening inside us.

This congestion in the form of hayfever is that excess kapha dosha trying to find a way out of the body.

Sadly, once we get to this point there is no prevention to take as kapha has already reached aggrivation, called prakopa.

But we are in an opportune time to catch kapha before it becomes a problem. It starts now, in mid- winter.

If you suffer from hayfever, seem to always have a cold or chest infection this time of year, feel a sense of heaviness in the mind or body, or experience any other of the aforementioned symptoms, read on.

How to check and bring Kapha into balance

Keeping the body warm, both internally and externally, will see you through the season

Ayurveda has a very simple remedy when it comes to bringing the body back in balance - like increases like and opposites balance.

Remember the qualities of kapha are heavy, cold, stable, slow, soft, unctuous - so in Ayurveda we bring in opposite qualities like lightness, warmth, mobility, and dryness.

It really is that simple!

But what does this look like in regards to ood and lifestyle?

If you are prone to kapha disorders, or feel like you are taking on a bit too much kapha, we want to put these foods down:

• Heavy, oily foods and minimise sugary and salty tastes.

• Dairy - the days of festive cheese boards are best left in vata season! Dairy encourages mucous formation in the body, so if you feel congested and sticky, just for now, avoid dairy

• Heavy meats - red meat like beef and lamb

• Heavy grains - wheat, white flour, pasta

• Sugars - white refined specifically. If you have a sweet tooth, opt for a date.

• Heavy fruits and veg like bananas, avocado

• And it is time to swap out our grounding root veg from vata season and adapt lighter, more bitter and astringent foods, like chard, kale, asparagus, beetroot, legumes

• Keep to warm soups and stews instead of salads

• Warm drinks instead of cold fizzy ones

• And don't try to diet or detox at this time of year! This time will come soon....

A good rule of thumb - eat seasonally and locally sourced foods as the foods that our bodies need at a particular time of year are readuly availble for us just as and when we need it.

Isn't nature just perfect?!

Keep it warm and light. Beans and greens is the best combo for this time of year.

AND DON'T FORGET TO ADD SPICES! Not to confuse "spices" with "spicy" - use spices such as cumin, coriander, fennel, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, turmeric, and yes a pinch of heat in the form of paprika or cayenne, or even just black pepper if you aren't keen on the heat.

As for lifestyle changes:

• try to wake up by 6am, 7am at the latest

• drink a glass of warm water to get your agni going

• get enought excercise to break a sweat . Doesnt have to be long, 15-20mins. (What I do is joint mobility exercises to wake up the fascia in my body and get prana moving. I then do 5 sun salutations and then a couple rounds of kabalbhati pranayama)

• get out into the morning light. Go for a 20-45 minute walk.

• Avoid being stagnant for too long. Those of us in office jobs would do well to get up every 45 mins to an hour or so, just to move the body.

• Keep the body wrapped up and warm in those cosy knits

• Don't eat if you are not hungry; wait for proper hunger cues before taking your next meal. Avoid emotional eating or eating out of boredom.

Now I can hear some of you groaning - the good news is, most of these reccomendations are only for a particular season - 12 week max.

Also, I want to remind you of Ayurveda's individualised approach to treatment. Remember when I said most of us will be a different combination of doshas?

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: No one should follow list of do's and don't blindly.

Keeping kapha at bay is what we want to do here, but we must be careful not to aggravate vata and pitta in return.

This is where an Ayurvedic practitoner comes in - to tailor a plan to fit your specific and completely individual needs.

There are also yogic practices we want to take on board for kapha season. This will be in the next blog post, so watch this space!

And if you are interested in speaking to me about diet and lifestyle management the Ayurvedic and yogic way, get in touch! We can schedule a free 15 minute discovery call. Just drop me an email at jennyomniayoga@gmail.com.

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay balanced this winter!

Jenny x