Wk 114 – Doshas – Kapha – Reducing and Rebalancing
This Kapha balancing practice will be shaped around the pose Natarajasana; Lord of the Dance pose. We will be doing this pose in different gravitational planes to connect to the playful dance in the practice and to stimulate Kapha, bringing it to focus on the joy this practice can bring.
Ayurveda is based on understanding 3 things
- Your Prakruti which is the nature of an individuals personal constitution Make-Up
- Your Vikruti which is the nature of your imbalance
- Your bespoked Medicine in the form of Yoga, Pranayama, Mediations, foods, herbs, vitimans and other life style choices to bring you into harmony, optimising your health and well-being
This session we will focus on Kapha Dosha which is a combination of matter and form dominated by the element of water and earth. Kapha provides stability and sustains the body tissues and nurtures the resource of fuel for our Prana, life energy, called Ojas.
Reflecting on the previous sessions, Vata – Nervous System, and Pitta – Digestive abilities, Kapha is the cohesion that binds and holds things together in the body, the mucus and oil that lubricates joints and tissues. It has the greatest quality of structural integrity in the physical body and serves to protect us. The typical body type of a Kapha is the heaviest of the Dosha types, robust, well-proportioned, strongest and sturdy in build, they are more dense, carry more muscle mass, body fat and are bigger in bones. They usually find it easier to gain weight than lose it. Kapha Dosha types loves rest, sleep and lounging about. Kapha natured people are said to inherently move slowly, tend to be lethargic, which influences their pulse to be slower than the other doshas. Do to this, it is said that they tend to have the longest lifespan because of their slow metabolism and because of their restful state they have a stronger immune system and endurance in the body.
Kapha physical traits usually include bigger facial features, wide eyes, big hands, smooth, firm, radiant and oily skin. They tend to have a deeper calming soothing voice, thick nails and hair, and long eye lashes. The character type of Kapha is one of being devotional, trustworthy, supportive, loving, caring, nurturing, very compassionate, empathetic and patient. They are self-reflective, emotionally calm, grounded and thoughtful. This is in us all and serves to keep us in harmony internally with ourselves and unite us with others. They are very forgiving. When they are with others they are fully present, they prefer creating depth in relationships which drive them to feel belonging.
Kapha natured people have the endurance to retain what is received through deliberate effort, but are slow learners. They view work as being of service and find great meaning in their life fulfilling that purpose. They are consistent in loyal and reliable in action, once committed they do it faithfully overtime. They view a life that is worth living is one that is filled with love and enjoy the little things of life with all senses. They are easily pleased by the little joys of life and love things that are tried and tested. They don’t like change.
They are homebodies and love staying at home. Eating is a great passion and they love bringing people together to share meals. As a result though they usually overeat and want a nap. Because of this it is said they have rather a poor and sluggish digestion. The food, which is balancing for Kapha, should be designed to stimulate. Foods that are pungent, bitter, astringent flavours, like leafy greens, berries, turmeric, black pepper, cayenne, chilli and ginger.
They have more sedentary lifestyles and are drawn to things that you don’t have to move much. They are best going to group activities to help them stay motivated, positive teamwork, not competitive. Yoga, Zumba, Aerobics, Pilates, Weight lifting where they have a friend or someone cheering them on.
As Kapha is made of water and earth element, aggrevated Kapha is too much water retention and weight, they become stagnate and stuck. They tend to suffer with congestion, mucus, edema swelling of fluid in the body, suffers from nausea. Other health issues are obesity, diabetes, and other related disorders.
They are stubborn, and get physically, mentally and energetically stuck and then lack motivation. They lean towards a Tamasic energy which is lethargy, drowsiness, dullness, passivity and indifference. This makes them suffer with loneliness, heavy-heartedness, and they tend to become depressed easily, which stops them from seeking help and they withdraw, isolate, and can immerse themselves completely in their own fantasy world. When this occurs they numb out and then crave sweet, salty and fatty foods to comfort themselves and overeat. They excessively sleep and this is another way of avoiding conflict, duties and responsibilities.
The more Rajasic Kapha tends to be attached, hoard things and stay in jobs, relationships long after they are no longer nourishing or necessarily serving them or others as they are loyal to a fault. They get consumed with accumulating things whether those things bring them joy or they are fulfilling a habit of thinking they need things to feel better.
For a Kapha to change, they need a lot of encouragement, verbal praise and a team cheerleader to inspire them. Directing them to new sounds, sights, lovely sensations and incentives gets them to confront their self-imposed habits and change.
If you find the above speaking to you, Yoga Practice is KEY for you as a Kapha as your Dosha type is challenged by activity. Kaphas are strong, so to use the practice properly we will be doing strength building poses, yet dynamically moving to feel that flow of energy. It is best for a you as a Kapha to move and focus on stimulating the body, mind and heart and to live in greater harmony and fall back in love with life or who is important to you, what is important, what brings you joy, so you feel connected in your life and to the Yoga group. Focusing on the practice we can all share together, breathe together and create together.
