A Kapha Pacifying Program
Factors that affect Kapha dosha
| Signs of Kapha balance | Signs of Kapha imbalance |
| Physical strength, a strong immune system, serenity, mental resolve, rational thinking, ability to conserve and use personal resources, endurance, and adaptability. | Sluggish thinking, dull thinking, groggy all day, apathetic, no desire, depressed, sad, sentimental, slow to comprehend, slow to react, procrastinating, lethargy clingy, hanging on to people and ideas, greedy, possessive, materialistic, sleeping too much, very tired in the morning, hard to get out of bed, drowsy or groggy during the day, weight gain, obesity, mucus and congestion in the chest or throat – nose or sinuses, nausea, diabetes, hay fever, pale-cool clammy skin, edema, water retention, bloated feeling, sluggish digestion, food “just sits” in the stomach, high cholesterol, aching joints or heavy limbs, chills, looseness of the limbs, coughing, mucus discharges, breathing difficulties, inertia, stagnation, circulation problems, boredom, laziness |
| How to balance kapha | How to imbalance kapha |
| Strong physical exercise | Be a couch potato and eat lots of lollies, biscuits and chocolates |
| Seek a variety of experiences to be stimulated | Sleep in for days at a time, also take naps in the day after eating |
| Eat meals that are lighter and dryer with more bitter, pungent and astringent tastes. Reduce sweet snacks | Eat large lunches with food that is heavy (meat and sauces), oily, fried, sweet and salty and if possible have a frozen desert |
| Reduce water consumption to no more that four cups per day (unless you are very physically active)Only drink when thirsty | Drink lots of water and water containing foods such as watermelon, rock Mellon, cucumber, zucchini |
| Stay warm and dry, lots of exercise outside in the sun | Exposure to cold, wet or snowy weather |
| How to balance kapha | How to imbalance kapha |
| Put that strong memory to use by learning new skills both personally and professionally | Never change anything, do things as you have always done them |
| Getting out of the house and actively seeking new experiences is also valuable | |
| If possible live in a warm, dry climate were you can often be outside | Live in cold wet climates |
| Deep tissue massage with light, warm oils like mustard or corn | Swim in cold water |
| Learn to let go of things and not to become overly attached to things or people | Be greedy, hoard things, never let go of anything |
| Daily exercise | |
| Be receptive to useful change | |
| Renounce impediments to progress | |
| Be intentional in implementing life-enhancing actions | |
| Meditation can be more intensive for kapha constitutions than for vata or pitta constitutions. | |
| Schedule time every day for prayer and meditation. |
Nature: vigorous hiking or walking in dry or desert regions, high mountains, or on sunny and windy days in open areas
Sensory:
1. Sound – stimulating music, strong and energising sounds, singing
2. Touch – strong, deep body massage with dry powders or stimulating oils like mustard
3. Sight- bright and stimulating colours like yellow, orange, gold and red
4. Taste- light diet emphasising pungent, bitter and astringent tastes with liberal use of spices, occasional fasting.
5. Smell – light, warm, stimulating and penetrating fragrances like musk, cedar, myrrh, camphor and eucalyptus
Activity: strong aerobic exercise, jogging, sunbathing, wind-bathing, saunas, reducing sleep.
Pranayama:- right nostril breathing, inhaling through the right nostril and exhaling through the left. This exercise creates a heating effect in the body by stimulating the male energy.
Emotional: cultivating detachment, service to others and selfless love; releasing greed, attachment, and clinging.
Mental: anti-Kapha mantras like Aim, Krim or Hum, cultivating wakefulness, mental exercises and games (like chess), breaking with the past and with tradition.
Spiritual: meditation on active or wrathful Deities, including strong forms of the Diving Mother (like Kali) or of the Divine Father (like Rudra), meditation on the Void or on the inner light.
These guidelines can be used for kapha mind-body constitutions, to maintain dosha balance, and to restore balance if necessary, regardless of the basic constitution. Kapha influences the heavy, moist aspects of the body.
If your basic constitution is mixed (kapha-pitta or kapha-vata), include smaller portions for the second dosha.
Kapha dosha is aggravated and increased in the spring of the year. During this season, eat less and choose more dry, fibrous foods. During wet, cold seasons, all mind-body types can choose some of the above foods and decrease others.
KAPHA FOOD LIST
| Favour | Avoid |
| warm light food. | cold cereals, cold juice or milk, and sugary pastries. |
| dry food, cooked without much water, minimum of butter oil and sugar. | Bacon and sausage aggravates kapha due to their salt and oil. |
| Light meals are to be favored such as light breakfast and dinner. | For kapha types, breakfast is optional. (You may skip it if you like). |
| Eat lightly cooked foods or raw fruits and vegetables. | Stimulating foods with pungent, bitter and astringent tastes |
| Eat spicy, bitter and astringent foods | The consumption of too much sweet foods or fatty foods. |
| Select hot food over cold food whenever feasible | salt consumption, which tends to result in fluid retention in Kaphas. |
| Dry cooking methods (baking, broiling, grilling, sautéing) are preferable for kaphas over moist cooking such as steaming, boiling or poaching. | Watch out the restaurant foods, especially oily, salty, sweet or deep fried foods – these are all kapha aggravating. |
| As an appetizer eat bitter or pungent foods instead of salty or sour. Foods such as romaine lettuce, endive, or tonic water are good to stimulate your appetite. | Avoid sugar, fats, dairy products, and salt. Ghee and oils only in small amounts. |
| Take ginger tea or a pinch or ginger to stimulate appetite. Other preferred spices are cumin, fenugreek, sesame seed and turmeric. | Avoid cold foods and drinks. |
| Any food that is spicy is good for kaphas such as very hot Mexican or Indian food, especially in winter. | Reduce use of sweet, sour, and salty tastes |
| Favour | Avoid |
| Foods that are good for kapha breakfast are hot spiced cider, buckwheat pancakes with apple butter, corn muffins, and bitter cocoa made with skim milk and a touch of honey | Avoid hamburgers and milk shakes |
| To pep you up in the morning, take honey, hot water, lemon juice and ginger. Try hot ginger tea. Try skipping a meal or two and take a spoonful of honey in hot water to keep you going. | Don’t overindulge on dairy foods. Butter, ice cream, and cheese are among the worst foods you can take as it aggravates the kapha |
| Take warm low fat milk. | Kaphas have a sweet tooth. So, cutting down on sugar is difficult for many of them. Cutting sugar is recommended. Take honey instead. Avoid taking more than a spoonful of honey a day |
| Eat raw fruits, vegetables and salads | Watch out for eating too much food, a typical kapha tendency. |
| Eat salad with minimum salad dressing | Avoid deep fried foods |
| Take a glass of hot water instead of ice water. | |
| Eat salad instead of soup especially in hot weather. | |
| Choose light, dry foods | |
| The main meal should be at the middle of the day, and only a light, dry meal in the evening. |
