The Kapha dosha governs the structure of your body. It is the principle dosha that holds your body cells together and forms the bone, fat, and body muscles.
If Kapha Dosha in your body is imbalanced then you can follow this guide to balance this out.
In this article, we are going to discuss the Kapha dosha characteristics, imbalances, and other crucial details.
Table of Contents
What Is Kapha Dosha?
Kapha dosha is made up of Earth and Water elements. The Kapha dosha characteristics are it is soft, cool, heavy, oily and stable nature.
It helps your respiratory health, supports lubrication, builds stamina, increases libido and forms tissues for body growth.
Why Is Kapha Dosha Imbalance Bad For Your Health?
When Kapha is in balance, it prevents bone and joint problems, brings loyalty, love & care, calmness, compassion, and contentment. Kapha maintains the fluid balance in your body.
But if Kapha is increased/decreased, these positive qualities may turn opposite.
You may experience, Physical conditions like—poor digestion, congestion, sinus inflammation, increased mucus secretion, sore throat, coughing, bronchitis, asthma and mental disorders like—greed, materialism, depression.
Also, you may notice behavioral changes like—stubbornness. Laziness, disinterest in work, drowsiness.
In Ayurveda, the first line of any treatment is—REMOVING THE ROOT CAUSE. But keep it in mind that without eliminating the initial cause, the imbalance will always remain there.
So, if your body type is Kapha and you want to stay out of these possible diseases, then it is crucial for you to understand how to balance your Kapha. You will find tips for balancing Kapha at the end of this guide.
Read on… to discover how Kapha imbalances occur!
How Kapha Imbalance Occurs? (Excessive state)
Kapha is imbalanced means either its natural balance is increased or decreased in your body. While it may happen due to several reasons, some common agitators those provoke Kapha are:
When These Are ‘too much’ Kapha is Increased/Aggravated:
Cold: Taking too many cold beverages like refrigerated water, soft drinks and frozen liquid items cause water retention.
Insufficient Activity: If you are inadequate physical activity, lacking exercise and excess sleeping, napping in the daytime and waking up late.
Seasonal Changes – Spring and winter season when the weather is cold, damp or snowy.
Heavy Food – Foods with high calorie, yogurt (sweet curd), cow milk (cold), coconut milk, excessive consumption of foods with sugary, sour and salty taste.
Eating even if the previous meal is yet to digest. Including black gram, mutton, pumpkin and other heavy vegetables in the meal.
Dairy products like ghee, unctuous, heavy, slimy fruits that increase Kapha are Banana, guava, cheese.
If heretical diabetes, obesity, and allergies are in your family, you are prone to Kapha aggravation. Depression from weight gain also causes imbalance.
Naturally, Kapha is high in the morning, in the first part of the night, after meals. It is aggravated during childhood.
Kapha Dosha Signs and Symptoms (Kapha Imbalance)
So, here is a list of common signs and symptoms of Kapha Imbalance.
- You feel lazy, lack of energy and depressed.
- Your body feels heavy and dull.
- You gain weight quickly but find it hard to lose.
- You feel lethargic, inactive and bored all the time.
- Your digestion is slow, and even small meals feel heavy.
- If you feel the sweet/salty taste in mouth all the time.
- Your nasal pathways feel congested.
- You suffer from disorders like COPD, asthma, and bronchitis.
- You get cystic fibrosis of the lungs and inflammation of mucous membranes.
- Your thoughts are possessive, greedy and over-attached to objects.
- You experience exacerbations and get chest colds and flu frequently.
- The appearance of white discoloration or organs and white coated the tongue.
- You sleep for long hours and wake up with a tiresome and dull feeling.
- You feel uncomfortable in cold and damp weathers.
- Your skin is pale, cold and white discolored.
- You take a lot of time for making decisions and never changes once taken.
- Your cholesterol level is an all-time high.
- You feel depressed and hard to get out of bed.
- You suffer from nausea and frequent vomiting.
- Your joints ache, and limbs feel heavy.
Diseases Caused Due to Kapha Imbalance (excessive state):
Though many conditions include Kapha imbalance, according to Charaka Samhita, 20 particular disorders are commonly caused by increased/aggravated Kapha Dosha.
Some of them are:
- Trupti (anorexia nervosa)
- Tandra (drowsiness)
- Nidraadhikya(excessive sleep)
- Staimitya (timidness)
- Guru Gatrata (heaviness of the body)
- Kantopalepa (phlegm adhered to throat)
- Alasya (laziness)
- Mukha Srava (salivation)
- Balasaka (loss of strength)
- Apakti (indigestion)
- Galaganda (goiter)
- Ati Sthaulya (obesity)
- Udarda (urticaria)
- Shvetaavabhasata (pallor)
How To Balance Kapha Dosha:
To keep your Kapha in balance, you have to adjust your food habits and lifestyle that does not attract agents responsible for Kapha aggravation.
Here are some simple guidelines to help you out remove Kapha(imbalance) from your body:
Kapha Dosha Remedies (What to Do):
1.Food Habits
Don’t take the same food every day; make sure to include a variety of foods in your diet. You should follow Kapha balancing diet plan for this.
Moreover, Include plenty of spices and pungent, bitter and astringent tastes. Also, spicing up foods helps to balance Kapha. Include honey in your diet. You can get the complete list of Kapha pacifying food list here.
2.Daily Routine
Keeping a routine; Getting up before 6 am and going early to bed helps your Kapha stay in balance. Follow Kapha balancing daily routine for this. This is specially designed to balance the aggravated Kapha in your body.
3. Keep Yourself Warm
Since Kapha is cold, heavy, dense and oily in nature, don’t go out when the weather is cold and damp. If you feel congested, maintain both your body and room temperature warm.
Using a heating pack under your back gives relief. Spend time in the sunshine.
Instead of cold baths, prefer warm showers. Dry massage(garshan) your body each morning —it helps to stimulate the blood circulation
Ayurvedic neti pots is a powerful tool in easing nasal congestion and mucous cleansing.
4.Rigorous Activity and Physical Exercise
Perform vigorous exercise every day. It clears your blockages and prevents accumulation of toxins in your body. Include bicycling, jogging, aerobics, and sports activities. Enjoy some upbeat music and take part in dancing.
5.Cleanliness and Clutter-Free Environment
Always keep your environment clean. Regularly clean out your living space, work area, furniture around you to stop the accumulation of clutter.
6. Stay Fresh and Active:
Use cloths of bright and warm colors like yellow, orange and red. It helps your mood stay fresh. Decorate your living and working space with vibrant and bright colors.
Take some stimulating aromatic oils and incenses including camphor, cinnamon, cloves, eucalyptus, juniper, basil, etc.
Be active, take out time to meet new people and learn new things.
What To Avoid:
- Cold, damp environments.
- Overeating and oversleeping.
- Inactivity, laziness, depression.
- Heavy, fatty and oily, dairy foods.
- Foods of sweet, sour, salty taste.
- Refrigerated water and soft drinks
- Eating before digestion of the previous meal.
- Exposing your nose and throat to cold winter air
