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all about kapha dosha
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Ayurveda is an ancient system of medicine that focuses on achieving balance of body and mind through food, herbal remedies, and daily practices. It teaches that each person has a unique body-mind type, or dosha, which determines their physical, mental, and emotional traits. The Kapha dosha is associated with earth and water and has qualities such as heaviness and stability. When in balance, Kapha types are happy and calm, but an imbalance can lead to resistance to change and stubbornness. Understanding your dosha can help you make choices that promote good health and well-being. Hello and welcome to this new show called Ayurveda the science of life on UK Health Radio. My name is Dr. Oscar O'Doochan. I'm working as an Ayurvedic practitioner in Belfast Northern Ireland following a career working as a GP family doctor in the throughout the UK and Ireland. In this show I will introduce the listener to the ancient system of medicine known as Ayurveda which is still in use today and growing in popularity worldwide. I will explain the origins and principles of Ayurveda and give clear simple understandable explanations for how it can work in our modern lives. I will discuss how Ayurveda can connect us to our own nature as well as the wider world of nature around us. We are all part of nature and need to restore these connections in our daily lives. I will interview like-minded therapists and health experts to discuss their approach to health and wellness and how it connects with Ayurveda. This show aims to reflect growing away from the narrow confines of conventional medicine to a deeper more holistic and personalized view of health and wellness. Ayurveda is a nature-based system which uses food, simple herbal remedies, daily practices and herbal-based medications to achieve balance of body and mind. So much of the root causes of illness today are caused by our digestion and lifestyle. Ayurveda teaches us that everything we do in our lives has an effect upon our well-being and health. On this show I hope to teach you and show you how learning about Ayurveda will benefit you and your health now and into the future. So on today's episode I'm going to speak about Kapha Dosha. We call it the good, the bad and the ugly, all about the Kapha Dosha. This is a very topical dosha to be talking about this time of the year because at this time we have had excess indulgence in heavy seasonal foods and drinking alcohol and we're also approaching the transition of the seasons of winter and spring which will be happening in the next few months. So at this time, for the next few months, we can accumulate excess Kapha Dosha in our system and become in balance in this dosha energy. So briefly a recap a little bit about Ayurveda. If you missed some of the previous episodes you'll understand. In Ayurveda you look at people who have been part of this movement for thousands of years people have been asking what makes them sick? Why do some people look more than others? How do some people get out of bed first thing in the morning or eat pastry day and others a bit slow to do so? What is the reason some people can handle cold weather that is? Answers to these questions and many other questions can be found in the ancient holistic practice Ayurveda, the healing branch of yogic science. The Ayurveda literally means the knowledge of life and longevity and many modern healing practices have their roots in Ayurveda including dietary therapies, lifestyle practices, meditation, breath work, yoga, herbal medication, herbal remedies and supplements, massage with medicinal oils and detoxification and panchakama regimes or practices. Even sound therapy and aromatherapy have been used in Ayurveda practice for thousands of years. Ayurveda tells us that people are not one size fits all. We come in three body mind types or combinations of these types. For example, physically some of us are tall and thin and some of us are mid-sized and some others have a stocky well-built brain. The Sanskrit names for these different types are vata, viput and kapha and all of us are vata, viput and kapha traits in various combinations and proportions. One trait is usually more dominant, one secondary and a third is the least prominent. In this way, each of us has a particular combination of physical, mental and emotional traits that make up your type of what's called prakriti. Just like we have unique fingerprints, we also have unique energy prints, proportions of this vata, viput and kapha doshas that are uniquely our own. So once you know your dosha, you can use this knowledge as a blueprint for a happier, healthier, more balanced life. You can custom your diet and your lifestyle plan which will include knowledge of the foods, the herbs and spices, the activities, the climates, environments and places that are just right for you. So balance is in our natural state that suits our dosha balance. Imbalance is when our dosha balance moves away from our natural state, leaving us prone or at risk to getting illness or disease. So when we're in balance, physically, mentally and emotionally, good health follows. When we're out of balance or out of dosha balance, the result can lead to disease. The root of the word disease is dis-ease, a state where we feel tense and out of balance, out of whack or just not ourselves. Ayurveda is all about coming back to the state of ease, relaxed, balanced and with an abundant energy and zest for life. So what is an Ayurvedic target? Your type is your physical, mental and emotional blueprint. All the physical traits and the mental tendencies present when you were born. It's what makes you, you. And modern medicine calls this blueprint the genetic code or the different other classifications of physical and psychological traits. Type A, Type B personality, you may have heard of these before. But Ayurveda defines your prakriti as your essential nature or your individual type. And it's a combination of your physical, mental and emotional characteristics and they're explained through what's called dosha energies. And knowing your type is essential to understanding how to maintain inner balance and correct the imbalance that might arise during your life. I've made a good forecast and may not be good for you. Learning that with Ayurvedic body mindset will give you valuable information and nurturing your body to encourage it. You can identify the foods, activities and lifestyles that are greatest benefit for you. And this understanding will allow you to make the best choices for your own health and well-being. So by following the lifestyle and diet that best suits your type, you practice your better chances to stay fit, energetic, healthy, happy, both in body and mind. Now today we're going to talk about the Kapha Dosha. That's been a brief recap of Ayurveda and the principles of balance and how the doshas affect our individual constitution. The Kapha Dosha is the dosha that is native of earth and water. So the Kapha Dosha has specific qualities. These are oily, cold, heavy, smooth, viscous, dull, stable and dense. Now remember, if we have too much Kapha in our system, we have too much of these qualities in our system. So in order to balance, we need to bring in opposite qualities in our diet and lifestyle practices. Now the Kapha Dosha is divided into sub-doshas and these have specific functions. And I'll briefly run through these and discuss these because they are important. The first and most important dosha is called Avalambaka Kapha, which resides in the chest cavity and it protects the heart and gives healthy lungs. And this is the form of water that gives support. The next one is the Bodhika Kapha, which this involves the form of water that gives perception and is involved in our sense of taste, which is essential for good digestion. It is located in the mouth and tongue. The next dosha is Kledaka Kapha, which is present in the stomach lining and it gives us moisture, which we need for good digestion. It is responsible for the liquefaction of the breaking up of food in the first stage of digestion and leading to the absorption and assimilation of the nutrients from the food. The other form of Kapha is the Tatha Kapha. This gives moisture for the nose, mouth, eyes and belly. It is the form of water that is associated with the entrant. It is located in the brain as what is called the cerebrospinal fluid, the white matter. So it gives moisture to the brain and it gives lubrication to the cells within the brain and the nervous system. It governs emotional calmness, stability and happiness, as well as memory. And the word Tapanam means knowledge, specifically knowledge of the senses. And the last of the Kapha sub-doshas is called Sleshak Kapha. This is the form of water that gives lubrication to the joints as what is called synovial fluid or the fluid that is present in each of our joint cavities. And it is responsible for the lubrication and easy movement of the joints. Now when Kapha is out of balance, it can be seen as symptoms within these individual sub-doshas. In Tarpka Kapha, it leads to sinus congestion and a poor sense of smell. In Bodhipi Kapha, associated with the tongue, it leads to poor sense of taste and you may get some food cravings that you can't understand or explain. In Kretibhi Kapha, in the stomach, it causes impaired digestion and poor absorption, which leads to slow, sluggish digestion and not absorbing food properly. And in Adalambaka Kapha, it leads to lethargy, respiratory problems, congestion and even lower backbone. And of course, with the joints of the Fleshka Kapha, it can cause loose teleproteins. It is also associated with weight gain and with changes in insulin. Now the Kapha type we describe is regarded in Ayurveda as the person who is least bothered, the happiest person and the best constitution in terms of cheerfulness and joyfulness in life. They are naturally calm, thoughtful and loving. When in balance, they are strong, loyal and supportive. However, excess Kapha imbalance can lead to resistance to change and stubbornness. It's almost like the other side of the coin. And in the face of stress, a Kapha person may become withdrawn and reclusive. And remember, this also applies to someone who is in Kapha imbalance. So under duress, a common Kapha response is, I don't want to deal with it. Kapha imbalance or Kapha dominant people tend to hold onto things too long. Not just material things, but also relationships. Sometimes even when they are no longer supportive or helpful. However, Kapha people have a caring and sharing streak that moves them to give service to others. You can see the elements of earth and water, how they manifest in these particular traits. Now the physical traits of Kapha, they tend to have thick, broad, well-developed brains with large limbs. They have excellent stamina to support their strong build. And this is evident in their physical stamina. They can go for a long period of time because of their stamina and endurance. Their skin is usually smooth, slightly oily, and pale and cool. They have plentiful, thick, wavy, lustrous type hair. They're quite easily recognised from their physical characteristics. Their speech can be low and slow and rhythmic, with a pleasant, deep, resonant voice. Kapha types have solid necks and large, rounded, full faces, large, round noses, large mouths with big, full lips and wonderful white teeth. Those who are Kapha in nature sleep soundly and have regular, somewhat slow digestion. However, when it's in balance, they manifest with excess body weight, deluded attention, and a tendency towards constipation. They've been sleek, accessible, and suffer from disorders such as diabetes and depression. Common symptoms are constipation, indigestion, lethargy, laziness, stubbornness, and even diarrhoea as well. There's too much of the dyscletic Kapha, this moisture in the good lady. Now, I'll take a break and discuss a little bit more about the Kapha imbalance and tips that you can do to help with feeling unbalanced in the Kapha Doja, which is particularly relevant at this time of year, post-Christmas, and going into the transition of the seasons between winter and spring on Kapha tends to accumulate in all our systems. you you you you you Welcome back. Today, we're talking all about the Kapha Doja, which, as I said, just before the break, is really important at this time of the year, following the Christmas overindulgence of food and becoming more sedentary over the holiday period. You can tend to be like that, and particularly with the coming up to the transition of the seasons of winter and spring, when Kapha tends to rise, it tends to increase in our systems. Now, when the Kapha, I spoke just before the break about when Kapha is imbalanced. Now, being sedentary is one of the signs of a Kapha imbalance, and sitting for prolonged periods, even can encourage laziness and unhealthy attachments, as we all know, in the past week or so. It's difficult to get out, particularly when the weather is not so good, and you've been overindulging in food and alcohol. But a good practice is a walking meditation. Walking on a nature trail, or in a labyrinth, or in a forest or a wood is best, but if it's not available, just a walk anywhere will do. And it's a great way to combine breath and movement. And a practice that I've used myself is when you synchronize your breathing to your movement of left and right feet. So when you inhale, put your right foot down, exhale, put your left foot down. And you can start to slow this process down, so you walk more mindfully. And breathing in smoothly through your nostrils is a good way to help pacify the Kapha dosha. Now, Kapha is also we also explain the doshas according to the taste, because some tastes increase certain doshas and others balance or decrease the doshas in the system. So Kapha is pacified by the pungent of the hot and the bitter and astringent tastes, and aggravated by sweet, sour and salty tastes. Now, if you have a Kapha imbalance, it's best to favour the pungent taste. Often people ask me what exactly is the pungent taste? They might not understand exactly the term. But it's a spicy hot flavour that you find in chillies, in raw onions, in garlic, and in most spices that we commonly use. Most spices are Kapha Pasaran. And the pungent taste, the qualities of it are hot, light, rough and dry. And all of these are beneficial to balancing the qualities of Kapha. So if you like spicy food, and you feel you've got a Kapha imbalance, or you're a Kapha type person, you can use as many spices as you like. But even if you don't particularly, you can use warmer spices or milder spices such as cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and cumin particularly, as well as ginger and garlic and paprika. And turmeric is another heating type of spice that's not too hot. And this taste has an effect of cleansing your mouth and clarifying the senses. Often the taste can describe certain types of mental states. People who are sweet, have a sweet nature. People who are sour, have a sour, sharp nature. You talk about people who are salty in their opinions. And also bitter and pungent would be the persons who are fiery or hot. And astringent taste would describe somebody who has a dry sense of humour or a dry manner about them. And each of them have different qualities. So the pungent taste helps with digestion. And it clears the channel and it encourages sweating as a kind of a detox and also has a blood thinning effect. Now the bitter taste is another taste that balances Kapha. And we find the bitter taste in bitter greens, which include kale, dandelion, and brussel sprouts. And it's also found in foods like bitter melon, artichokes, and dark chocolate. And in drinks like coffee. Now the bitter taste has qualities of rough, drying, and lightness. And generally reducing or contracting. And all of these qualities benefit Kapha. And it's also a cooling effect, which is important when you're adding warm spices to food. So it can balance that heat effect of food. So it also, the bitter taste also, it cleanses your palate and improves the sense of taste, which is also important for the Bota Bikapha subdose I spoke about earlier. It has the effect of toning the skin as well and improving the appetite. And it helps absorb moisture from the system, from the gut. The astringent taste, which is a taste which is likened to a dry taste. It's like a chalky taste that dries inside your mouth and causes your mouth to pucker or contract. Like if you ate a very underripe banana. And this taste is present particularly in what we call legumes, which are lentils and beans, black-eyed peas, and soybeans. And these typically have an astringent taste. It mightn't be evident when you eat them cooked, but however, it is a characteristic of these foods. And the astringent taste is also present in some fruits and vegetables, such as apples, cranberries, pomegranate, artichokes, and as well vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, some lettuce, and also in rice cakes and crackers, the dryness quality. With this dry and rough quality, and also a light quality in the vegetables, this reduces the Kapha. Remember we spoke about the qualities of Kapha, such as oiliness, heaviness, coldness, rough smoothness. So we need to bring in opposite qualities in our food, which will help balance Kapha. And the bitter taste is also a little bit cold. So that's where the heating effect of the herbs and spices is needed to be added to these astringent foods. Otherwise they can be too cooling. So this effect of the astringent taste of compressing or absorbing the excess moisture in our system also has an effect of toning the bodily tissues and reducing the tendency to fluid retention. Now the taste we need to minimise in Kapha would be the sweet taste. The sweet taste is regarded as cooling and heavy, and this can aggravate Kapha. So eliminating the intake of refined sugar and sugary sweet foods as much as possible. These are the Achilles' heel of the Kapha dosha. And as well, we need to reduce the reliance on even naturally sweet foods, such as fruits and grains and some root vegetables, as well as dairy products such as milk and yogurt. And also nuts and seeds, because of the oil that is associated with them, can be aggravating to Kapha, as well as big meats such as beef and pork. Sweet foods will aggravate Kapha's tendency towards heaviness, obesity, lethargy and excess sleep. And if we think of Kapha people, their nature is a sweet nature. Too much of the sweet taste can exacerbate their natural tendency, shall we say. They can also lead to excessive mucus and aggravate colds or coughs and depress the appetite in an unhealthy way. So this is a common thing with dairy. When you hear about people who are dairy intolerant, it exacerbates their tendency to the sinus problems and maybe chest infections and allergies. Also, it's important to avoid the sour food, foods such as vinegar, certain cheeses, green grapes, oranges, pineapple and grapefruit. These are the sour fruits. An occasional squeeze of lemon juice or lime zest is perfectly okay, particularly in taking the balancey taste such as ginger and the drink I talked about later, ginger, honey and lemon. The last taste that a Kapha imbalance should avoid and reduce is, of course, salt. And salt is self-evident in the salty taste of food. However, it can sometimes be added to food, much like sugar. Then they're not aware that there's excess salt in their product or in their food. It's moist and oily in nature and aggravates Kapha. It causes water retention, leading to high blood pressure and excess thirst. And it can also have an effect of impeding their sense of organs. Furthermore, what happens with excess salt, it tends to spark a strong desire for stronger flavours, which can exacerbate Kapha. Now, foods that balance Kapha. There are food lists you can find on the internet, a simple Google search. But essentially, we're looking at all fruits and with caution with the big sweet fruits, apples, apricots, berries, cherries, cranberries, dry fruits, particularly dates are particularly good for Kapha. Vegetables, once again, all leafy greens, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, peas, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, garlic, green chillies, mustard, cup greens, almost all the salad leaves are useful and helpful. So vegetables, no particular problems for Kapha. Grains that are beneficial for Kapha would be barley, oats and rye. Beans and legumes, like I spoke earlier on. Black eyed peas, butter beans, green beans, pinto beans, lentils and soya are all good for Kapha. Nuts, generally, it's best to take small quantities of nuts. Almonds is good. Chia, flax and sunflower and pumpkin seeds are also in the good category for Kapha. With regards dairy, it's buttermilk, goat milk and ghee are helpful dairy products, but generally dairy is to be avoided in the Kapha and balance our Kapha's dominant dosha. With regards using oils in the cooking, sesame oil, olive oil, mustard oil, ghee of course, which is the clarified butter used in Indian cooking, sunflower oil are perfectly okay to use. And with spices, any spices are good for Kapha. Taking a short break now, come back and discuss foods that you need to avoid or reduce when you might be suffering from a Kapha imbalance. See you back very short. Transcribed by https://otter.ai Now, welcome back. I was discussing the foods that we need to concentrate on when we've got a Kapha imbalance and these are the foods you need to avoid. Now, as you can imagine, we need to avoid junk food, high sugar food and high fat food. A good example is ice cream. Ice cream has the fat content and sugar that you want to avoid and the wet moist quality with the coldness. So in that sense, it's a really poor food for Kapha and best avoided. In the line of fruits, as I mentioned before, the sweet fruits like bananas, avocados, coconuts, and mangoes would increase the heaviness of Kapha. Most vegetables are great for Kapha, but starchy vegetables, particularly sweet potatoes, tomatoes, ought to be avoided. With regards to grains, it's important to limit the heavy sweet grains such as rice and wheat, so bread and rice and pastas. And proteins are meats, reducing the red meat and the high fat proteins like beef and duck. Chicken is a perfectly good alternative for Kapha. Nuts and seeds, avoiding the oily, salty seeds and nuts like dry roasted peanuts and pecans. These will give you that headiness and saltiness that will exacerbate Kapha. With regards to dairy, dairy in general is best limited, especially cold, rich and creamy products like cheese, yoghurt, milkshakes and ice cream. Heating the milk and having it in a drink with some warming spices is a way around taking some dairy product, particularly as a night drink. And sugar and sweet, as I said, cutting back on refined sugar, baked good, pastries and foods that have added sugar in. Bitter chocolate is okay. Regarding tastes, as I mentioned before, favour the pungent, bitter and astringent tastes and try and reduce the sweet, salty and sour tastes. In general, dietary tips for most doses, but for Kapha particularly, is eating in a peaceful place with a calm mind, no distractions and eat when you feel hungry. And avoiding cold just before or after meals. The important thing is not to quench the digestive fire or what we've mentioned before is the Agni, because Kapha has a typical slower digestion and it needs enhancing or stimulation of the digestion. And Kapha Dosha or Kapha Dosha Aminos is one of those times when you could recommend a two meal a day, and by not having breakfast and having a lunch and an early, early supper. And that setup works well for Kapha. And with regards to weight management, there's another important point with Kapha Dosha Aminos. Kapha cows find it easy to gain weight, a little too easy. They can get prone to emotional overeating and losing weight without feeling weak is an important concept. So, you recommend the type of meal plan would be fresh fruits for breakfast with some small amount of nuts for an energy boost. Having a lunch with mainly vegetables, of the fish and vegetables that are meant to daily run and having a warming spice soup for this would be the idea of a meal plan daily meal plan for a Kapha person or a Kapha advised person. A good spice mix I prepare and have ready rather than having to look at individuals bottles all the time is a spice mix for balancing Kapha excess is a tablespoon full of ground ginger, two tablespoons of ground cumin, one tablespoon full of ground fenugreek, one teaspoon full of black pepper, a teaspoon full of ground cinnamon, two teaspoons of ground turmeric, one teaspoon full of salt and one teaspoon full of pure cane sugar. And if you combine those ingredients together in a bowl and add them into a sealed container and then use that as a spice mix with your vegetables or your stews it's a kind of a one-size-fits-all for Kapha and a good spice blend. A good herbal drink recommendation as I've mentioned before is what's called cumin, coriander and banner. One teaspoon full of cumin seeds, one teaspoon full of coriander seed, one teaspoon of fennel seed and faying with the boil in a small pot and then letting it simmer for 15 minutes and straining it and having it as a warm herbal tea preparation. And of course the old favourites, ginger, honey, lemon with a little bit of grated black pepper mixed in. This is a really excellent drink at this time of the year when the weather is a bit colder and a little bit more sluggish, it enhances your digestion and has a heating effect. Good drinks for Kapha would be things such as apple cider, apple cider vinegar with a little bit of honey, apricot juice, berry juice, carrot juice and grape juice and generally wouldn't recommend juicing as such but for Kapha dosha during the summer, juicing greens, having vegetables, juices is a good dietary supplement but not to be able to replace meals. So the five keys that I like to mention to people who are Kapha imbalanced is to remember that Kapha's need stimulation. They need a change in routine from time to time whereas the other two dosha's benefit from regular routine. Sometimes with Kapha if they get too much in their routine they can get slow, they can become more in their Kapha dosha so to speak. Number one, lights out by 10pm and early start of the morning and avoid daytime naps. Exercise particularly coming into spring for Kapha. Now the exercise that is best for Kapha will be a strong strenuous aerobic exercise that promotes sweating and is beneficial but not to the point of exhaustion. And to perform these exercises while you're, without having to to fall back into mouth breathing so that you're breathing through your nose the entire time so you're not over-exerting yourself. Kapha dosha types also benefit from doing exercise in a group setting. So for instance, a Zumba class or a Peloton class or even a dance class can be very helpful for Kapha. Now another lifestyle tip I mention regularly is the self-practice of massage and with regards to Kapha the most beneficial oil to massage with is a sesame based oil as it's heating. Another thing that can help is it's called dry skin brushing which you may have seen used as a type of exfoliation but this in Ayurveda would be used as a total body brush using special drills with a texture on them and brushing from the bottom of the body to the top which helps with the circulation and helps with the excess blood that can accumulate in the Kapha and imbalance. And also just generally trying to seek stimulation so pushing the envelope, getting out of your comfort zone, changing up the routine as I mentioned before. And you can manage Kapha dosha with specific types of yoga practice which I've spoken about before and meditation as well. Now the herbal supplements that we recommend for Kapha imbalance would be herbs such as ginger and Trifolium and Ashwagandha. These have very particular Trifolia has a laxative and astringent properties and has a drying effect which can help absorb the excess mucus or moisture in the body which is associated with Kapha. So I appreciate that's been quite a lot on the Kapha dosha and I hope it's been helpful for you We can all lapse into Kapha imbalance at this time of the year and we all need to be aware of any excess Kapha accumulating in our system as we head into this transition of seasons and into spring particularly which is a season when Kapha imbalance can be a bigger problem than other times of the year. So tune in again next week for more discussion about Ayurveda. There's always loads to discuss. You can find more information on my website www.anamayurveda.com which is Anam spelt A-N-A-M hyphen A-U-R-V-E-D-A.com. Anam is the Irish word for soul. Until then as we say in Irish, Chrooibh Fadh Fháil. Healthy heart, long life. Take care.
