If you’re here to learn more about your Ayurvedic lifestyle, then you’re definitely in the right place. Embarking on your Ayurveda journey will start by knowing how to take control of your dosha. In this article, we will mainly talk about balancing your Kapha.

The Ayurvedic healing approach believes that Kapha is the dosha that governs the structure of the body. It is responsible for holding our cells together and keeping our muscles, fats, and bones intact or balanced all the time. Hence, it’s safe to conclude that the primary function of our Kapha is to protect our body.

Since the elements of water and earth dominate Kapha, a person with Kapha dosha is physically active, masculine, and has excellent stamina.  When in total balance, Kaphas are usually calm, patient, have strong immunity and a healthy digestive system.

Signs That a Kapha Dominant Person is Experiencing Imbalance

• Sudden weight gain
• Tends to hoard or accumulate clutter
• Less active lifestyle
• Oversleep
• May have a white coating on the tongue
• Excess mucus
• Becoming too attached to people
• Avoiding change
• Hold a grudge against others
• May suffer from allergies
• A sudden attack of asthma
• Depression

How to Maintain a Balanced Kapha?

So what should you do when you experience imbalance? And what else should you do if you want to regain balance and maintain optimum health and well-being? Below are some of the lifestyle tricks to keep a balanced Kapha:

1. Follow A Strict Daily Routine

Having a stagnant life is one of the primary causes of Kapha imbalance. Since this dosha is dominated with the elements of water and earth, they should have a strict daily routine to keep them going and preoccupied.

Start by setting a specific time to wake up. Doing this will help your entire body to have a natural rhythm. It’s ideal for you to start the day early and wake up before 6  in the morning. Waking up even earlier to watch the sunrise, is even better. This kind of routine will also train your body to have a typical day and night rhythm.

Create a daily to-do list to keep your day full. Start your routine by having some time for self-care like tongue scraping, oil massage and a shower then a healthy breakfast and some exercise. Get busy while focusing on your work or your other day-to-day activities. Your daily routine should also have enough time for eating and digesting what you just ate.

Of course, following a Strict Kapha daily routine also requires you to sleep early. Finish off your day by doing meditation just in time for bedtime. Allow at least 2 hours gap between mealtime and sleeping time. Ideally, a Kapha person should be sleeping soundly by 10 pm.

2. Avoid Naps

Kapha individuals are natural sleep lovers, so it’s advisable to be mindful of taking naps, especially during the day. When having an imbalance, Kaphas tend to oversleep, leading them to have a less active lifestyle and stagnant day.

Instead of feeling restful, excessive sleeping will lead you to feel sluggish and slower by the day. So try your best to stay away from napping and make use of your time in more productive activities like going to the gym, decluttering your home, attending yoga classes, seeking new experiences, and more.

3. Avoid Cold Food and Drinks

You should avoid food and beverages that increase the Kapha qualities in your body. These Kapha qualities include cold, wet, heavy, and dense foods. Kapha individuals can reach their full digestive and health potential when they eat warm, light, dry, and cooked meals. Food rich in herbs and spices is also ideal, especially during winter, when the temperature drops.

Keep your Kapha balanced by ingesting more baked, broiled, grilled, and sautéed food. Below are some of the drinks a Kapha should avoid when experiencing imbalance:

• Ice-cold drinks
• Oily foods (whether fried in oil or butter)
• Butter
• Cow’s milk
• Red meat
• Wheat
• Break with yeast
• White and brown rice
• Olives
• Tofu

4. Follow a Kapha-pacifying diet

Instead of eating while in the height of your emotions, try following a Kapha-pacifying diet to maintain balanced health. It means cutting down on sweet, sour, and salty tasting foods. Instead, your diet should focus more on bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes.

Below are some of the foods to include in your Kapha-pacifying diet:

• Beans (except tofu)
• Grains (like quinoa, barley, millet, buckwheat, or basmati rice)
• Cooked vegetables (particularly broccoli, bell peppers, asparagus, and kale)
• Add Kapha-soothing spices such as cayenne, pepper, mustard seed, garlic, clove, and ginger.
• Less sugary and oily foods

5. Choose strenuous yet invigorating exercises

The best way for you to avoid a stagnant day is to engage in physical activities that will require full energy. Aside from keeping them busy, endurance exercises will also prevent toxins in the body.

To keep your Kapha balanced, you may allow at least 15 to 30 minutes pure exercise in your daily routine. This should be scheduled in the morning where you can maximize the benefits of the morning sun. Below are some of the ideal exercises to keep a balanced Kapha:

• Jogging
• Hiking
• Yoga
• Running
• Bicycling
• Swimming
• Aerobics
• Dancing to upbeat music
• Competitive sports like basketball, soccer, boxing, football, martial arts, and more

Mild workouts like brisk walking also count as long as you feel your heart rate going up and you break a sweat.