What does the Spring season feel like or look like to you?
What does your body & mind feel like the first weeks of entering into Spring?
Why is it important to live in alignment with the seasons?
How can we balance ourselves and & harness the energy of the season?
What was frozen has thawed: mud season. Liquid flows. A time of renewal as new shoots & buds spring forth. The accumulation of winter must be cleansed; flow out of the body to lighten, cleanse & circulate.
The Kapha Season begins wet & cold in March and ends warm & wet in May to June. To bring balance: bring warmth, fire to the belly with large movements, holding & twisting, light, mobile, & warm. Maintain a regular practice to help to warm the body to avoid stiffness during the wet/cold beginnings of this season. Avoid stagnant energy, lethargy, a sense of heaviness. RE: Practice is grounding, slower moving, nourishing & warming. Introduce more heat to boost the circulation, increase energy-go inward and nurture ourselves. Delve deeper into our practice.
Elements: Earth & Water. Frozen ground to early spring; mud. Mix of earth & water elements.
Located: Lungs, Stomach, & Sinuses, Throat & Head.
Gunas-Qualities: Heavy, dull, dense, slow, soft, oily, cold.
Governs: Stability & lubrication of the body.
Balanced Kapha: Feel strong, composed & stable, loving, nurturing, patient, devoted, loyal, peaceful & forgiving
Imbalanced Kapha: Too much Kapha in Body or Mind; all along or in springtime: feel sluggish, depressive, sinus issues, water retention, challenges with yeast/ Feel mentally dull or depressed, excess phlegm in the lungs or sinuses, nausea, unhealthy weight gain, or heaviness in the lungs. Controlling, insecure, materialistic, lethargic, apathetic, insensitive, & attached. Slow digestion. Slow metabolism, Sleepy after meals. Constipation.
One can balance Kapha’s “cold, heavy, slow nature by bringing in more warm, dry and stimulating movements/activities. **If unbalanced bring in the air element to increase the ability to open clogged body channels.
Lifestyle changes for the Kapha Season:
Commit to a Routine
Wake between 5-6 am. Before the sun rises. Less susceptible to Kapha symptoms.
Kapha time is between 6-10:00 am & 6-10:00 pm. May see Kapha qualities arise during these times. May feel lethargic/sluggish. Recognize these times and work to counter this imbalance.
Do that which lightens & circulates.
30-60 minutes of exercise everyday/ morning 6-10:00 am (outside preferable).
Daily dry brushing (garshana) to stimulate the lymphatic. Movement from out to in (to the heart).
Sauna
Journal plan
Spring cleaning
**Diet: foods that are lighter, drier, pungent and warming cleansing foods. Light & airy. Warm over cool. Dry over moist or oily. Rough over smooth. Our digestion is weaker during the Kapha season, as a result eat your biggest meal at lunch.
Ayurveda considers food as medicine. Rather than popping a bunch of supplements, consider first turning to what’s growing in season. Studies have shown that eating local seasonal food improves the microbiome of your gut. ⠀In the spring choose foods that are warm and light. That means reducing heavy foods like casseroles in favor of roasted vegetables and light grains like millet or quinoa. Increase tastes that are bitter, pungent and astringent.
Foods to Favor to Balance the Kapha Dosha EAT FOODS THAT ARE SEASONAL
▪︎ Bitter is responsible for cleansing the blood, detoxifying the liver, and reducing inflammation. The bitter taste is often left out of the American diet. This may be why so many people crave coffee and chocolate. Add sautéed bitter greens to your meal planning such as nettles, kale, collard, and dandelion as well as burdock root, asparagus, brussel sprouts, cabbage, leafy greens, arugula, bitter melon and turmeric. ⠀
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▪︎ Pungent stimulates digestion, improves appetite, clears sinuses, stimulates circulation, and heightens the senses. The pungent taste brings spice and warmth. Consider adding onions, radishes, garlic, ginger, green chili’s, cardamom, cloves, and mustard seeds to your dishes. Be aware, a little goes a long way! ⠀
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▪︎ Astringent helps absorb water and dries up excess fluid. The astringent taste causes the mucus membranes in the mouth to contract and results in a drying sensation, think of biting into an unripe banana peel (I’m not suggesting you eat that:).
** Lean Proteins: such as kidney beans, legumes/lentils, eggs (moderation) & white meat (chicken, turkey)
** Dry grains: amaranth, barley, buckwheat, corn, millet, & quinoa, rice (brown, long grain).
** Fruits: such as blueberries, raspberries and apricots, pears, papayas, apples(cooked), lemons, limes, strawberries; all berries.
** Dairy: Look to raw or vat-pasteurized. Ghee (moderation), lowfat yogurt (moderation), Rice/Soy Milk and if you like goat milk.
**Oils: flax, coconut, and hemp oil.
**Sweeteners: raw honey, molasses, maple syrup (all in moderation).
** Spices: Bring in warming, light spices to counteract the heaviness of Kapha such as those that have a heating, pungent quality. Melt the stagnation in your digestion. Stimulate the agni to reduce inflammation and open respiratory passages.
Anise, Asafoetida, Basil, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Clove, Coriander, Cumin, Fenugreek, Ginger, Marjoram, Mustard Seeds, Nutmeg, Oregano, Rosemary, Saffron, Sage, Thyme, Turmeric, .
** Teas: Herbal- cardamom, chicory, cinnamon, dandelion, ginger, hibiscus, orange peel.
Foods to eliminate or eat in moderation: Sweet-Salty-Sour/Heavy-Cold-Oily:
Fried foods, raw foods, dairy products,processed foods, iced drinks (puts out your agni), ice cream, smoothies (clogs digestion), wheat & baked goods (heavy), sugary foods & snacks, oil rich foods-fried foods, fatty meats and breads.
Link to learn more about the foods to eat and eliminate during the Kapha season:
https://ayurvedichealthcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/AHCWS-Food-Brochure-Kapha.pdf
Kapha & Yoga:
The predominant places of kappa are the lungs, the stomach and the sinuses. When designing your yoga sequence bring in poses that will open the chest.
- Need to bring balance to the body by bringing in warmth (inner warmth), fire to the belly (agni) with large movements: holding, twisting, bending, opening.
- Create space, stimulation, warmth, & buoyancy.
- The pelvis & legs are the “earthy/watery” part of the body;prone to retaining water. RE: bring warmth and movement to this area.
- The stomach-chest & head are the energetic seat of Kapha; as a result this area tends to accumulate mucus.
6-10:00 am (mucus strongest between 6-10 am)
Vigorous pace & intensity-keep moving: to alleviate excess Kapha
Focus on pose & how it creates expansiveness
Practice in a warm place
Use a strong forceful breath during practice
Keep your chest open & lifted. Upward gaze
Pause between inhales & exhales
- A restorative pose for final relaxation
**As you practice, bring in these guides: to “focus, rise, lift, lighten, activate, reach, extend, shine, breathe into.”
Kapha Pacifying Asanas: Warm, cleansing, circulation, lightening. Bigger movements.
*Standing/ Arms & your eyes raised will bring a sense of lightness and heat to the body:
Chest Openers, Warriors I & II, Reverse Warrior, Side Angle/Extended SA, Triangle, Dancer, (opens chest) Active Standing Forward Bends (brings heat to the chest area), Squats, Twisting Chair, Lunges, Sun Salutations, Standing Extended Leg, Twists, Half Moon, Tree
*Back:
Dead Bug Variations, Backbends (release tension in chest & lungs) Inversions, Figure 4, Reclining Bound Angle, Revolved Ab Rotations, Chest Openers, Legs up Wall, Supine Twists, Leg Lifts, Restorative Poses
*Belly:
Locust, Cobra w/Variations, Bow
*Side Body:
Extended Side Angle,
*Tabletop:
Bird Dog, Eye of Needle, Pigeon w/Bolster, Upward Plank, Planks, Down Dog
*Seated:
Cow-face, Seated Rotations , Boat
*Headstand
Pranayama Breathing:
Kapalabhati Breathing- increase metabolism and energy flow. Breath into the intensity.
Bhastrika Breathing- cleanses body and energizes digestive system.
Breath of Joy
Full Yogic Breath
Nadi Shodhana-alternate nostril breathing
Mediation:
Openness, grounding & then expand.
Resources:
Banyan Botanicals, "Kapha Pacifying Diet", https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/ayurvedic-living/living-ayurveda/diet/kapha-pacifying-diet/
