Hello, Kapha Season

Diagram from The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine by David Frawley and Dr. Vasant Lad

Kapha Dosha in Ohio

In Ohio, we generally experience Kapha Season from mid-January through mid-May. This is an approximation, of course, because the seasons are not held to a strict calendar date. Ayurveda understands that the seasons are fluid and organic. Kapha Season, regardless of the exact date it begins to unfold, is comprised of two Ritus ("seasons") which are:

Shishira Ritu: Late Winter/Early Spring Season (mid-January to mid-March)

Vasanta Ritu: Spring (mid-March to mid-May)

The Western view of Spring is generally when the cold of Winter has gone and the majority of our days and nights are now colored with more warmth, fragrance in the air, and an eruption of blooms and foliage. The Ayurvedic view encompases both the slow emergence and undisputable presence of Spring into what we refer to a Kapha Season. 

Early Spring is cold, damp, and dense. This looks like cold rains, slushy snow, and heavy mud. "True" Spring is warmer, bringing with it pleasant breezes, lush grasses and foliage, and the chatter and activity of native fauna. 

About Kapha Dosha

Kapha Doshas's Seasonal Approximation: Late Winter through Spring

Kapha Dosha's Time of Day: 6AM-10AM and 6PM-10PM

Kapha Dosha's Elements: Earth & Water

Kapha Dosha's Qualities (Gunas): HEAVY/DULL/COLD/SMOOTH/DENSE/HARD/STABLE/GROSS/CLOUDY

Kapha Dosha's Associated Sense Perception: Taste

Kapha Dosha's Light Aspect: Structure, Lubrication, and Strength

Kapha Dosha's Shadow Aspect: Accumulation, Congestion, and Stagnation

Kapha Dosha's Emotional Expression: Compassion, Calm, Unbothered, Grief, Sorrow, Lethargy, Attatchment

Kapha Dosha's Location in the Body: Kledaka Kapha (upper stomach and GI tract, mucosal membranes of the digestive tract, enabling comfortable digestion and assimilation of nutrients); Avalambaka Kapha (chest and lungs, cardiac and pleural cavity fluids, enabling ease of breathing and organ functioning); Bodhaka Kapha (mouth and esophagus, saliva, enabling sense of taste and proper digestion); Tarpaka Kapha (craniosacral fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord, enabling smooth communication between brain and body); Sleshaka Kapha (lubrication of the joints, enabling fluid and comfortable movement in the body).

Balanced vs Imbalanced Kapha

Kapha Dosha (the combination of the elements Water & Earth) is found predominantly in the chest and lungs, the lymph and adipose tissue, the pancreas, the plasma of the blood, the white matter of the brain and the cerebrospinal fluid, and the joints.

When Kapha is balanced, our skin is moist, our joints are lubricated, and our immunity is strong. Healthy immunity from abundant and balanced Kapha Dosha is crucial in order to have healthy Ojas, vitality.

When Kapha is imbalanced (in excess, vitiated, quality spoiled), we can experience any of the following:

Physical Symptoms: congestion, sluggishness, excess mucus production, allergies, swelling, edema, respiratory disorders, sinus issues, dull aches, fibrocystic changes (usually increase), and heavy digestion.

Emotional Symptoms: attachment, sorrow, grief, greed, stubbornness, posessiveness, depression.

Ayurvedic Diet & Lifestyle for Kapha Season (Spring)

The old Ayurvedic adage that guides all of our intentional decision-making is: "Like increases like, opposites balance."

Because the qualities of Spring are heavy, dense, moist, unctuous, and even sticky, we simply want to avoid foods and habits that increase these qualities the majority of the time and instead favor foods and habits that are opposite and therefore balance Kapha Dosha during this season when it's already naturally most abundant.

This is the season to choose foods that are lighter and drier in nature. Think: nutritious boths, salads, grain bowls, and legumes.

Continuing to indulge in the heavier, unctuous, creamy foods of last season (dairy and cheese-heavy dishes, nut butters and sticky sweets, anything fatty, dense and rich) will continue to increase Kapha Dosha. Depending on your Constitution, this could either slowly or quickly lead to deeper imbalance.

Remember: Spring is the lean season. This is when Nature is beginning to wake up. The flowers are sprouting and the hibernating animals are stretching their legs, but what is available is sparse. This time of year is catabolic, meant for detoxification and the release of whatever we've been holding onto during the Winter months.

Kapha Season marks the transition from dormancy to dynamic growth. And in order to grow, we first must let go. Whatever is left clogging our srotas, "channels," will turn into Ama (the disruptor of Agni, digestion) which, as we know in Ayurveda, is the groundfloor of all disease, as is stagnant Prana.

Understand the Importance of Ama, Prana, and Agni For Seasonal Health (link)

Supportive Spring lifestyle choices include inviting in more movement and more opportunities to clear the channels and create lightness and clarity. Think: pranayama, yoga, brisk walking or hiking, putting your bare feet on the Earth and breathing fresh air, consuming less media for mental spaciousness, opening windows (the German practice of "Lüften (airing out)."

Ayurveda's Six Tastes for Kapha Season: Bitter / Pungent / Astringent

Ayurvedic wisdom teaches us that a truly holistic and nutritional meal should contain all six tastes, which are: Sweet/Sour/Salty/Bitter/Pungent/Astringent

It's also wise to do our best to incorporate all six tastes in every meal whenever possible because this will ensure our satisfaction. Oftentimes, we are left still craving something at the conclusion of a meal; the urge for extraneous and mindless snacking can be avoided if we ensure our diet consists of the six tastes.

While each taste is suitable year-round, there are certain tastes we should favor more than the others in each season. Spring/Kapha Season is the time for the bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes.

Because Kapha Dosha increases when we consume the sweet, sour, and salty tastes, it is not generally advised that we eat these foods in excess during Spring. However, your individual Constitution should always be the determining factor in making dietary decisions that deeply support you and encourage the equilibrium of your Doshas. Consult with your Ayurvedic practitioner to gain clarity on how you can choose and build your seasonal diet to support your personal Consitution. Please email avalebenayurveda@gmail.com to schedule a seasonal consultation.

About the Tastes of Spring

Bitter: A cholagogue, increases digestive enzymes (Agni) and encourages bile flow by stimulating the liver and gallbladder. Helps to detoxify the blood and metabolize fat, which is increasingly important through Spring, the time to release excess, including residual fat-soluble toxins stored in the tissues. An antipyretic, dispelling heat, fire, and fever (in TCM this would be “stomach heat” or “damp heat.”) Kapha and Pitta need more, Vata needs less.

Astringent: Important for pulling out trapped heat and creating tone. Counteracts water retention through its drying property. A diaphoretic (increases urination) and hemostatic (stops bleeding and discharges such as diarrhea). It is tonifying for the tissues, creating firmness and structure within membranes. Kapha and Pitta need more, Vata needs less.

Pungent: A diaphoretic, causes mild sweating through the pores which opens up the Srotas (channels) and allows for detoxification and the cooking of Ama. A carminative, kindles appetite and Agni and promotes digestion and circulation by building heat. Kapha and Vata need more, Pitta needs less.

See the above images for examples and suggestions of bitter, astringent, and pungent foods. 

The Season of Lymphatic Circulation, Liver Support, and Detoxification

Kapha is a master of accumulation. This means that things of Kapha Nature are prone to becoming sticky and stagnant, including our lymph and blood. Emotions and thoughts, too, can begin to suffocate our delicate cells and systems, leaving little room for clarity and processing with discernment and true connection to our authentic Self.

Here are some extra notes for Kapha Season:

1. Begin your meals with the bitter taste (digestive bitters or some steamed leafy greens) to stimulate bile flow in the liver and gallbladder and support blood flow.

2. Dry brush (garshana) before you shower. Use warming oils.

3. Rebounding and bouncing can help move lymph.

4. Practice rhythmic movemrent for 20 consecutive minutes.

5. Break a light sweat 3-4x week.

6. Foot baths, steams, and saunas to open the pores.

7. Drink dandelion root teas.

8. Wake early, get to bed by 10pm.

9. Practice pranayama in the morning, the Kapha time of day (6am-10am).

10. Eat your last meal before sunset.

This is the perfect time of year to do Ayurvedic detox therapies that include Swedana, the practice of inducing sweating to improve circulation and the excretion of waste that has accumulated in the body (Ama).

In my practice, I offer Abhyanga and Padabhyanga (full-body oil massage and foot oil massage) which both include some form of Swedana. A classic Ayurvedic way to honor the arrival of a season is to engage in detoxifying therapies such as these, ideally a few times over a short period of time, depending on the person and their Constitution. Email avalebenayurveda@gmail.com to ask what Ayurvedic cleansing therapies would support you during Kapha Season.

My Spring Recommendations from My Favorite Sources

Remember: In order for internal therapies (like supplements and herbs) to truly be effective and not a waste of money, Agni must be strong and healthy and Ama must be minimal or nonexistent. The recommendations for Kapha Dosha support below are not the more intricate formulations Ayurveda might sugest because the majority of the population simply isn't prepared to take them right away. In order for supplements to be truly effective, we must have a healthy foundation already set. The following are milder tools you can begin using on your own; I invite you to really take time with any new additions to your diet/lifestyle and note any subtle changes.

To gain more clarity about how to begin setting healthy foundations that support your Constitution, schedule an Ayurvedic consultation.