Kapha is the earth and water elements and directly translates as phlegm or ‘that which sticks’, but is often called the harmonizing energy as its earthly makeup, grounds Vata and Pitta and helps offset their related imbalances. It is the energy of building and lubrication that provides the body with physical form, structure, and the smooth functioning of all its parts.
When a Kapha person is in balance they will be loving, patient, and forgiving, when too much kapha comes greed, attachment, and mental inertia are common.
Kapha is mainly located in the chest, throat, lungs, head, lymph, and fatty tissues. It lubricates joints with synovial fluid and is the thick layer of mucous in the stomach protecting the lining from the acid inside. It is also the saliva that helps pitta to digest and vata to talk.
Kapha Diseases
| Kapha diseases | |
|---|---|
| Weight | Obesity, and trouble losing weight, |
| Sinuses | Congestion, and anything relating to mucous |
| Fungus | Fungal problems anywhere in the body |
| Skin | Itching, psoriasis, fungus (tinea versicola) |
| Tumors | Benign tumors are a symptom of Kapha, but if there is rapid growth or spreading of cancerous cells that is the vata elements |
Kapha types tend to avoid mental or physical challenges, but when someone is starting to mentally or physically stagnate then kapha can fall into depression (although this does have vata elements). Once kapha has a problem, it is likely to take persistent effort to change it. Their diseases although hard to get, have a tendency of being quite hard to lose.
Reducing Kapha
To reduce kapha the main focus needs to be on bringing energy and life. Supportive environments with a lot of encouragement from others are usually required (unless they have a strong pitta element in the mind) They naturally have better endurance and need less sleep (even if they like sleep) so make sure not to take naps, increase physical exertion wherever possible. Make sure you look closely at your diet and have foods that are light and easy to digest.
Increasing Kapha
Kapha naturally starts to increase as you build attachments, particularly in terms of starting a family, kapha increases a lot during pregnancy. Those deep loving ties bring a sort of stability and grounding as long as the relationships are supportive. Eating heavy creamy food, or generally overeating. Very salty or sweet food.
Sedentary and mentally non-challenging jobs. Cold damp climate.
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