Balancing Your Kapha Dosha
Kapha is slow in nature, so the yoga poses for this dosha should make it more active. Such activity will balance Kapha and help it stay healthier and happier. Although the title is about yoga poses, yoga is a complete system and does include a proper nutrition and a lifestyle correction. It is not about some really dramatic changes – you simply need to know some laws and tips to bring your dosha back from an imbalanced state and maintain it in harmony.
You need to find the type of physical activity you like and do it often and regularly. Since we are talking about yoga, you might want to choose a style to your likes. As for the particular poses, I’m going to mention them below.
Kapha Dosha Yoga
When you start your practice, you can do Surya Namaskar as a warming technique – it consists of 12 postures which are performed dynamically in a sequence in combination with breathing.
The yoga sequence: Tadasana, Vriksasana (Vrksasana), Utthita Trikonasana, Utthita Parsvakonasana, Virabhadrasana 1,2,3, Parsvottanasana, Sarvangasana, Halasana, Purvottanasana, Janu Sirsasana, Supta Virasana, Ardha Matsyendrasana, Bhujangasana, Salabhasana, Alligator twisted pose, Savasana.
Tips for Practicing
Active movement is good for Kapha since it gives energy. But when it comes to yoga, a Kapha person can get a benefit from holding the intense and energetic poses such as headstand, shoulder stand, the locust pose, and some standing poses, especially when they are combined with deep breathing. Even if you feel a bit uncomfortable in a particular pose, remaining in it as long as possible is beneficial for you.
It is very important to maintain a deep breathing during asana performance. But there is Bhastrika Pranayama (Fire breathing) – a technique of rapid breathing and it is also good for this dosha.
Ayurveda uses alternative nasal breathing to balance the doshas. Inhaling through the right (solar) nostril and exhaling through the left (lunar) nostril increases heat and reduces Kapha. Inhaling through the left (lunar) nostril and exhaling through the right (solar) nostril reduces heat and Pitta. For Vata it is useful to combine both types of nasal breathing, especially breathing through the right nostril in the morning and through the left nostril in the evening. Chanting mantras is also good.
Kapha dosha tends to lead a sedentary lifestyle and any type of activity is usually difficult for it or not welcomed. But to reduce the influence of this dosha (when it comes out of balance and to maintain it in a good state) you need to overcome your passiveness through the prolonged yoga practice even after you want to stop exercising.
It is natural for you to avoid any “unnecessary” movement and tension, but to achieve a good dosha balance you need to work against your natural Kapha inclinations.