Kapha Dosha Pacifying Lifestyle : Dinacharya

Last updated on August 21, 2024 by Dr. Subashri Thanigaivel

Kind Kapha is a personality formed by a healthy Kapha lifestyle.

When the Kapha elevates, the Kapha dosha occurs. It is the root cause to the lifestyle disorders that are born out of excess Kapha dosha. Kapha dosha is one of the tridoshas, given to us by nature in the name of Ayurveda, governs our body, mind, and soul. The elements of Kapha Dosha are water and earth that controls our saathvic gunas—behaviors associated with patience, unconditional love, inner peace, calmness, stability and unwavering mind. They are built upon qualities like soft, gentle, stable, calm, cold, transparent and stillness. These inherent qualities of the water and earth are reflected in the body, mind, and soul of the Kapha Prakriti people.

When you have excess Kapha, more than the normal level of your Prakriti (body-mind constitution), the characteristics (gunas)of these elements turns the excess goodness into bad. This imbalance results in Kapha dosha symptoms in the body indicating the early stage of a lifestyle disorder. When these physical symptoms are overlooked, it ultimately affects the body and mind.

Kapha Personality Outlook

Kapha personality is kind. They are peaceful, calming and sweet by nature. Kapha personality people make firm decisions, promote stability in their life and like to follow traditional, proven methods. They have high focus and perform tasks one at a time. They also prefer to have a fixed routine rather than trying something new everyday,

Dinacharya Plan For Kapha Dosha : Lifestyle Habits

• Kapha should wake up at 5 – 5.30 AM. Please don’t sleep after 5:30 AM, even if you feel drowsy
• Start jogging or running to kick away the heavy Kapha. Exercise for an hour, preferably heavy exercises that can make you sweat 
• Self-Abhyanga (massage) with thin oil like coconut oil or massage powders before showering
• Eat a wholesome breakfast between 7.30 AM to 8.00 AM. Intake Dosa, Idly, cereals like quinoa and make sure to leave ½ of the stomach empty
• Intake lunch at 2.30 PM. Have a variety of tastes included in your lunch such as bitter, pungent, spicy and astrigent. Avoid junk foods like pizza,burger, french fries.  Include one kind of spinach and stir fired vegetables in the lunch.
• Have oil-free dinners – 6.30 – 7.00 PM. Avoid maids, cake flours, flavored preservatives in your dinner meal. Millets can be consumed too (Avoid Raagi)
• Eat three times a day at the same time. Avoid snacking in between meals and strictly no heavy desserts.  
• Set your mobile aside before 2 hours of your bedtime. Spending screen time before bed results in Kapha aggravation.  
• Structured routine is good but occasionally changing them to also feel the adrenaline helps to balance the heaviness that allows for the mind to be open 
• Instead of preferring soft clothes, go for a bed that is hard and slightly rough. 

Kapha Skincare Products

Kapha has a very smooth and delicate skin texture, so they should avoid chemicals on their skin and use herbal based skin creams. Nalpamaradi soaps are best to protect their soft supple skin.

• Self abhyanga with thin Kera thailam or with herbal massage powders everyday morning before showering
• Use herbal coarse powders for the body while showering. Scrub your feet, hands, and body with a rough loofah. 
• Avoid using oil-based soaps, cleansers, and moisturizers. Opt-in for a thin liquid body lotion. 
• Don’t oil on your scalp before going to bed.
• Use shampoo that are sulphate free because it can trigger acne on your face

Kapha Dosha Diet Recommendations

To Eat

To Avoid

FAQ : Balancing Kapha Dosha Lifestyle

1. What should Kapha avoid?
   • As a Kapha, one should avoid juicy, dense fruits and vegetables. Food that have dense quality, rich in water content needs to be avoided. Food that taste sweet, salty also needs to be avoided. Read Pacify Kapha Dosha In Body : Dietary Recommendations
2. How many hours should Kapha dosha sleep?
   • Kapha dosha pushes you to sleep for long hours like more than 8 or 10, but when you sleep for 6 hours only, you can feel Kapha dosha returning to its balance. Kapha should go to bed before 11 and should wake up between 5-5:30 AM.
3. How do you overcome Kapha Dosha?
   • Balancing Kapha dosha or any other dosha requires corrective habits in food, sleep, physical activity and daily routines. When you focus on these 4, your lifestyle aligns towards your Kapha Prakriti not the Kapha Dosha.
4. How do you fix Kapha imbalance?
   • To fix Kapha imbalance, begin with making changes in your diet. Especially focus on how you like your food. Example: Do you like excess oil on salads? Do you like more sweetness in your food?. When you correct these eating habits, your Kapha slowly comes back into balance. Now, you can go for changing routines, exercises and sleep pattern.
5. Is milk good for Kapha?
   • Kapha can avoid milk intake at night. If you have Kapha dosha and loves diary products, restrict your intake to 100ml/day, with thrice a week.
6. Can Kapha eat banana?
   • Kaphas can enjoy one banana during summer but in winter and other seasons, bananas induces cold, so limiting to twice a week is good choice.
7. What time should Kapha wake up?
   • Kapha should go to bed before 11 and should wake up between 5-5:30 AM.
8. What are Kapha doshs symptoms ?
   • Kapha dosha has three kinds of symptoms.
     • Physical – obesity, mucous, GI disturbances, loose motion, bloating, acne, hairfall.
     • Behavioral – bullying, lethargic, stubborn, inflexible, manipulative, self-centered
     • Psychological – insecurity, trust issues.
9. What lifestyle habits would you recommend for Kapha?
   • Try new things, explore out of your comfort zone. Sleep only for hours a day. Eat dry, bitter and slightly spicy food. Read more about Kapha lifestyle practices
10. How many hours Kapha should workout?
    • Morning 2 hours and evening post 5 Pm one hour.
11. Can Kapha do yoga daily?
    • Yes, Kapha can do yoga daily. It benefits them in reducing the obese condition, enhances their focus and improves cognitive thinking. But along with that, they need to try intense cardio like swimming, running, cycling, rock climbing and other fast paced outdoor activites.

Conclusion

To bring the alignment between the body and mind, forming a lifestyle that is aligning with your Prakriti is vital. Like attracts like in Ayurveda, so include opposite to balance the qualities—maintains tranquility. 

As far as Kapha is concerned, daily routines can be really helpful to remove the heavy, congested, unmotivated, and lethargic attitude.