There are three doshas: vata, pitta and kapha. As each person has dominant doshas or qualities, so does each season. Winter is the season of kapha dosha: slow, heavy, cold. Its elements are water and earth. We see kapha at its strongest in the north, with its heavy blanket of snow insulating the land.
A few weeks before the seasons change is the optimum time to begin to incorporate the practices that help us maintain balance during the coming season. If you live where I live,or even further north, you may need to begin these practices earlier.
Kapha supports strength and stability. It assists moisture in the skin and hair, and lubricates the joints, tissues and lining of the lungs. Winter is the time we add a few extra pounds, additional structure and stability, to support the immune system during the cold season. Too much kapha, however, can show up as too many pounds, lethargy, sluggishness in energy and digestion, lack of motivation and action, oily skin and hair, and over-sleeping.
The seat of kapha in the body is the chest. Excess kapha can present as excess mucus or congestion in the chest, sinuses, head and throat. Sounds like cold and flu season, doesn't it? Pacifying kapha helps reduce congestion in the body.
Nourish your relationship with winter. Use these simple practices to pacify excess kapha and maintain health as we shift with the seasons.
TEAS
Choose teas that are stimulating and invigorating. Start each day with a cup of ginger tea. Apple cider is an afternoon treat, spiced with cloves and cinnamon. Enjoy spicy chai teas with black pepper and resist the urge to sweeten.
AROMATHERAPY
Essential oils and essences of sweet orange, grapefruit, eucalyptus and ginger are invigorating for sluggish kapha. Add a few drops to the bath or shower, or to a carrier oil like sweet almond. Stimulate circulation by massaging the oil into the body or the soles of the feet. Add essential oil of frankincense to your face oil, which is nourishing for both kapha and skin.
YOGA
Warm, flowing yoga keeps the body moving. Add music to stimulate the senses and your practice. A heated flow will feel delightful on a cold day. Try energizing kriyas or fire up that core and digestive agni with a daily practice for your midsection. Add Breath of Fire to your practice to increase the heat.
MOVING MEDITATION
Walking meditation outdoors helps maximize the sun's and nature's positive effects on the body during this shorter daylight hour season. It also provides movement for kapha energy and invigorates body, mind and spirit. Dress for the weather, keeping chest, throat and face warm and protected from exposure to cold and damp conditions. Walk with a friend. Socialization is good for the excess kapha who wants to withdraw from the world. Try cross-country skiing, skating or snow-shoeing. Find the beauty in winter each day.
FOOD
Enjoy warm, light and easily digested foods. Sugar, dairy and excess oily foods should be avoided. Choose soups and stews of veggies, beans and broth. Use invigorating spices like mustard seed and ginger. Enjoy homemade apple sauce spiced with warming cinnamon, clove and ginger. For non-vegetarians, meat is warming in winter. Choose fish and chicken over red meat. Ghee is a good choice for a winter fat.
RISE & SHINE
Wake early and get your day started with a nourishing routine: music, tea, yoga, walking or fireside meditation, aromatherapy facial cleanser or hot shower with grapefruit shampoo. Create a morning ritual that entices you from bed each day.
Remember to balance the season with your personal dosha. If you have excess pitta and tend towards driven, agitated, fiery, or a sharp tongue, this kapha season is a gift for you and a time to cool off.
Likewise, if vata is your predominant dosha and you are busy busy busy - moving, thinking, talking - then winter allows you the time to slow down.
If you already tend towards sluggishness, in your body or your actions, and find it hard to get motivated - the thought of curling up on the couch for a long winter's nap is overly appealing - kapha is not what you need more of and these practices will help you from hibernating too deep or long this winter.
Just as the snow reflects the moonlight, winter provides the best time for us to rest in quiet reflection. Embrace the season and take this time to restore and rejuvenate, naturally.
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