Understanding Kapha Dosha
Posted by Magali Lomeli on
Kapha dosha is primarily responsible for creating, lubricating, and sustaining the structural integrity of the body. Despite their dominant constitution, children and adolescents are in the kapha stage of their life. They are creating more tissue and building up their body. People with a kapha constitution are a little on the heavier side due to the earth element being so prominent. Their fire is not as strong, so they are slower to process information, and often consider all possible outcomes before making a decision ,or claim. They are emotional, but hide it well. They are reliable and dependable friends; friendships matter deeply to them, often times growing attached to people, things, and ideas. People with a kapha dosha are not easily swayed or convinced otherwise, once they have made up their mind, it becomes very difficult to change it. They have deep rooted sentiments and ideas. They are also very passive, slow moving, and tend to sleep too much and too often. Given their slow movement, they tend to lack appetite and have a slow, but steady, digestive system. Common illnesses are: diabetes, insufficient circulation (slow moving), obesity, colds and flu, bronchitis, asthma, tumors, among others.
Kapha and the Other Doshas
Kapha and vata are polar opposites and are often in conflict with one another. They oppose each other because what balances one inevitably leads to the disturbance of the other. For example, vata is balanced with the sweet taste and grounding practices, while kapha goes out of balance with those practices. In the efforts to balance kapha, one must do the opposite of kapha's nature, which will lead to excess vata. Luckily, pitta is in charge of mediating between the two. We must find the happy medium between the two and learn how to keep them both at ease and working together.
All three doshas are present in the body and work together, but kapha and vata, since they are opposites, balance each other out. They work in close proximity in places that need movement and lubrication, such as: the heart, lungs, and joints. Kapha is also the stasis that brings the body to equilibrium when vata and pitta go rogue. The true work of the doshas is so intertwined with one another that it often confuses us, which dosha is the disturbance rooted in?
One thing is certain is that kapha keeps the overall balance of the body even when a vata or pitta are aggravated.
The Elements of Kapha Dosha
All three doshas, as well as all living beings in the universe, have the five elements within them. These elements work in unison to provide the human (or living being) with the experience of life. Kapha dosha is the water and earth element. The characteristics of these elements are heavy, cold, soft, stability, unctuous, and sweet.
Water and earth are not the best of friends, but they are not against each other either like fire and water (pitta). Dr. Robert Svoboda in his book Prakriti, tells us that earth and water are two elements that have no real affinity for one another. When you pour sand into water, for example, it drops to the bottom of the vessel and [just] sits there. They only interact if the pot is stirred and the sand is forced from the bottom to combined with water. This is kapha's job. Kapha is responsible for having these elements combine and work together to provide the body with structure and equilibrium.
The water element provides the body with the fluids and lubrication that it needs. The synovial fluid in the bones and the mucous in the heart and lungs is where lubrication is needed so that movement (vata) can take place. The mucous in the intestines and colon is also needed for protection against the strong digestive juices. Without a layer of lubrication, the digestive juices will begin to digest the organs. When the body has too much water, issues begin to arise such as phlegm, wet coughs, etc. that is why the earth element is there to provide us with the balance and the stability the water needs to function.
Just as the ocean waves do not go over a mountain on a calm day, the earth element is within us to keep the water at bay. Though too much earth element will inevitably soak up all of the water and create kidney stones, gallbladder stones, tumors, and a variety of other imbalances. Earth and water work together to provide us with the structure and lubrication; an environment for the other doshas to thrive in.