Yoga for Kapha dosha

Each individual is truly unique and should be treated accordingly. Each individual body is an elemental composition. The five elements: earth, fire, water, air and space (ether) form three doshas, e.i., energy forces of the body. The concept of these doshas dates back to Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of healing.

In fact, it would be more accurate to view Ayurveda as a system of ‘life knowledge’, which aims to understand all forms of life (body, mind and spirit) and their combination as an expression of creation. All forms of creation could be better understood through these three energies (doshas) that support life. Their manifestation in the human body is the result of each person's unique balance of bodily functions, which is determined at conception.

In the Tridosha system Kapha is the most grounded. Its constituent primary elements, earth and water, make Kapha dosha people the most resistant to disease and environmental influence.

People with Kapha constitution, at their best, are reliable, calm and emotionally stable. However, Kapha dosha imbalance is manifested in laziness and sluggishness.

Combining yoga practice with Ayurvedic lifestyle helps to increase the flexibility and endurance of the body, supports digestion and calms the nervous system. Regular practice of yoga asanas also has a positive effect on various bodily functions, as it helps to eliminate ama (waste and toxins).

At the same time, the yogic practices of meditation and pranayama, or breathing exercises have a calming effect, and help to develop mindfulness.

To counteract the cold and strong influence of Kapha, your yoga practice style should be warming and invigorating.

Since Kapha dosha is centred in the chest area, yoga exercises for balancing it should include:

• Asanas that expand or stretch the chest and pulmonary cavity;
• Asanas that improve blood circulation, especially in the chest area;
• Standing asanas for Kapha calming;
• Breathing exercises (pranayama) and meditation for relaxation.

Breathing (pranayama) is one of the easiest ways to clear and purify Kapha, as prana is dry and light.

You can start your practice with Kapalabhati: three rounds of 25 times and then move on to Nadi Shodhana pranayama or Bhastrika, breathing in and out evenly through the chest area.

During asanas practice Ujjayi breath warms and enhances the cleansing effect.

Like pranayama, singing aloud is warming, as it requires mastery of the breath. Repetition of Vedic mantras, especially solar mantras such as ‘Gayatri’, is wonderful for releasing stagnant energy at a faster rate and increasing vitality. Mantras that are associated with a stricter, disciplined feeling, such as ‘Om namah Shivaya’, are ideal for more relaxed Kapha types.

Since Kapha already tends towards stillness, walking meditation or continuous mantra repetition work well for them. Tactile practices or activities requiring focus on something are useful for Kapha people. Thus, meditation beads are advisable for them.

It's worth trying meditation on a clear blue sky or on space stretching in all directions to infinity.

Yoga asanas are ideal exercises that don't require a lot of effort to stay active during Kapha season or to bring people with Kapha prakriti to balance.

Kapha-dominated people should practise more vigorously and harder than the other doshas. Asanas should be held for shorter periods of time without long rest intervals between them, moving smoothly from one asana to another.

If it is a morning practice, you can include 6-12 quick rounds of Surya Namaskar complex as a warm-up for the body.

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

Feel your body’s strength tensing it and sense warmth flowing upwards on the front surface of your body and downwards on the back. Tadasana teaches you to stand without physical and mental fluctuations, preparing the body and mind for practice.

• standing on the mat: feet together, big toes and heels touching;
• lift your kneecaps, engage your thighs and buttocks;
• tuck the tailbone in, making sure there is no lumbar flexion;
• pull the shoulders back and down, bringing the shoulder blades towards the spine;
• lift up the top of your head;
• fingers pointing and stretching to the floor, hands slightly away from the body;
• distribute your body weight evenly across the surface of your feet;
• close your eyes for five to eight breaths.

Contraindications:

• headaches;
• migraines;
• knee osteoarthritis.

Paripurna Navasana (Boat Pose)

Alternatively, you can perform a simpler version, Ardha Navasana.

• sit on the mat with straight legs stretched out in front of you (Dandasana);
• stretch your arms out in front with your palms facing inwards;
• as you inhale raise your arms and legs simultaneously, tilting your body back. In Ardha Navasana, lift bent legs rather than straight;
• keep balancing on your buttocks;
• close your eyes in this pose for five to eight breath cycles;
• with the next exhale lower your arms and legs, lie down on your back and relax.

Contraindications:

• pregnancy;
• menstruation period;
• sharp pain in the lower back;
• spinal cord injuries and enlarged lordosis;
• high ocular and intracranial pressure.

Lie on your back. Relax the muscles of your lower back, release any tension in the sacrum and hips. If your digestion is sluggish, this pose will strengthen and stimulate it, which is always relevant for Kapha constitution.

• bend your legs at the knees, bring your legs towards the torso;
• press your lower back against the mat;
• lift your head, shoulders and gently round the upper back;
• pull your forehead towards your knees and the knees towards your forehead;
• repeat the asana alternating your legs.

Contraindications:

• knee injuries;
• pregnancy.

For people with Kapha constitution, the best asanas are those that help to warm up the body, improve the mood, open the chest and lungs, helping to relief the upper respiratory tract congestion and heaviness.

Let’s practise the following asanas:

Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

• lie on your belly;
• bring your feet together, engage your legs;
• rest your palms on the floor under the shoulders;
• as you inhale, lift your body up as long as your pubic bone stays on the mat;
• pull the top of your head upwards, pull the shoulders back, open the chest, bring the shoulder blades towards the spine;
• try to keep your body weight on your palms and feet;
• hold this pose for five to eight breaths;
• exhale and slowly lower your body to the mat.

Contraindications:

• pregnancy;
• high blood pressure;
• be careful in case of spinal injuries.

Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)

• lie on your belly, arms stretched out along your body;
• bend at the knees;
• grab the inside or outside of your ankles with both hands;
• lift up your body by straightening your legs;
• try not to hold your breath;
• pull the shoulders back, open your chest, try to relax the arms and back muscles;
• try to bring your knees and shins together;
• hold for five to eight breaths.

Contraindications:

• second and third trimesters of pregnancy;
• intervertebral disc problems.

Ushtrasana (Camel Pose)

• kneel on the mat with your knees hip-distance apart;
• stretch your body up through the top of your head;
• put your hands behind your back, palms resting on your lower back, stretch your ribs;
• bend backward slightly, opening your chest and leaning back, grab the heels with your hands or rest your hands on the feet;
• deepen the backbend further opening the chest pull your head back and stretch your neck;
• press your palms on the lower back pushing it forward, keep your hips perpendicular to the floor;
• hold your body in the pose by engaging your leg muscles;
• hold the pose for five to eight breaths;
• slowly return to the starting position.

Contraindications:

• hyperthyroidism;
• hypertension;
• back, knee and neck injuries.

Inverted asanas, when the heart is above the head, are also relevant for Kapha-dominated people; they get the body moving both physically and energetically.

Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)

• lie on your back, legs extended, arms along your body with palms facing down;
• take a full inhale, exhalating lift the legs at an angle of 90 degrees to the body;
• place your palms on the ribs to support your body;
• place your elbows and shoulders on the floor, palms under the back to support your body;
• keep the head straight, do not turn your head, in case of neck pain release the asana;
• stay in the pose for a comfortable amount of time, breathing evenly;
• release the asana by lowering your legs behind your head. Slowly lower your back to the mat, supporting yourself at the lower back, legs lowered last.

Contraindications:

• High blood pressure;
• arteriosclerosis;
• cervical spine injury;
• intervertebral disc dislocation;
• neck or shoulder housing pain;
• severe headaches;
• menstruation;
• pregnancy;
• upset stomach;
• thyroid, heart, liver and spleen diseases.

Shirshasana (Headstand): Beginner level

Headstand is an ideal asana for people with Kapha constitution, but it can be quite challenging. Therefore, it is important to be careful; you could first try to do it against a wall.

• kneel on a blanket or a mat;
• lower your hands and forearms on the mat, your body weight rests on your forearms, interlace your fingers or make a ‘fist in fist’;
• lower your head onto the mat, with the top of the head resting between the hands as a support point. Interlock your fingers and place them on the back of the head, forearms form an equilateral triangle;
• lift up the pelvis and, walk your feet forward bringing your legs as close to the torso as possible;
• bend your legs, lift the feet off the floor and bring the heels towards the pelvis;
• keep your balance in this position and straighten your legs vertically upwards. If you are near a wall, you can rest your heels on it. Use abdominal breathing: when you inhale bring your belly out, and when you exhale bring it in. Observe the sensations in the body;
• stay in Shirshasana for a comfortable period of time, then, carefully keeping your balance, lower your feet on the mat;
• stay in Balasana (Child's Pose) for a while, do not lift your head immediately.

Contraindications:

• pregnancy;
• eye illnesses (glaucoma);
• regular migraines;
• high blood pressure;
• heart diseases;
• osteoporosis;
• menstruation.

Halasana (Plough Pose)

• lie down on your back;
• lift your legs and, with effort, put them behind your head;
• arms stretched out on the floor with palms facing the mat;
• slowly lower your feet behind your head, reaching for the floor;
• press your chest against your chin, don't turn your head;
• interlock your fingers, pull them away from you and try to lower your shoulders to the mat;
• keep your legs straight;
• hold this pose for five to eight breaths;
• gently lower your body onto the mat, lower your legs with exhalation.

Contraindications:

• high blood pressure;
• cervical spine injury;
• pregnancy;
• menstruation.

It is important to remember that the optimal level of physical activity is individual for each person. Ayurvedic texts emphasize the importance of physical activity and exercise, but also warn against excessive exertion. Too strenuous yoga sessions deplete ‘ojas’ (from Sanskrit: the energy in the body), the amount of which determines the state of a one's immune system.

If you experience discomfort or pain while being an asana, you should stop doing it and look for simpler variations of the same asana.

It is important to remember that consistency and discipline are essential to the practice. This is more important than the length of your yoga sessions, so make it a rule to do yoga every day, even if you only have ten minutes of free time.