Spring Ayurveda
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While Spring is usually fleeting, this year it seems to have stuck around! Not only is this lovely to observe the flowers and animals, it gives us a chance to cultivate more balance. In Ayurveda, we look at the five elements and how they work together to create everything around us. Kapha dosha (constitution) is made up of the elements Earth and Water (think about mud when the snow melts) and is associated with the season of Spring.
Kapha qualities (gunas) are heavy, slow, gross, cloudy, dull and sticky. The attribute of "stickiness" can manifest physically in the form of excess weight or mucus or mentally in difficulty to let go. That stickiness isn't all bad -- it can serve as protection and cellular renewal.
When heaviness sets in, it can make us feel stagnant, lethargic and tired. In Ayurveda, like increases like and opposites bring balance - so the antidote to this feeling of dullness is to brighten things up with movement, break up stagnation by trying something new and get yourself out of the 'stuck in the mud' feeling by focusing on uplifting activities with a langhana, or lightening, effect.
Ayurvedic Tips for Spring 💐
Get a change of scenery.
Switching things up can get us out of a rut. While travel has been limited for some time now, there are always other ways to get out of our same old routine. Try taking a new dog walking route, rearranging your furniture or even something as simple as siping your morning coffee from a different spot in your living room. (good news - black coffee in moderation can help balance Kapha dosha!)
Reduce sweet, sour and salty foods and focus on pungent, bitter and astringent.
There are six tastes in Ayurveda and each of them either increase or decrease specific doshas. While sweet, sour and salty foods can be brimhana, or building, the pungent, bitter and astringent flavours can reduce water retention, stoke digestive fire and leave you feeling lighter and more energized. Increase your intake of spices like cayenne, ginger and black pepper, add in green leafy veggies and beans and sip on some dandelion root tea. Kapha is cool so try warm yet light meals that are smaller in size.
Exercise.
Any form of physical activity is good for the body and invigorating, especially exercise that you can take outside. Try a briskly paced walk or bike ride, a yoga flow on your porch or a fun game of tennis with a friend. Not only does exercise give us more energy and keep our bodies healthy but it also helps with the elimination of toxins.
None of the doshas are bad or good, but they do express themselves differently in their balanced and unbalanced states. When Kapha dosha is balanced in a person, you'll see it expressed as contentment, strength, loyalty and resilience.
I invite you to check in with these qualities within yourself and ask yourself what ingredients you can add in or take away to awaken a more inspired, optimistic and magical version of yourself.
Want to learn more about Ayurveda? Join me for Foundations of Ayurveda - Spring on May 16.