Establishing a supportive daily routine is a crucial part of the Ayurvedic lifestyle, and it can be a game-changer when kapha is provoked. Since Kaphas are prone to being sluggish when out of balance, a routine can be potent medicine for balancing these tendencies because it automates some of our most essential self-care practices.
According to the Ayurveda, we are all ruled by three different energies, or doshas, known as vata, pitta, and kapha. These doshas are governed by the elements, earth, water, air, ether, and fire. We’re all made up of a unique combination of these three forces. If you don’t know which dosha is most predominant for you, the Ayurvedic Body Type quiz is a fun and easy way to find out.
With Kapha as your predominant dosha, you’re naturally grounded and calm. Kapha is naturally heavy and dense, so when it is elevated, we are very likely to feel heavy, congested, unmotivated, and lethargic. They have an innate sense of taste and smell and love to eat. Despite being hard-working people, they also have a tendency to be lazy and are capable of sleeping for longer than others. They strongly dislike the cold and adore warmth.
Kapha individuals are slow and methodical, but they also tend to be unduly attached to their fantasies. Changing your daily routine will help to keep you grounded in reality and will allow you to direct your energy towards your life goals. Don’t try to overhaul your entire life at one go – that can be overwhelming and it is likely that you will abandon your new schedule within days or weeks; instead, make just one or two small changes every week as this will allow you to get accustomed to your new routine.
The cumulative effect of caring for ourselves in this way is quite powerful. And for many, committing to a daily routine results in a greatly improved sense of wellness in a very short period of time.
Routine for Your Kapha Dosha Lifestyle
A regular daily routine is the best-kept secret of the ages. By adopting a regular daily routine much of the niggling discomforts caused by kapha imbalance are spontaneously addressed.
A regular daily routine is like health insurance for sustainable wellbeing today, tomorrow and into your future. As the Ayurvedic wisdom guides “Your body today is the result of your choices yesterday and your body tomorrow will be the result of your choices today”.
- Choose to establish a regular daily routine as the framework for daily activities.
- To get started, tick off what you are already doing, and then consider what you would like to add to your daily routine.
- Adopt changes easily, one step at a time.
Kapha Morning Routine
Receiving adequate rest at consistent times will help to prevent an over-indulgence in sleep, so think about what time you will be waking up daily. Because the atmosphere is infused with kapha-provoking qualities from 6–10 a.m., it can be very clarifying and invigorating to commit to waking up prior to 6 a.m.
- Evacuate bowel and bladder first thing upon rising.
- Clean teeth and scrape tongue to remove accumulated toxins and bacteria from the tongue
- Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic practice that helps to nourish and rejuvenate the teeth and gums, balance oral bacteria, and relax the muscles of the neck and jaw.
- Drink warm water to stimulate and gently awaken the digestive tract
- Perform a Kapha oil massage on your full body then bathe or shower or powder massage to stimulate your lymph.
- Add in stimulating exercises to shake off any lingering sluggishness and activate the metabolic system early in the day.
- Eat a light breakfast that includes Kapha balancing foods a light, satisfying meal will help to reinforce the kapha-pacifying energies (See Kapha food guide)
Kapha Afternoon Routine
Though morning and evening are the most important places to focus your attention there are other areas to keep in mind. Committing to regular (ideally daily) exercise is one of the greatest benefits we use when kapha is high. Eating consistently actually helps to strengthen the digestive fire as well.
- Vigorous exercise. The best forms of exercise for kapha are vigorous and challenging but also inspiring and fun.
- Make sure that you eat nutritious and healthy meals at consistent times each day in order to reduce your temptation to snack.
- Proactively counter your tendency to become unmotivated by intentionally choosing to break the monotony of a typical day as often as possible.
Kapha Evening Routine
Choosing to be intentional about the flow of your evening ensures that your day ends with devoted self-care, that you set yourself up to get adequate rest, and that you will be less likely to oversleep or awaken groggy the next morning.
- Relax in the evenings to calm the mind well before you go to bed to aid a good night’s sleep.
- Massage your feet, scalp, or both with oil. This Ayurvedic practice helps to calm the mind and ground the energy before sleep.
- Avoid computers, work, or studying after 7pm and avoid fast-moving and aggressive movies, TV etc.
- Go to bed early around 10.00 to 1.30 pm, with lights out by 11.00 pm.
- Keep the bedroom minimalistic and as a sleep zone. No computers, phones, tablets, books etc.
Honoring a Kapha Dosha Lifestyle
Kapha elements of water and earth, you will experience sluggishness, dullness, and inertia. Everything takes much more effort to accomplish, and you may feel like you are moving through molasses. The most important thing you can do to pacify kapha is to commit to getting regular exercise. This is one of the single-most effective ways to clear the mind and invigorate the body while balancing literally every single kapha quality.
Keep in mind that what works best for Kapha is to include variety within a routine. Since Kaphas have a tendency to get stuck in ruts, find ways to include novelty and excitement to your days. This can be as simple as trying a new route to work, or as elaborate as planning a vacation to a new destination. In general, make choices that are warm, light, energizing, and purifying.
It’s important to note that following an Ayurvedic daily routine does not mean that you should schedule every moment of every day. Instead, it’s about creating consistency with a handful of habits that are repeated each day at similar times. This invites the body to relax into a sense of safety, normalcy, and ease.
Remember to keep it simple. It’s best to start with a few consistent activities throughout each day, work with those for a couple of weeks, and then re-assess your capacity to stick with them.