It’s Kapha season!
Ahh. Take a slow, deep breath.
In Ayurevda, it is the kapha time of the year now. seeing us through to late spring. The winter/early spring season holds the perfect antidote to the fast-paced movement of summer and autumn This is a time to rest, reflect, hold space, vision, hibernate, and withdraw some of our outwardly-focused energy and redirect it inward.
On the other hand, the calm, peaceful nature of the winter/early spring can also seem a bit oppressive at times and can leave us feeling weighed down, heavy, stagnant, or uninspired. Actually, every season has the potential to either boost or reduce your sense of well-being depending on your natural constitution and any imbalances.
If you have a predominantly kapha constitution, the qualities of kapha (slow, steady, moist, smooth, oily, cool, heavy) will be expressed in your body and mind. Your frame and build will tend towards strong and robust and you will likely have large eyes, a radiant complexion and thick, lustrous hair.
You are probably friendly, compassionate and easy going too. If you know someone with a kapha personality then they are probably a really loyal and nourishing friend. When in balance, kapha types are the teddy bears amongst us, sweet in nature and an absolute pleasure to be around.
However, the heavier qualities of kapha can sometimes leave kapha types feeling a little sluggish and lethargic; they are the soundest sleepers of all the dosha types.
When it comes to getting things done then, kapha-dominated types tend to take their time! However, while they might be slow getting going, they are dedicated and absolutely dependable.
Kapha types often have a sweet tooth and may struggle with their weight, especially when it comes to shedding pounds. With a kapha-balancing diet however they can feel much more balanced.
Here are some of the kapha dosha characteristics (please note that we all have some kapha in our bodies and minds):
How to balance kapha:
Ayurveda offers us changes in lifestyle, diet and medicinal herbs.
Lifestyle
Enjoy daily exercise that gets your blood and lymph moving, such as power walking, jogging, cycling, yoga, swimming, a minimum of 5 days a week.
Staying warm and dry, regardless of the weather
Lively and invigorating music, smells, experiences and company.
Saunas and sunbathing
Trying not to over sleep – early bed, early rise!
A daily massage with warm sesame oil
Getting lots of fresh air
Trying new hobbies and activities, taking risks and being spontaneous – even taking a different route to work each day can help!
Stimulating your body and mind on a daily basis
Dietary
Enjoy:
Foods that are bitter, pungent and astringent in taste.
Warm foods, both energetically and in temperature.
Heating spices—like chili, black or cayenne pepper, ginger, cumin and cinnamon
Whole, freshly cooked foods including lots of fresh veggies (favor warm cooked veggies as much as possible)
Light, dry, and warm foods (both energetically and in temperature)
Honey, in moderation, and never cooked.
Only room temperature or warm drinks and herbal teas
Most beans, mung dal, well-cooked tofu or tempeh, or warm soy milk are all okay.
A minimal amount of high-quality sesame, sunflower oil, or ghee in your daily diet.
Eating your meals at routine times.
Taking a deep breath after swallowing your last bite and heading off for your next activity.
Enjoy coffee and caffeine only in moderation.
Avoid:
Foods that are sweet, sour and salty in taste
Cooling foods both energetically and in temperature – no frozen foods or foods eaten straight from the fridge
Heavy and oily foods such as cheese, milk chocolate, chips, nuts, pastries etc
Heavily processed foods such as canned food or ready-meals.
Overeating or eating heavy meals, especially in the evening
Excessive red meat
Foods or drinks which contain refined sugar or syrup, no carbonated drinks
Deep fried foods
Alcohol except the off glass of dry white or red wine
Herbal medicine
Please book an appointment with me so that you can be prescribed herbal medicine appropriate to you and your body/mind/spirit.
Mung bean soup
In Ayurveda mung beans are highly revered as they are full of goodness, are easy to digest and they are brilliant at drawing energy downwards to assist in digestion – great for those struggling to eliminate.
In Ayurveda mung beans are highly revered as they are full of goodness, are easy to digest and they are brilliant at drawing energy downwards to assist in digestion – great for those struggling to eliminate.
You can also make this into my favourite, Pea and Mint soup by adding frozen peas and plenty of chopped fresh mint to taste.
For 3 servings
Ingredients
1 cup of whole green organic mung beans soaked overnight or for at least 4 hours
1 cup of mixed and chopped veg such as peas, broccoli, carrots (optional)
1 cup of green leaves such as spinach or chard (optional)
2 litres of water approx.
1 tbsp of coconut oil or ghee
1tsp turmeric powder
1-2 tsps of garam masala (go easy if your pitta is strong.
1/4tsp of asafoetida (hing)
1tbsp fresh root ginger grated
2 cloves of garlic (again go easy if pitta strong and mind already agitated)
Salt and pepper
Vegan stock
Freshly chopped herbs such as mint, basil, coriander etc to serve.
Method
Heat the coconut oil/ghee in a large saucepan and add all the spices and stir until the aromas are released – be careful not to burn!
Drain, rinse and add the mung beans and stir until they are coated with the spices.
Add the water and bring to the boil, boil uncovered for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Reduce the heat to low, add veggies and cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar. Cook until tender, approx. 20 minutes.
Add greens, grated ginger, stock and salt and pepper to taste and return to the heat for 5-10 minutes until beans are soft. Please note that adding salt earlier will make the beans take longer to cook.
Serve hot with any further fresh herbs. You can also blend for a creamy consistency.
What does your tongue say about your health?
Have a look at your tongue next time you are near a mirror. Is there a thick, white coating on it? If so, you would benefit from tongue cleaning, and can read more here
Vata – narrow and off centre
Pitta – medium width and pointy
Kapha – wide and thick
The colour of the tongue also gives information. A healthy tongue looks clean and pink and will have very little coating. Generally, in a relatively healthy patient, there is a slight coating on the back of the tongue, which indicates toxins in the colon undigested, unabsorbed or unassimilated form.
Generally, a purple tongues indicates a vata imbalance, a rich red colour indicates a pitta imbalance and a very pale tongue indicates a dim fire and a kapha imbalance.
The colour of the coating is also significant:
Vata - dark brown/greyish/black coating
Pitta - red/orange/yellow/green coating
Kapha - whitish coating
The landscape of the tongue can reveal an even clearer picture:
Ridged edges or teeth marks around the edge of the tongue indicate malabsorption. Products like artificial sweeteners and chemicals in the diet can compromise the intestinal wall and can prevent the body from absorbing all the needed nutrition from food.
Foam on the tongue can indicate candida, a yeast-like overgrowth, which is generally fed by too much sugar in the diet.
A puffy tongue or a tongue with waves along the perimeter is indicative of stagnant lymph. Eating meals too late at night or drinking wine in the evening can create a puffy tongue.
Ulcers on the tongue can indicate a pitta imbalance and can be treated by a change in diet and medicinal herbs. Talking of such changes, this can influence taste and taste plays an important role in Ayurveda, but more on that another time.
Obviously people are individual and complex and no single sign is absolute so any diagnosis will take into consideration various other factors such as digestive function (any bloating, heart burn, acidity, acid-reflex, constipation, excess flatulence etc.) and diet and lifestyle choices, which is the reason it is important to seek help from an Ayurvedic professional such as myself, so that we can use our experience and knowledge to help you individually.
Using a tongue clearer can be a really helpful way of removing topical toxins each morning and stimulating the digestive process to prevent the build-up of new toxicity. You can invest in a tongue scraper here
Remember Ayurveda is all about self-knowledge and self-healing, it is a preventative approach, and your tongue is just one more place to gain insight!
If you know you are out of balance and feel to heal yourself, then do reach out. Ayurveda is amazing. More information here
Here’s a tea which can be drunk between meals to flush ama from the system, kindle agni (digestive fire) and reduce digestive disturbances such as flatulence, bloating and acidity.
CCF can also help with malabsorption so that you don’t ‘waste’ energy by eating nutrients that your body can’t absorb. This tea may also help with constipation, loose stools, UTIs, lung congestion and fluid retention.
Mix:
1tsp each of coriander seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds with 1.25litres of water and
Simmer with 1.25L of water for at least 8 minutes. Strain and drink throughout the day between meals.
Delicious dairy-free chocolate biscuits
This recipe has been inspired from The Good Stuff by Lucinda Miller
A healthier option for a sweet treat!
Ingredients
175g organic oats
60g organic sunflower seeds
20g organic cocoa powder/cacao powder
40g organic coconut sugar
100ml organic maple syrup
65g melted dairy free butter or 65ml coconut oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan and line two baking trays with parchment paper
Blitz the oats and sunflower seeds together in a food processor until you have a flour like consistency
Tip the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the cocoa or cacao powder and sugar followed by the maple syrup and melted butter or coconut oil
Combine the ingredients into a firm ball and leave in the fridge for 15 minutes
Then use your hands to make small golf size balls of mixture which you can place on the baking tray and use a fork to gently push down on the ball to create a biscuit shape
(The other option is to place parchment paper over the mixture and use a rolling pin to flatten it before using cookie cutters. I don’t find this works so well)
Bake for 11-12 minutes before leaving them firm up on the trays before transferring to a wire rack to cool
This recipe has been inspired from The Good Stuff by Lucinda Miller.
Balancing miso noodles
This recipe has been inspired from The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook by Kate O’Donnell
A yummy recipe to balance all the festive food!
Ingredients
4 cups of filtered water
8oz organic tofu cut into cubes
2 cups of chopped veg including some green leaves, such as sea beet (which you can forage at Saints and L’Eree), spinach, chard or kale
½ cup of sea veg, wakame works well
2 handfuls of organic rice noodles
2 tbsp of organic red or white or brown miso
Method
Bring the water to boil in a large saucepan;
Add the tofu, chopped veg and sea veg;
Reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes
Meanwhile, prepare the noodles and add for the last minute of cooking
Prepare the miso by mixing it in a bowl with some hot water (not boiling) to make a paste. Add to the soup and stir before serving.
Please note that you shouldn’t boil miso as this kills the enzymes
This recipe has been inspired from The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook by Kate O’Donnell