Kapha, the Third Dosha

By Setareh Kiumarsi

In Ayurveda, to explain the five fundamental elements in the body and mind, specific categories are used called “doshas”: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.

Kapha – The Third Dosha

The third dosha is Kapha, dominated by the elements of water and earth. It is cold, moist, heavy, oily, dense, and sticky. This dosha governs growth and development and the maintenance of moisture in the body. The water element keeps various body parts hydrated and provides intercellular fluid. The earth element provides the body with structure and firmness, forms the bones and joints, and creates a solid framework.

In some individuals, Kapha is genetically dominant and is the prevailing dosha in their Prakriti (genetic constitution). In others, Kapha becomes imbalanced due to unhealthy lifestyle and eating habits. In Ayurveda, when a dosha is said to be imbalanced, it means that the dosha (and its dominant elements and qualities) has increased in the body and mind. A person with excess Kapha has an overabundance of the water and earth elements (and thus the qualities of cold and moisture) in their being. Among the three doshas, Kapha has the greatest potential for going out of balance.

Physical Characteristics of Kapha-Type People

• Kapha types have broad shoulders and a large, solid bone structure. They are heavyset and fleshy; they tend to be overweight and are often trying to lose weight. They frequently complain of excessive heaviness and bloating in the body and say they gain weight even from drinking water.
• Their skin is cold, oily, moist, and thick.
• Their face is round, pale, and white, with full cheeks. Due to high subcutaneous fat, they have few facial wrinkles.
• Their hair is thick and oily with coarse strands.
• Their eyes are large with long eyelashes. Their eyelids (especially the lower) tend to swell, and their eyes water easily.
• Their nose is large with a slightly rounded tip. They are prone to runny nose, postnasal drip, sneezing, seasonal allergies, frequent colds, and a weak sense of smell.
• Their tongue is very large in size, resembling a spoon. It is pale and heavily coated with white.
• Their nails are round, smooth, strong, and thick.
• Their voice is deep, melodic, slow, relaxed, monotone, and soft.
• They sleep deeply and for long hours. They find it hard to wake up in the morning and often feel drowsy throughout the day.
• Their hands and feet are usually cold, and they have a low body temperature. They dislike cold environments and love warm, sunny weather.
• Excess water and earth elements make their digestion cold and sluggish. Their digestive tract becomes filled with phlegm due to too much moisture; therefore, they often feel full and satiated. They can easily skip meals and go for hours without eating.

Mental Characteristics of Kapha-Type People

• Kapha individuals are filled with calm, peace, and love. They are patient and generous. Nothing seems to faze them, and they don’t easily worry.
• Inertia and slowness are deeply ingrained; they walk slowly and perform tasks calmly.
• When imbalanced, they are prone to depression, lethargy, laziness, and stagnation. They can become overly dependent on others, have low self-esteem, and feel mentally sluggish.

Common Imbalances in Kapha-Type People

• Heaviness and fullness in the stomach
• Long-term loss of appetite
• Weight gain
• Postnasal drip, runny nose, allergies, and respiratory issues
• Sluggish metabolism
• Hypothyroidism
• Diabetes
• Edema
• Depression and inertia
• Sleepiness and laziness
• Mental slowness and forgetfulness

Key Strategies to Balance Kapha Dosha

The dominant qualities in Kapha are coldness and moisture. If Kapha is genetically dominant in someone’s Prakriti, or has increased due to poor diet or lifestyle, one must reduce cold and moist qualities in their life and expose themselves to warmth and dryness.

Diet

If Kapha is your dominant dosha or is imbalanced, reduce foods that increase cold and moisture in your digestive system and learn how to consume them properly. What foods are excessively cold and moist?

• Be cautious with sweet foods. Most sweets (except honey, apple, pear, and beet) are very moist and phlegm-producing. Don’t overeat dates, figs, bananas, melons, grapes, and cantaloupe. Eliminate sugar completely from your diet and replace it with light natural sweeteners like honey, apple syrup, mulberry syrup, and maple syrup.
• Avoid overconsumption of juicy and sweet fruits like grapes, figs, dates, and bananas.
• White flour is very heavy, hard to digest, and fattening. Minimize products made from white flour (such as pasta, lasagna, biscuits, pastries, and cakes). Instead, use products made with whole grain flour, multigrain flour, or gluten-free flour.
• Cook rice in a drained method with balanced spices (like turmeric, saffron, cumin, cinnamon, and coriander seeds). You can also prepare your rice as herbed rice with fresh chopped greens like spinach, parsley, basil, scallions, or cilantro.
• Cow’s dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, cream, butter, etc.) is very fatty, heavy, and phlegm-producing. Eliminate it and replace with lighter dairy like goat or camel milk products, or plant-based options like almond milk and coconut milk.
• Strictly avoid sweets, cakes, ice cream, and desserts that contain white flour, sugar, and dairy.
• Don’t overeat beef, veal, pork, fried foods, processed oils, fast food, processed foods, canned goods, pre-packaged meals, chocolate, chips, large amounts of rice (more than 5–6 tablespoons per meal), mushrooms, sour foods (like fruit leather, sour plums, pickles), and heavy nuts like peanuts and cashews.
• Avoid excess of sweet (like sugar), sour (like fruit rolls), and salty (like chips) flavors.
• Try not to overconsume animal proteins. In one meal, do not eat more than half the size of your palm of animal protein.
• Caffeine may temporarily reduce sluggishness and inertia in Kapha types, but in the long run, it significantly slows down their metabolism. Eliminate caffeine, replace it with herbal teas, and experience life without caffeine.
• Starting two hours after each meal, drink a digestive tea every hour. Also, drink a glass of digestive buttermilk with lunch and dinner.
• Incorporate fibrous vegetables (like parsley, basil, cress, savory, carrots, spinach, beets, etc.) as a staple in your diet. The dryness of these vegetables acts like a porous sponge absorbing excess moisture in your digestive tract. Be sure to have a digestive salad or fresh herbs (like parsley, basil, cress, savory, spinach) with lunch and dinner.
• In cooking, use plenty of digestive and warming spices (like saffron, turmeric, fennel, cumin, black seed, angelica, fresh ginger, cinnamon, thyme, and rosemary). These spices kindle your digestive fire and increase your metabolism.
• Increase pungent (like spicy seasonings), bitter (like malt beverages), and astringent (like quince) flavors in your diet.
• Always have a light dinner. Avoid eating bread, rice, cheese, and yogurt at night. The best dinner for you is steamed vegetables or a digestive salad.
• Every one to two weeks, follow a light cleansing regimen.

Lifestyle

Do not expose yourself to cold and dampness. In cold winter days, make sure to keep your head, forehead, neck, and ears covered.

Although you may often feel full of inertia and stagnation, your body loves movement and exercise. Make physical activity a non-negotiable part of your daily routine. Start your day with 6 to 12 rounds of Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) and Simhasana (Lion Pose) (you can find instructional videos online). Aim to run or do a movement-heavy, sweat-inducing exercise for at least 20–30 minutes a day.

Sleep less and try to start your day before sunrise. Strictly avoid daytime naps.

Massage your body with warming oils like black seed oil, ginger oil, or mustard oil.

Push yourself to move; avoid excessive stillness in all areas of life. Traveling and breaking routine can be very beneficial for Kapha types.

And most importantly, don’t forget to meditate.

Please be sure to credit the author, Setareh Kiumarsi, when sharing or republishing this article, which was written with love and the hope of well-being for all.