How to Flourish in Kapha Season
Did you know every season is governed by the Ayurveda Doshas?
Yep! Ayurveda teaches us that each dosha (bio-chemistry that include Vata, Pitta and Kapha) not only rein in our body in unique ratios, but also govern different times of the year. Kapha season is in the depths of winter and the season of spring. A time when our environment holds the coldest, heaviest, wettest qualities of the year.
As I write this laying on my bed in Maine, we are just at the cusp of Spring. Snow has begun to melt, sunlight is taking over the darker days and I saw my first peak of life springing up from the ground with little green buds from the peony bush in my backyard. I’m already dreaming about how beautiful those little sprouts will be when they are in full Pretty bloom!
I don’t know about y’all, but the depths of winter in February/March were dark, cold, and for me personally, super hard! At the beginning of Feb, I was causally walking to my car when I slipped on black ice, fell on my ass and broke my left ankle! Which made the already dark, dull days of winter even more difficult. I’m healing up super well, but golly I’m feeling the urge to shift my own energy from heavy to happy.
Thank the blue skies that winter is over, but I bet you’re still feeling the lingering heavy, dull & dense energies are still hanging around. These are all Kapha qualities which is why this time of year that we feel the most sluggish. Its hard to wake up in the mornings and our energies don’t sustain throughout the day. But there’s hope, Friends! Ayurveda teaches us that by knowing more bout the doshic energies at play in each season, we can navigate it in a way to regain our energy.
By taking a more mindful approval to the season’s changes, we can thrive in Kapha season!
Here’s how….
1. Rise Early ☀️
I may get some backlash here for this one, as most of my friends and family are not early birds and seem to fight the call to wake up with the sun, but hear me out for a minute! Getting up before the sun (not a lot before, just 30 minutes earlier will do) can help sync your body with the day ahead and it feels super energizing. Especially if you pair your early rise with a daily ‘me-moment’. I’ve begun calling my mediation time, "me-moment! When I called it a meditation practice it started to feel like a chore and the little girl in me began to rebel big time! I needed to change my lingo and it helped a ton. I schedule out time just for me in the wee hours of the morning as the sun begins to rise. This can look like rising with slow stretches and yoga poses or going to my mediation space, putting calming music on and drawing my attention to my breath. It could look like an early shower where I intentionally thank my body for all it does. I get creative with my me-moment and I hope you can be this way too. The important thing is to make this a non-negotiable in your daily routine.
2. Clean the House 🧹
Dedicate a weekend to ‘Marie Kondo’ your house. This will help to shift the stagnant energy in your home and open up room with fresh new beginnings to flow through. It’s also a great time to open the windows, letting wind energy into the house. I like to set the intention as I open each window to help clear out what no longer serves my family and ask the wind to help move out the old and ask it to bring in the new. It’s fun and every time there is a gust of wind that surges through the house, I thank it for its loving assistance. Maybe you can try this as well.
3. Shake it Off & Dance 🕺
In the wise words of Taylor Swift, “Shake it off!” Kapha season invites us to bring in movement to help us shift the heavy, cold, dense, stagnant weight that it brings to this time of year. What’s better to do that than to put on your favorite Spotify playlist, crank up the volume and dance it out?! Ayurveda is all about finding balance by offsetting the Qualities that are affecting us. Because Kapha is heavy, it makes us feel sluggish. So we want to being a much more vigorous exercise than we might usually choose. I suggest dancing your all for an entire song or invite your besties over and throw your friends a dance party! Get creative with it!
4. Spice it Up 🧂
Let’s take this next one straight to the kitchen! Kapha will balance with pungent spices like pepper, cayenne, clove, mustard seed, and ginger in your diet. These spices are perfect for lifting you up this season, plus they can help with congestion and a sluggish digestive fire if that’s what you're experiencing. You could also switch out any oil or butter you usually cook with with ghee- a must have in an Ayurvedic kitchen. Or sipping on CCF tea (which is cumin, coriander and fennel blend) can really help support that big appetite that you might be experiencing in the cold weather.
5. Eat Leafy Greens 🌱
Eat them greens! Not only can the be yummy AF if you cook them up, but leafy greens are an excellent sources of antioxidant Vitamins A and C, and they also provide Vitamin E, folic acid, Vitamin K, iron, calcium, and fiber. Add a side of cooked spinach to your dinner. Plop a handful of arugula on top of your Friday night pizza. Make a micro greens salad or stir fry some bok choy, broccoli or swiss chard with some cauliflower, zucchini, & cabbage!
6. Touch the Earth🌷
The Earth and her healing powers is something I talk about often, but it’s even more important to get some grounding time in while we transition from winter to spring! My guess is you didn’t get outside all that much the past few months. Am I right? well, we got making up time to do! Ditch the shoes and socks and get your barefoot to the ground to connect with the earth’s electromagnetic field with your aura. Or hop on the gardening bandwagon and plant those herbs, flowers or veggies you’ve been thinking about doing for the past year!
7. Breathe with Bellows Breath 🧘♀️
Bhastrika (Bellows Breath): “Bellows Breathing” is a vigorous, forceful inhalation and exhalation of deep breaths. This practice stimulates all the organs in the body as though all the organs are taking a cleansing shower. This pranayama brings balance, invigorates, and cleanses body and mind.
I hope this inspires you to shift the energies in your life!
XO,
Jenni June
PS: I’m always here to help support, so reach out via email if you have any questions.
Hello@XOJenniJune.com
