Today, Zoa and Christine Gordon are diving into the Kapha Dosha of Ayurveda and trust me, it’s a big deal! Kapha is all about that grounding energy, and if you’ve ever felt a little sluggish or like you’re dragging your feet, we’re here to help you figure it out. We’ll chat about what being Kapha really means, from those sturdy frames to the cozy, comforting vibes they bring. Plus, we’ll share some tips on how to shake off that sluggishness and get moving again when you feel a bit too “stuck.” So grab your favorite snack, settle in, and let’s explore how to balance that Kapha energy together!

Takeaways:

• Kapha dosha is all about being steady and strong, like a sturdy oak tree.
• People with kapha dosha often have beautiful skin and thick hair that everyone envies.
• When kapha is balanced, they can be incredibly supportive friends, calm and forgiving.
• An imbalanced kapha can lead to feeling sluggish, depressed, and indecisive, so watch out!
• Kapha types generally sleep well and have good endurance, but need a nudge sometimes.
• It's essential to balance kapha energy with movement and lighter foods to stay vibrant.

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Find Christine Gordon:

Bloom Herbal Clinic (bloomherbalclinic.com)

Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/christineinbloom/

Find Zoa:

Zen and Vitality with Zoa (zenandvitality.com)

Intentional Vitality Retreats (intentional-vitality.com)

Music Credit goes to Lemon Music Studio at: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4XWZhZ32YrVV5lvpF7cr1E?si=tnbSklR7SJyPNKiHP4MbHA

Welcome to Sustain youn Vitality, the podcast that gives you a nurturing kick in the ass so you can take action every day to feel better, not older.

Your lifestyle holds the power to change how you feel.

And no matter your age or health issues, you are in the driver's seat.

I'm your host, Zoa Connor, functional wellness guide at Zen and Vitality with Zoa and retreat leader at Intentional Vitality Retreats.

I'm here to help you figure out how to lower your stress, increase your energy, put yourself into a healing state, boost your drive and pleasure in life, prevent disease, and feel the best that you ever have with no regrets later.

Let's go.

And I'm delighted to share Christine Gordon with you for these conversations.

Christine, would you like to introduce yourself?

Hello and thank you, SOA for having me today.

I am a clinical herbalist by training with a focus on ayurvedic medicine and traditional wise woman and Western herbalism.

I have a clinical practice here in La Plate in Maryland, and I've been practicing herbalism for about professionally on my own, in my own business for a couple of years, but in general for about 20 years.

Fabulous.

Well, let's get to our conversation then.

Well, Christine and I are going to discuss the last of the three doshas now, which is kapha, which by the way, is K A P, H A, just in case you're wondering.

It doesn't actually resemble the word coffee.

Although I think many people who are imbalanced in their kapha dosha could use a bit of coffee.

So how do you know if you're walking down the street if someone is strong in their kapha?

Strong in their kapha.

They are typically larger people.

That doesn't necessarily mean obese.

I'm talking about a larger frame.

Yeah.

Wider shoulders, wider hips, stronger body.

They look bigger muscles.

Yes.

Heavier in the muscly way or sometimes not.

So sometimes in the soft and squishy way.

Yes.

Thicker.

Thicker.

Thick in general.

And that's also meaning hair.

Typically they have beautifully thick and moist and wavy hair.

Their skin is typically that beautiful, clear, thick, healthy looking skin.

Let's see if it's light colored.

It's kind of that porcelain, you know, it's like smooth and soft and supple and looks young.

Yes.

It's the skin that you say, oh my gosh, your skin is so great.

How do you do that?

Yeah, right.

Yes, Everybody wants kapha skin.

Yes, Everyone wants the kapha and kapha hair.

Yes.

When I think about a kapha person, I think about friends.

I have that are European, like Irish or Scottish.

You know, they've got this strong frame.

They're like the hearty people, you know.

The hearty people.

Yep.

And so when you see a kapha person move.

They.

They're a little slower.

Yeah.

They're definitely a little more determined.

You know, like conscious progression forward, low and steady.

Yeah, slow and steady.

Yeah.

Whereas vata was flighty and flitty and fast.

Right.

Oh, yeah.

And flying around.

And kapha is the frog sitting on the lily pad.

Yep, yep.

But they've got typically strong, thick, heavy bones.

Yes, they do.

They have the ability to build muscle, which is visible.

Yeah.

From the outside.

Yeah.

In contrast to the vata person, who you will see their bones in their bodies, you'll see their collarbones, you'll know they're kind of typically bony people.

And a kapha person, you'll see either muscle or soft and squishy.

Right.

And whether or not you want to be more muscular, you typically have the ability to get muscular better if you're kapha.

Right, definitely.

But you tend to accompany that with some other things along the slow and heavy department, like your digestion.

Yeah.

So although they may have regular appetites, their digestion functions very slowly, and they usually take less food, interestingly enough, than other foods and then other types of doshas.

And because they don't seem to need as much going in because of their slower metabolism and lower energy levels.

Exactly right.

Exactly right.

Some of the good things, though, about having a predominant kapha dosha is that you will sleep way better because kapha dosha is going to not have anything on his or her mind.

They're going to go right to sleep and stay asleep all night long, generally speaking.

And additionally, they have strong endurance and.

And good stamina.

Now, it's not going to be fast.

They're not going to move quickly.

Right.

But they can keep going.

So it really is the turtle versus the hair there.

The kapha is the turtle.

Yes.

Right.

And so they.

They plot along.

They get there.

Which means if you're finding yourself feeling slow and heavy and like, you know this, like, I just can't get myself up to go and do things.

That's a sign that you're a little too strong in that kapha area.

Yeah.

Right.

Like, you need to create some lightness and some movement and some fire because you're.

You've gotten too bogged down.

Right.

And so there are ways to create the.

That spark, if you will, in the kapha dosha to get them moving.

You can do that with all different kinds of things, mostly with food and herbs and movement and breath work, like we've said in the past.

And interestingly, we're talking about the doshas and how they relate to nature.

And I think about, when I think about kapha as a tree, I think about the oak tree, you know, strong and steady, or a tree that has this luxuriant growth and lots of leaves and lots of SAP.

They're heavy, they're succulent, they contain a lot of water.

Because that's what kapha is, right?

Earth and water.

So not so much the redwoods in California.

Oh, yeah, I would definitely say that for sure.

Absolutely.

Right.

Because they're so big and strong and present and they can withstand fires and all kinds of things.

Right.

They've got a big presence in the world.

Yes.

And psychologically, emotionally, they tend to be very tolerant people, Calm, forgiving and loving.

They're the ones that you can count on.

They are.

So when you're feeling like you need a kick in the ass, you go to the pitta friend.

Yes.

But when you need a hug and comfort and just that wrapping of feeling, of love, you go to your kapha friend.

You are right on about that.

Yes.

So what are some other emotional aspects of someone strong with their kapha dosha?

Imbalanced.

It can go to the negative side.

And when the kapha dosha is imbalanced in terms of emotions, a kapha person can be greedy, you know, like wanting to hoard things.

Depressed.

Depressed, definitely.

Stagnation there.

Stagnation typically translates to depression and cafidocia.

Attachment, attachment to things.

Envy and possessiveness.

They lose their ability to think clearly, which is a struggle for kapha, just in general.

They are slow to process information.

They are not in a negative way.

But what I mean by that is they think things through, Right.

They take their time and they think they're not going to make a quick decision on anything like a vata or a pitta.

Kapha is going to take their time and make a decision.

And so sometimes when that is off balance and you need to make a decision that can create disharmony in the mind because you want to do it, but you can't do it.

Right.

So then that creates stress and anxiety.

So I find that people who are very imbalanced in their kapha, in order to make it easier, they actually sometimes yield the decision making to someone else.

You're so right about that.

Yes.

Right.

Just tell me what to do.

Just tell me what to do or.

Just tell me where to show up and what to bring and you figure it out.

Yeah.

So you're in a car ride with your, with your partner or your spouse or your friend and you're hungry and you want to stop and get some food, and the person who's imbalanced in their kapha can't figure out where the hell to stop and get some food.

No, just.

And, and.

But they're driving.

Just tell me where to pull off.

Yes.

And the pitta person will pull off, they'll make the decision and the vata will say, well, I don't want to go there, I want to go here.

Right, exactly.

Yeah.

Right.

So longevity wise, kapha people seem like they.

If they've got these strong bones and strong muscles and everything kind of goes slow, do they live longer?

Of course.

Like everything that's subjective, but I think so.

I mean, I think generally speaking, I don't have any hard data on that at the tips of my fingers.

I would.

But they're going to be predisposed to be in a more stable body and a more stable environment.

Mental environment.

Yes, if that's what you mean.

Yes.

They are definitely not as vulnerable to emotional upset or physical exertion.

You will not see a kapha person saying, I'm gonna fast for 24 hours and run a marathon the next day.

Or probably jump out of an airplane.

Exactly.

Right.

Yes.

Yeah.

So then there are certain kinds of occupations that are going to be more attractive to each dosha, and that would be a super fun conversation for another time.

Oh, I would love that.

That would be so fun.

Yes.

Yep.

What else do we know about kapha for right now?

I think kapha, you want kapha as a good friend, you want a kapha person by your side because they tend to be tolerant, calm, forgiving and loving.

Right.

You may need to give them a nudge once in a while when they feel stuck or stagnant.

You want to keep your eye on your kapha friend and make sure that they're not so stagnant that they become depressed and also that they're not sleeping too much.

Right.

In the winter, I see kapha people sleeping a lot, which isn't always bad.

But just keep your eye out, that's all.

Now you have the tools, tools in your toolkit.

Look out for your friends and family.

I really enjoyed our conversation.

Christine.

Do you want to let people know how they can find you and learn about all of the wonderful things that you help people with?

That would be great.

Thank you so much.

Zoa.

You can find me online at my website bloomeherbalclinic.com b l o o m bloomeherbalclinic.Com you can check out my musings on Instagram @christineinbloom and you can find me on Facebook @christineandbloom as well.

Great.

Thanks Christine.

Thank you.

So.

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