Author: Erica Cheok

Spring is here and that means so is Kapha Season. Kapha is a Dosha (or constitution) in Ayurveda. Ayurveda is a sister-science to yoga. It is a holistic practice that is thousands of years old. Kapha Dosha is the combination of Earth and Water. There are 2 other Doshas in Ayurveda. Pitta is linked to the Fire and Water elements and Vata is linked to Space and Air.

Kapha can be described as cool, moist, wet, thick, calm, still, easy-going, and relaxed. This shows up in many different ways; including in peoples physical and mental constitutions, the food we eat, the weather, the seasons, and more.

When the weather turns toward Kapha qualities it brings mud, rain, slow vegetation growth, and plenty of humidity. This will lead into Pitta Season (summer) and then return in Fall.

Kapha season can bring relief to itchy dry skin, staticky situations, and a calm to a mind that has cabin fever due to the weather being too cold to go outside. Spring has the effect of causing some people to feel reenergized in a nice, slow pace that coincides with the earth waking back up. Kapha season can bring tons of relief to Individuals dealing with Vata or Pitta ailments.

Kapha can also bring imbalances. It can cause individuals prone to have more sebum or oils in their skin to have cystic acne, milia and small acne. It also can cause more noticeable sweating and body odor. It can congestion via allergies, sinus issues, etc. Kapha can also cause lethargy and slow once active people down.

When someone wants to balance their Kapha they bring in more of the heat and air elements. Physically, they could to eat foods above freezing, leave ice out of water, keep the skin dry and stoke their inner fire with more demanding workouts.

Slow Flow yoga is recommended for those who feel stuck, to bring movement into their constitutions. If you’re already moving slow, pick up the pace a bit. Working with Kapha is an excellent opportunity to try new things (like different posture transitions) with a calm and relaxed mindset.

Namaste

Early March has been the start of Kapha season around the Great Lakes region of the United States. The slow rebirth of vegetation, the wet slush and mud, and the melting of snow all have Kapha qualities. Kapha is the dosha that is made up of the Water and Earth elements. It’s cool, smooth, wet, thick, and slow. This season continues until the rain starts to feel warmer and the days become drier. So, around the beginning of June for the Great Lakes region.

In our lives, Kapha can be a boon or a burden. It’s great when it’s in balance, just like the other doshas. It can show up as allergies and respiratory problems and it can also bring relief to dry skin. Kapha can manifest as calm or lethargy. High weight issues and water weight are a Kapha related issue as well. Kapha is also the dosha responsible for joint health and adequate cartilage.

In the spring, this season brings the thaw of the earth and the signal that plants and trees should start sending their vitality into their branches again. It has a similar effect on all animals as well, including humans. We move around more, go outside more, and, before modern grocery stores, would be preparing to grow food or searching for fresh vegetation.

By grounding BEFORE Kapha gets here, we can take advantage of this season beautifully. When we ride the waves with Spring and understand that even the earth slowly ramps up, but it doesn’t give up. We can become her witness to this unfolding AND be in on it.

One way to ground is to practice Yoga. Be the witness of the change and frame it in a manner of seeing it for the first time and something you will never see again. Add gentle warmth to your practice via a heater or practicing with holds or a pace that challenge you. Feel your being in this space and time.

Another way is to make sure most of the foods you are eating are still being warmed up and try to avoid cold or cooler than room temperature. This will allow your digestive fires to continue to burn without strain and allow the Kapha elements to flow easily. Avoiding too much salt is important too due to Kapha being responsible for water retention and salt can make it worse.

Get outside to ground! Take a walk, paint a scene, listen to the sounds, etc. Walking Meditations are an excellent practice for so many reasons. In March, we can sometimes get outside comfortably and take in the earth where we’re standing. We can get our bodies moving and practice strengthening our external awareness away from a screen. This is not a run and it’s not a chance to daydream. A Walking Meditation is experiencing the present state of the earth and all it comes with. No headphones 🎧. If you’re disturbed by noises, either hear past them, or choose another location. If you meet someone, show kindness and not indifference, if you can remember.

And lastly, ground by gardening. While the earth might be frozen in some places, it’s definitely a great time to plant! You could seed start indoors a awesome flower species that can’t be found in the nursery. You could order seeds for your favorite peppers or peas to enjoy this summer. You can plant some cold weather crops, like lettuce and spinach once the dirt is workable. You can also start planning a new garden in an area that is not getting any love. 🌱You can partake in the creative growth energy as well as nurture it. Gardening can improve moods, give a sense of purpose (native plants are great for the eco system) and provide you with beauty and fresh snacks/ produce.

This list is my *current and personal* favorite “yoga” books. The books listed are my favorite books on yoga or on the topic of mindfulness and peace. I have a huge collection of books on Meditation, Yoga, Buddhism, Ayurveda, Enlightenment, etc. So stay tuned for a continuation from this one in the future.

1.) The Yoga Sutras by Patanjali

The Yoga Sutras have been interpreted by many authors and there are many books out there. I suggest any of them,… seriously. My first copy was The Essential Yoga Sutra by Geshe Michael Roach. It’s a short book (but not a short read). They have Yoga Sutra versions at almost every library too. If you find the version you choose was too wordy or too much to digest, then find a shorter version. You can always find a translation with more extrapolation later. This book can get heavy and mentally tiring so make sure you take breaks to digest the sutras well. My first time reading it took months (I was in yoga teacher training)

2.) Zen Seeds Written by Buddhist Priest Shundo Aoyama

In Zen Seeds, a female Priest shares her short collection of 58 essays that each contain precious pearls of wisdom. The essays are written in a way that illuminates the dharma (truth) in everyday life and activities. This book helps with shifting focus from wanting and desiring to being present and grateful. This book is also short and some essays can be read in a few minutes.

This book is super special to me because: It was gifted to me by my Dad when I was 17. He isn’t Buddhist, but he saw that I really was committed. This book is beautifully written and is so descriptive that it transports you into a zen state just by reading it. After reading it, I tend to reflect on the essay for awhile and then strive for applying the insight to the rest of the day.

3.) The Positive Psychology of Buddhism and Yoga: Paths to A Mature Happiness (with a Special Application to Handling Anger) Written by Marvin Levine PH.D

This book is extremely informative with studies referenced and explanations given plainly. It highlights the ways the eastern philosophies and western psychology are similar in their prescribed methods of attaining “mature happiness”. Maturity is a huge theme in Levine’s book. Maturity is synonymous with Wisdom. The part of the book handling Anger is special to the Second Edition of this book. I recommend this book to anyone trying to gain perspective. I have recommended this book to past students and they loved it so much they bought copies for family and friends.

4.) The Complete Idiots Guide to Hinduism by Linda Johnson AND The Complete Idiots Guide to Understanding Buddhism by Gary Gach

Both. Both these books. They break it down and spell it out. If you’re looking for more base knowledge on what these religions believe in, their traditions, their sects, the cultures that birthed them, their deities, etc then these books are excellent at just that. I have read my copies so much that they are all ripped up. Everything makes more sense in eastern philosophy once you gain more footing in the ideals of the cultures that formed them.

5.) The Book of Chakras by Ambika Wauters

This book was part of my Yoga Teacher Training when I was going for my 500RYT certificate. This book is beautifully illustrated and is a fountain of information on the Chakras. It explains their location, functions, objects for enhancements, how to balance them, and provides exercises and meditations for each one. It doesn’t

Honorable Mention:

The Buddha’s Brain -The practical neuroscience of happiness, love, and wisdom Written By Rick Hanson, PH.D with Richard Mencius, MD. Forward by Daniel J. Siegel, MD. Preface by Jack Kornfield, PH.D

I haven’t finished reading this book yet, but it is COOL! So far, I see this book replacing The Book on Chakras. The Buddha’s Brain is written by a Neurologist and Neuropsychologist. It is divided into 4 parts (The Cause of Suffering, Happiness, Love, and Wisdom) This book is very easy to read and gives a nice explanation on Neurological science and how the mind functions. It includes pictures! They provide mental exercises, mediations, and more to help develops our Buddha Brain. I am very excited to continue this book.

During winter, in The Northern part of America, we experience bitter and windy cold, soft and dreamy snow, and a beautiful, yet sometimes eerie, quiet that hushes over the land. Our relationship with the night sky and view into Outer Space become more prolonged. We become submersed in Vata Season. The cold, the space and openness, the dryness and increased wind, are all indicative of Vata Dosha.

Vata Dosha is a combination of two elements: Air and Space (or Ether). This constitution is cold, changeable, moves freely, light and dry. It’s the most powerful of all the doshas and when imbalanced can cause some major problem. (It is considered most powerful because it governs most of the body and planetary functions).

In the North America, Vata season can cause many problems for us collectively and individually. We can become agitated easily, feel uncomfortable and vulnerable, develop extreme fluctuations in our moods, and get too much into our abstract and ethereal minds. This all can cause us to become isolated, anxious, depressed and defensive. Feelings of being “trapped” or “cabin fever” are also signs that Vata is overwhelming us.

Physically, too much Vata causes constipation, excess gas, joint and arthritis issues, and general dehydration problems. It causes skin dryness, cracked hands and feet, dry mouth and cracks around the mouth. It causes hair to fall out and to go gray prematurely. This dosha, out of whack, can cause us to become living mummies.

When bringing balance to areas where Excess Vata is appearing, we must remember to keep our mindset right. The process should be mindful of what good the Vata dosha brings to our lives. It brings agility, inspiration, creativity, spontaneity, and excellent communication and dialogue. It can get things moving and brings focus. Vata is welcomed for oily, acne prone skin, allergy suffers, and people with problems loosing weight and low energy. This dosha brings balance to the other 2 doshas when they are experiencing an excess. The person who desires to bring this dosha into balance needs to be conscious of what purpose Vata serves for our wellbeing.

Over compensation through bringing in Kapha or Pitta qualities can cause more or new problems that could’ve been avoided. Start small and tweak the areas in measure. It could all be a matter of removing something that places you out of whack instead of needing to add something more. Your whole imbalance could be as simple as cutting out carbonated beverages or reducing the heat in the shower.

I, personally, am an over-thinker. I notice that I can halve my anxiety when I’m listening to the perfect background music. The music is my way of removing Vata’s sometimes overwhelming silence that can make my thoughts too loud.

When adding Kapha, and sometimes Pitta, elements into the act of trying to achieve balance, we must remember to start small and safe. Incorporating warm water though out the day (instead of cold or room temperature) is one way. The answer to balance isn’t a one-size-fits-all. When Vata needs to be balanced by bringing in more of another dosha’s element, it needs to be done with clear understanding of what the desired result is. An issue like dry skin can be solved by bringing in kapha in the form of moisturizer/lotion, healthy fats, and water. This shouldn’t be at the at the expense of a healthy amount of calories nor clogged pores.

When Vata comes into balance, it can create the best moments of introspection and freedom. Our movements feel relaxed and fluid, our minds aren’t racing around in circles, and we feel motivated but not run ragged.

If you have any questions about The Vata Dosha, or the other 2 Doshas (Pitta and Kapha) feel free to reach out and shoot me an email.

Check in next month 🧘🏻‍♀️

Reciting Mantras and affirmations are power and beautiful ways to ingrain a mindset into our psyche. Mantras can help create a sense of clarity/realization, peace, love, focus, determination, and desire.

When we recite mantras we are, essentially, brainwashing ourselves into a CHOSEN state of mind. We brainwash ourselves all the time when we focus on certain elements or thoughts. This is mostly subconscious and if we’re not careful, we can brainwash ourselves right into a crappy, unfulfilled, pessimistic, creepy, and miserable lives. Clinical Mental Health conditions aside, we are responsible for keeping our thoughts in check. This is the purpose of meditation and self reflection practices.

🤬🤯😰😭 Are you struggling to get through your day/week/month and need some help with turning your attitude around? Here are my favorite 6 Mantras for doing just that. 🙏

🌹Om Karuna Om

Karuna is a Buddhist word for Compassion. When reciting this mantra, I like to picture myself transforming into a being of pure compassion and love or channeling Quan Yin. I feel love flowing into me and beaming out of me on to everyone and everything. Even saying this mantra a few times now can help me flip my bad attitude switch. 💕BONUS: This mantra has helped me to be more patient and understanding with my kids too.

🌹 Lokah Samastha Sukinoh Bhavantu

Roughly translates to: “May all beings everywhere be happy and free and May the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in someway to that happiness and freedom for all”.

Kind of like the Golden Rule that we’re taught in primary school. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. We all want to limit our suffering and to be happy.

🌹 So Hum

Translates to: “I am that/them”. The premise is that we are the universe. We are the trees, the other people, the energy, and they are all us too. This mantra is excellent to feel connected and grounded. It brings you in communion with all and everything. I love echoing this mantra in my mind when I’m out in nature or awestruck by life. It’s also great for when we meet new people that might intimidate us.

🌹 Om Mani Padme Hum

Translates to: The jewel is in the Lotus

This translation was the one given by the 14th Dalai Lama:

“Thus the six syllables, om mani padme hum, mean that in dependence on the practice of a path which is an indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech, and mind into the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha.

It is said that you should not seek for Buddhahood outside of yourself; the substances for the achievement of Buddhahood are within.”

Essentially, you are the Lotus. The jewel dwells in you.

🌹 Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha

A salutation to the Hindu God, Lord Ganesh.

Lord Ganesh is the God of overcoming (or smashing through) obstacles.

This deity is a symbol of perseverance, resilience, inner power, and taking back your power. I, personally, recite this mantra when I’m having a hard time with deadlines or getting over professional “humps”. It can be used in any manner where you need to feel more empowered or when the ball isn’t really in your court and you’re at the mercy of your circumstances. 🙏Remembering too: Ganesh is within you. He is not some powerful entity outside of you. 💕Although, if it helps to see him as a force outside of yourself, then do so. If the weight feels too heavy on your shoulders, give some to Ganesh. He can handle an elephant sized head on his shoulders, he can handle your burdens too.

🌹Om Bhavam Namah

Translates to: I am absolute existence OR I am a field of absolute possibilities.

I recently came across this mantra through a Deepak Chopra meditation. The visualization of being a field of infinite possibilities is exciting and freeing. This mantra is a great mantra start a meditation journey with.

🙏🌹🙏

These are my 6 all time favorite mantras. There are many more that have impacted my thoughts and perception but I’ll save those for another time.

Peace and Namaste