December, Celebrations & Kapha

In Ayurveda, we speak of three organizational principles that govern physiological and psychological functions of our body / mind / soul. They are three smart managers upon who depends our balance. They are the basis of the Ayurvedic system and have been codified long ago (between 15000 and 1500 BC according to the debates) when Physicists have worked to understand the different relations and links between the stages of matter and their modifications.
These three doshas are: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. They are also associated to the macrocosm (because the macrocosm reflects the microcosm / the body) and thus to the seasons, months, hours ...

Winter is the season of Kapha in all its beauty. In winter, life slows down (or at least it is supposed to, even if life in the cities do not necessarily allow it). In most places, it's colder, cloudy, wet, dense ... similar qualities as Kapha and will therefore contribute to its build up and provocation. Because winter is cold, it also tends to disturb Vata. My experience also demonstrated to me that climatic irregularities (alternating hot and cold days, rainy and beautiful) as well as stress and speed of life in cities push also Vata in winter. This often gives Vata pushing Kapha type of problems.

Pathological symptoms result in congestion (sinus), cough and all colds in general (flu, sore throat, stomach pain ...). Emotionally speaking, we can experience loneliness, heavy heart and sometimes a small winter depression due to the lack of light, the return to work, stress...

All this is logical, because these problems are directly related to the same Kapha sites in the body (stomach, lungs, pericardium (around the heart)) and emotionally to love & compassion. If you feel changes (slow digestion, not hungry, full sinus, weight gain, moral flat ...), we understand that our Kapha is increased and that must be balanced.

We must therefore adopt behaviors to reduce it such as:
- Avoid foods that increase Kapha and Vata
- Avoid excess too sweet, salty or fermented
- Eat at regular times
- Avoid drinking or eating cold (ice, drinks) or raw
- Try to go to bed earlier
- Although hedge
- If to spend more through sports or activities if possible friends
- ...

However, winter is also the celebration of Kapha in this season full of festivities to warm up the heart. The Kapha energy is in loving, meetings friends and family, sharing. Kapha is a wonderful force, especially in this season and in those moments when we all wish to find ourselves surrounded by our loved ones. Thus, the winter allow us to increase our Kapha energy. In Ayurveda, we talk about our Ojas. This is comparable to fuel our body and our heart need to live. Indeed, most of the autoimmune diseases comes from a deterioration of the Ojas.

Thus, sharing moments with people we love, receiving and giving, and opening our heart allows us to create Ojas. Only like this, once recharged, we can undertake the next year.

Meery Yule,
Merry Christmas
Happy New Year to everyone