Nine Yoga Poses to Balance Your Kapha

Ayurveda recognizes three doshas, or humors—vata, pitta, and kapha—that make up our bodily constitutions in different combinations. We each have a unique makeup of these doshas in different quantities.

Kapha dosha, a combination of the elements of earth and water, rules the springtime. The main seat of kapha in the body is in the chest and lungs, and the qualities of kapha are heavy, slow, dense, dull, soft, oily, and cold.

Now that spring is upon us, we may begin to see excess kapha showing up in the form of mucus in the lungs, lethargy and sleepiness, weight gain, slow digestion, and low energy. Practicing yoga during the kapha times of day (6:00–10:00 am and 6:00–10:00 pm) and practicing at a more vigorous pace, in a warm space, can help alleviate excess kapha.

Here are nine yoga poses (and one sequences: Sun Salutation) to help balance your kapha.

1. Sun Salutation. Sun Salutations invite heat and mobility to counteract the cold and stable qualities of kapha. They’re a great way to promote circulation and get the lymph moving first thing in the morning.

2. Twisting Chair. This pose builds heat in the legs while simultaneously pushing out the stagnation that can accumulate in the chest and lungs from excess kapha. Moving from side to side with the breath, as well as longer holds, can be beneficial.

3. Half Moon. Stimulating the side waist is a good way to ward off mandagni, or slow digestion, because it moves and awakens the digestive organs and stretches the entire abdomen. The side-to-side motion also offers spaciousness to the lungs, where excess mucus can build up from excess kapha.