01/20/2026
Seasonal Tips!
Very soon, we will move into what Ayurveda calls Kapha season.
Kapha season begins in the second half of winter and continues throughout the spring.
Kapha is a dosha or bio-energy described in Ayurveda as made up of the elements of earth and water.
Kapha has the qualities of being heavy, slow, cool, moist, soft, dense, stable and cloudy. It supports structure, cohesion, lubrication and even feelings of groundedness and compassion.
These qualities increase in the environment during Kapha season and they also tend to increase in our bodies.
If Kapha becomes imbalanced, this can look like an increase in feelings of sluggishness, weight gain and stagnation. You may notice more mucous or phlegm, slow, sluggish digestion or heavy moods.
Ayurveda offers wisdom to balance Kapha when it is most likely to go out of balance as the seasons change and can help us counter some of the common tendencies of spring such as more colds and allergies or weight gain.
3 Tips to help you prepare for Kapha season:
1. Move your body daily.
This is essential to prevent the natural stagnation and heaviness that accumulate during spring. Movement can be gentle or vigorous depending on your needs. Even a few minutes daily will make a big difference. Whether you enjoy walking, dancing, yoga, Pilates, weight training, or gardening, daily movement keeps you feeling refreshed this spring. Start where you are—no need to overdo it.
2. Sip CCF Tea.
Have you heard of CCF Tea? It stands for cumin, coriander and fennel. These 3 spices support a healthy digestive fire and are wonderful for keep our digestion strong during the spring. Just get the whole seeds in bulk, mix them together in a jar and simmer a teaspoon of the mixture for 5 or 10 minutes. Strain and sip. You can put the tea in a thermos to take with you and sip throughout the day if you notice your digestion going out of balance.
3. Try Udvartana.
Udvartana is a a vigorous type of traditional Ayurvedic massage that involves a full body vigorous scrub with herbal powders or pastes. During Udvartana therapies vigorous brisk, upward flowing friction creates heat, stimulates the metabolism and cleanses the lymphatic fluid. It can help with weight loss (along with diet and lifestyle suppports), remove ama (metabolic toxins) and detoxify and energize the system. It is excellent for Kapha types who are feeling more heavy and sluggish and is an excellent therapy for Kapha season.
Udvartana pairs wonderfully followed by an Aromatic Steam therapy. If you are local to Southern Oregon, you can schedule on of these on my website www.pranadama.com
Or you can try a home version of Udvartana by mixing some Jojoba oil in a container with some sea salt and a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Keep it in the shower and take a few moments to give yourself a vigourous scrub this spring. Move the strokes upward toward the heart.
Before I learned Ayurveda, I used to do this on an island beach with coffee grinds and coconut oil before jumping into the ocean. That was so invigorating!
Hope to see you in the office soon!
