Depression & Yoga-III

A Kapha-Type Depression

Indications of Depression Due to Kapha Imbalance:

Kapha pulse
Feeling cold
Overeating
Tendency to occur in winter or spring months
Usually a kapha body type
Low energy
Paleness of skin
Overweight
Oversleeping
Loss of ability to experience pleasure

Factors That Contribute to Kapha Depression

Tendency toward inactivity and lack of exercise, laziness
Eating heavy diet
Not dressing properly for the cold weather
Eating cold instead of warm foods
Increase of ama due to eating wrong foods, or to poor eating habits such as not chewing food sufficiently, reading or watching TV while eating, etc.
Daytime sleep

Treatment of Kapha Depression

Follow Kapha-pacifying diet, especially spicy, hot foods, light soups. Favor apples and pears, grains such as barley, buckwheat, millet, and corn. Honey is the only sweetener good for Kapha. All spices (except salt) are good. Minimize oils and fats, wheat and rice, cold food in general, sweets, nuts, rich desserts, red meat, most dairy.

Use heating herbs such as ginger, pepper, turmeric. Drink ginger tea.

Get vigorous exercise such as jogging, bicycling, aerobics.

Walk or exercise in the sun, but don't get too much exposure on skin.

Panchakarma purification procedure.

Daily practice of meditation.

Avoid daytime sleep.

General Tips for Wellness for Kapha Types

Kapha's are prone to lethargy, sluggishness, depression, and overweight, Kaphas need activity and stimulation. Daily exercise is more important for them than for any other type. Getting out of the house and actively seeking new experiences is also valuable. Be receptive to useful change, renounce impediments to progress, be intentional in implementing life-enhancing actions, and choose foods, mental attitudes, behaviors, exercise routines, and relationships and environmental circumstances which can be instrumental in balancing kapha characteristics.Pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes decrease kapha influences. Black pepper, ginger, cumin, chili, and some other spices provide the pungent taste; bitter is provided by some green leafy vegetables; and some green vegetables and beans provide the astringent taste. Note that the taste that decreases a dosha usually increases one or both of the other two. For general purposes, mildly increase the proportion of foods which are helpful while somewhat decreasing the proportions of others-having a sampling of all six tastes at your major meal.

Meditation can be more intensive for kapha constitutions than for vata or pitta constitutions. Schedule time every day for prayer and meditation.

A Food Plan to Balance Kapha Dosha

These guidelines can be used for kapha mind-body constitutions, to maintain dosha balance, and to restore balance if necessary, regardless of the basic constitution. Kapha influences the heavy, moist aspects of the body.

Warm, light food

Dry food, cooked without much water, minimum of butter, oil and sugar

Stimulating foods with pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes

Kaphas need to watch the consumption of too much sweet foods or fatty foods. Keep an eye on the salt consumption also, which tend to result in fluid retention in Kaphas.

Light meals are to be favored such as light breakfast and dinner.

Avoid deep fried foods. Eat lightly cooked foods or raw fruits and vegetables. Eat spicy, bitter and astringent foods. Watch out for eating too much food, a typical kapha tendency.

Select hot food over cold food whenever feasible. Dry cooking methods (baking, broiling, grilling, sautéing) are preferable for kaphas over moist cooking such as steaming, boiling or poaching.

As an appetizer eat bitter or pungent foods instead of salty or sour. Foods such as romaine lettuce, endive, or tonic water are good to stimulate your appetite.

Take ginger tea or a pinch or ginger to stimulate appetite. Other preferred spices are cumin, fenugreek, sesame seed and turmeric.

Watch out the restaurant foods, especially oily, salty, sweet or deep fried foods - these are all kapha aggravating. Eat salad with minimum salad dressing. Take a glass of hot water instead of ice water. Eat salad instead of soup especially in hot weather.

Summary

Breakfast is usually not necessary. Avoid sugar, fats, dairy products, and salt. Ghee and oils only in small amounts. Choose light, dry foods. The main meal should be at the middle of the day, and only a light, dry meal in the evening. Avoid cold foods and drinks. Reduce use of sweet, sour, and salty tastes. Pungent, astringent, and bitter tastes are all right. All spices.

Kapha dosha is aggravated and increased in the spring of the year. During this season, eat less and choose more dry, fibrous foods. During wet, cold seasons, all mind-body types can choose some of the above foods and decrease others.

That's all on depression ,friends..........In next session,I will bring for all of you a new concious topic related to your health & wellness........Till then,A very good bye to you all........ Namastay World !!