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What do the results mean?

If your score is higher than zero, this indicates an increase of that dosha (vata, pitta or kapha).

The greater the increase, the greater the imbalance for that dosha. For example, a vata increase of 30 indicates a more significant imbalance than an increase of 10. The same is true for pitta and kapha.

If a single dosha scores significantly higher than the other two, you will usually want to focus on balancing (decreasing) that dosha before attending to the other two – even if one or both of the others is increased as well.

Your score indicates that for you, at this time, it would be best to focus on balancing

Signs & Symptoms Associated with Increased Kapha:

  • excess mucous
  • thick, white tongue coat
  • slow, sticky, sluggish bowel movements
  • high body weight
  • difficulty rising in the morning
  • feeling slow, foggy, dull, lethargic or heavy
  • easily attached or possessive
  • overly sentimental
  • complacent or stubborn
  • tendency for "emotional overeating"

General Recommendations For Reducing Aggravated Kapha

Ayurveda provides many simple, practical tools to help you regain your natural state of balance. Ayurvedic treatment strategies often include adjustments to your diet, appropriate lifestyle habits, and supportive herbal regimens. Keep in mind also, that:

Kapha is balanced by:
  • Stimulation
  • Motivation
  • Inspiration
  • Exercise
  • Lightening Foods and Activities
  • Warmth
  • Dryness

Weaving these themes throughout your routine will help these recommendations serve you even better.

Kapha-Pacifying Diet

General Guidelines:

Enjoy:
  • Foods that naturally taste pungent, bitter and astringent.
  • Warming foods - either with a warm energetic (like onions or garlic), a warm temperature, or both.
  • Heating spices - like chili, black or cayenne pepper, ginger, cinnamon and cumin.
  • Whole, freshly cooked foods.
  • Light, dry and warm foods.
  • Honey.
  • Only room temperature or warm drinks.
  • Most beans. mung dahl, well-cooked tofu or tempeh or warm soy milk are all ok.
  • Lots of veggies.
  • A minimal amount of high-quality oils - corn, canola, sesame, sunflower or ghee in your daily diet.
  • Routine times for your meals.
  • Taking a deep breath after swallowing your last bite and heading off for your next activity.
  • Eating your meal in a peaceful environment.

Avoid:

  • Foods that are sweet, sour and/or salty.
  • Cooling foods – either with a cooling energetic (like watermelon or milk), a cool temperature, or both.
  • Heavy and oily foods (e.g. cheese, pudding, nuts, cake).
  • Highly processed foods (e.g. canned or frozen foods, "TV" dinners or pastries).
  • Cold or carbonated drinks.
  • Overeating or eating heavy meals.
  • Eating fresh fruit or drinking fruit juice within 1/2 hr of any other food.
  • Red meat.
  • Foods or drinks that contain refined sugar or corn syrup.
  • Deep fried foods.
  • Alcohol, except for an occasional glass of dry red or white wine.

Kapha-Pacifying-Lifestyle

General Guidelines

Enjoy:
  • An energetic routine (avoid stagnation).
  • Stimulating your body and mind on a daily basis.
  • A 10-20 min. self-massage daily with 1/4 c. warm sesame oil or kapha massage oil before bathing.
  • Click here for more information on abhyanga (Ayuvedic self massage), including the best oils for each dosha, contraindications, and benefits. Women who are menstruating or pregnant should not do abhyanga unless directed by a health care practitioner.
  • A vigorous exercise routine that includes jogging, hiking, biking, vigorous forms of yoga or martial arts or other challenging forms of exercise, a minimum of five times per week.
  • Keeping warm and dry, no matter what the weather.
  • Lively and invigorating music, smells, experiences and company.

Kapha Pacifying Herbal Remedies

Both single herbs and general Ayurvedic herbal formulas can be useful tools to help restore balance to the doshas. Below are some formulations that are especially useful for balancing kapha, and addressing related concerns. If you do not have a full understanding of which remedies are best for you, it would be good to consult an Ayurvedic practitioner who can customize formulas to suit your unique situation.

Learning to Attune to Your Current Condition

While your constitution remains stable throughout your life, your current condition oscillates constantly, in response to shifting environments, events, times of day, and changes in weather. It is helpful to develop a practice of noticing variations in our current state of balance from one day to the next, through the seasons, and over the years. When we commit to observing ourselves in this way, we become more adept at recognizing and responding to the changing needs of our bodies and enjoy a quicker, easier return to balance.   In addition, we recommend returning to this test periodically. For example
  • When the seasons are changing
  • If you implement changes in your diet, lifestyle, or herbal regimen it would be helpful to revisit this test after about a month, to see how your efforts have affected your condition, and to reassess whether to stay the course or change your remedies
  • Whenever you experience a major life change, such as
    • a new pregnancy
    • becoming a new parent (or nursing mother)
    • physical or emotional trauma
    • grief or loss
    • moving to a new job, school, or home
  • If you ever simply feel the need for some specific support with your current condition

It may be helpful to learn more about kapha so that you can understand why following these simple guidelines really can help. For more information about Pitta, click here.

Copyright

The above information was written by Dr. Claudia Welch and Melody Mischke for the exclusive use of Banyan Botanicals. The information is protected by copyright and may not be reprinted without the written permission of Dr. Claudia Welch and Banyan Botanicals. More about Dr. Claudia Welch

Disclaimer

The above Vikriti test and results are intended as a convenient tool to provide practical information on your Ayurvedic constitutional type. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. In addition, it should be noted that while this information should be considered highly useful it is not meant to replace the skilled constitutional analysis of a professionally trained Ayurvedic Physician.