Good Morning Everyone and happy Snow Day! I wanted to share an experience I had in my Yoga class last night and some other adventures of the day. Yesterday was a little stressful... I had to take kitty into the Animal Hospital where we sat for about an hour waiting to be seen, and I spent another hour in the cold waiting area, while the doctor and her assistant ran back and forth from the exam room to my room with a treatment plan they wanted to do for kitty and the cost involved. It was just really stressful because every time I asked what this or that would cost, they had to reassess the plan and get another quote. I basically took the price from $1,500 to $245, which I don't think they were too happy about. The doctor was very nice, but the other ladies didn't seem to care for me. Anyways, kitty is home, happy and purring like crazy, and all is fine for now. I was so tired by the time I got home, and kinda wanted to just stay in... but I had Yoga so I just ran out the door again and hoped for the best! I'm so glad I decided to go, because this was by far my favorite class. It was the last class of my Ayurveda Yoga Series and we focused on the Kapha Dosha. This is the most stable, consistent and grounded of the Dosha's. It is associated with the elements Earth and Water, and is often described as steady, stable, heavy, slow, cold, and soft. People with a lot of Kapha in them are seen as strong, thick-boned, trusting, patient, happy, wise, calm and caring. Spring is the season associated with Kapha, as many parts of the world start to come out of hibernation. When the Kapha Dosha is out of balance you can experience lethargy, melancholic moods, oversleeping, and getting stuck in a rut or finding it hard to move on or change from your usual routine. Changing things up is a good way to get out of this Kapha funk. If you experience a lot of the Kapha personality type, fresh air and exercise are some of the best ways to break up the heaviness that often weighs you down, as well as learning new hobbies, taking a class, taking a different route to work each day, listening to upbeat music, and making sure to socialize with uplifting friends and family members.
I feel like I have a lot of the Kapha personality in myself, but I'm also prone to the elements of ether(space) and air, which is predominant of the Vata personality. Like most things in life, we have a little bit of each personality type in us: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. One thing I learned from taking this Yoga Series, is that when we have a class that focuses on one of the personality types, we do the opposite in class. So last night, since we were focusing on the Kapha personality, we did a lot of energizing and revitalizing exercises that help break up the sluggish nature of Kapha. We started the class by writing down the things that are weighing us down, making us heavy and keeping us stuck. As we thought about these things in our lives that keep us stuck, we took our massage balls and put one on either side of our spine and slowly moved them up our back, all the way from our sacrum to our upper Traps. Whenever we came to a spot that was extra sensitive, felt stuck or had some fascial restriction or trigger points, we told ourselves to keep moving and not stay stagnant. I've never actually used massage balls much for myofascial release before, but when I took the time in class, I felt the difference immediately. After using the massage balls, we took a foam roller and used it on our pec and upper arm muscles as we rolled our upper body over it in one fluid motion. We also did a lot of tapotement on our chest, arms, legs and feet, followed by leg and arm movements that really shook things up. It was so revitalizing and energizing, and even though it wasn't a cardio class, I felt like I had really worked out. This morning I woke up and could definitely feel the Myofascial work that had been done.
Do you experience any of the Kapha personality type in yourself? What's one thing you can do to break up your usual routine? What is one area in your life where you feel stuck?
Share your thoughts, concerns, and story in the comments below!
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