YOUR MIND & BODY TYPE IS EARTH (KAPHA)
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MIND
Earth-dominant people are considered well-grounded, easy-going, relaxed, slow-paced, affectionate, stable, reliable and faithful. They are strong but loving, tenacious but calm, and are blessed with wise tolerance. They strive to maintain harmony and peace in their surroundings, are not easily upset and can be a point of stability for others. They speak slowly and melodically, reflecting a deliberate thought process and are slower to learn, but have outstanding long-term memory. When out of balance they tend to sleep excessively, become lethargic, and suffer from depression and laziness. To regain balance, they are advised to get out of their comfort zones regularly, express their emotions more and try new things that take them out of their routine frequently.
BODY
Earth-dominant people are physically strong, with a sturdy build that tends to be heavier, earthier than other body types. They have soft hair and smooth radiant skin, large "soft" eyes and a low, soft voice with a good immune system, heavy sleep and regular digestion. They tend to dislike like cold, damp weather and are usually susceptible to weight gain, colds, congestion, allergies, lethargy, excessive sleep, goiter, and asthma. To maintain balance, they are advised to wake up earlier, exercise daily, eat light meals, and avoid napping.
HOW TO BALANCE EARTH
Ever wonder how to feel more balanced in your everyday? Ayurveda shows us that small lifestyle and diet changes can have a huge impact on our overall wellbeing.
Browse through the following guidelines to understand how to balance your EARTH Mind & Body Type. As you read through the suggestions below, keep in mind that no one expects you to shift your lifestyle and diet overnight. Slow and steady shifts are huge wins and, based on our experience, you’ll feel them right away.
PACIFYING LIFESTYLE
Food: What we eat is at the crux of our wellbeing so take a look at the food guidelines below and try to follow them as much as you can. Like for all other types, but most importantly for EARTH types, the main meal should be lunch, at the middle of the day. Dinner should only be a light, dry meal.
Wake up early: Try to wake up early, before dawn. Think 6 or 7AM. This might sound drastic but EARTH types are the ones who need the least sleep out of the Mind & Body types yet they love to sleep and tend to sleep too much which can make them stagnant, lethargic or slow to get going in the morning. Every minute you sleep beyond 7am will make you feel heavy and tired.
Kickstart your circulation & metabolism first thing in the morning:
Start the day with a cup of hot ginger tea and a vigorous self-massage to get your circulation moving. Good circulation is at the crocks of a strong metabolism! Sleeping all night makes our circulation stagnant and we need to get that circulation moving first thing in the AM. Read Self body massage with oil
Workout daily, vigorously. EARTH types will dislike getting into a workout routine but once they start, they will enjoy the feeling of shaking off the heaviness and sluggishness, particularly when done, first thing in the morning. Favor activities that include cardiovascular activity, but also weight training like high-intensity interval training, Zumba, spinning classes or hot yoga.
Change it up! EARTH types need to make a concerted effort to allow for variety and challenge in their life. Getting out of one’s comfort zone and trying new things everyday often can balance this type’s solid nature and tendency to get stuck in ruts as well as invite more stimulation and excitement into the life of EARTH types. They can also benefit from breaking from the complacency that comes with routine.
Every spring: Do a seasonal cleanse, like our 3 day Mind-Body Reset, every spring to help avoid seasonal allergies and keep you healthy fit and good tone.
Ideal climate: Keep warm and dry. EARTH types get cold easily so dress warmly if you can’t avoid cold and damp climates.
RECOMMENDED HERBS
Digest strong: Trikatu: promote strong digestion to burn fat and natural toxins. These herbs can be taken after lunch and dinner.
Weight management: Blend of multiple herbs: supports proper metabolic function. These herbs can be taken daily in the morning.
Overall balance: Blend of multiple herbs: removes excess EARTH from the system while promoting healthy lungs, strong digestion of fat and sugars and a healthy immune system. These herbs can be taken daily in the morning.
PACIFYING FOOD GUIDELINES
FAVOR
Light & airy over dense and heavy: Build your diet around veggies and fruits which are wonderfully light, a moderate amount of raw fruit, salads and raw veggies (only in Spring and Summer) and green and black teas which are lighter than coffee can all balance EARTH types. Avoid 4 main foods: wheat, red meat, dairy and sweets.
Warm over cool or cold: Favor warm cooked foods that are easier to digest, drink hot or warm beverages that are not cooler than room temperature. Favor proteins like fish, beans, Kitchari, and eggs.
Dry over moist and oily: EARTH types tend to have oily skin so eating drying foods like beans, sweet potatoes, dried fruits, rice cakes and popcorn. When cooking, replace oil and butter with ghee which doesn’t provoke EARTH types and wheat flour with oatmeal or spelt flour which are much easier to digest. In regards to grains: replace all wheat with rice, corn, barley and oats.
Rough over smooth: Favor scraping and detoxifying foods, like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, dark leafy greens, and many beans to counter EARTH types’ smooth, oily nature. EARTH types should have at least, 1 serving of leafy greens per day to stimulate proper circulation and digestion. Avoid smooth goods like bananas, rice pudding, hot cereal, milk, cheese.
Pungent tastes: Favor spicy & hot foods like chilies, radishes, turnips, raw onions and most spices: cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, garlic, paprika, and turmeric. They cleanse the mouth, stimulate digestion and encourage sweating. As long as not overly fatty, Mexican and Indian foods are your go tos, especially in Winter as long as they don’t include loads of carbs and cheese.
Bitter tastes:Favor bitter greens like kale, dandelion greens, kale, cabbage, sunchokes, dark chocolate, cumin, saffron, turmeric. The bitter taste is exceptionally cooling, and also drying. It helps to absorb moisture, muscle fat and sweat.
Astringent tastes: Legumes like beans, chickpeas, soybeans, lentils, raw apples, cranberries, pomegranate, artichoke, broccoli, cauliflower, popcorn and rice cakes are beneficial to toning bodily tissues and removing excess fluid.
AVOID
If you remember one thing only, remember this rule of thumb: EARTH types should avoid 4 main foods: wheat, red meat, dairy and sweets.
Sweet tastes: Cold, heavy, moist and oily, naturally sweet foods such as fruits, wheat grains, root veggies, milk, nuts, yogurt and red meats aggravate EARTH types’ tendency to gain weight, feel lethargic and sleep too much. Eliminate refined sugars and other sugary sweet foods like pies, cookies, pastries etc. Their only sweetener of choice should be honey.
Sour tastes: Avoid foods like vinegar, cheese, sour cream, green grapes, oranges, pineapple, and grapefruits which aggravate Earth types as they increase thirst, water retention and swelling.
Salty tastes: Limit salty tastes as, similar to sour tastes, they increase moisture and oiliness in the body, which EARTH types have enough of already.
*This article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice.