Kapha.
Earth+Water=Kapha
Kapha is one of the three doshas of Ayurveda. Ayurveda is the sister science to yoga which means the "science of life". Yoga teaches us how to quiet the mind and connect to the infinite, while Ayurveda teaches us how to live in harmony with the universe and achieve optimal health and longevity. Traditionally, before students were given the practices of yoga, they were first expected to have a strong foundation in the habits of Ayurveda.
The five elements; ether, air, fire, water, and earth manifest in the body and the world around us as three basic principles known as doshas. They are kapha (earth & water), pitta (fire and water), and vata (air and ether). They are found in everything in nature in different proportions. Not one dosha is better than the other. Each of us has a unique combination of these elements that is known as your constitution. You can discover your dosha here. We will use this information to help us find balance between what we are made of, the quality of the season, climate, the food we eat, and the activities we do.
Kapha provides cohesiveness, structure, and lubrication. In the body, kapha hydrates. It lubricates the joints, moisturizes the skin, strengthens the immune system, and overall protects the tissues. Kapha is present in the chest, throat, head, sinuses, nose, mouth, stomach, joints, plasma, and liquid secretions of the body. The energy of kapha is grounding. It is also dense, fluid and stable.
When kapha is out of balance, it can show up as stagnation and congestion in the body as well as in the mind. Emotionally, an imbalance of kapha is presented as attachment, greed, possessiveness, resistance to change, lethargy, depression, and stubbornness.
During late winter and spring, the qualities of kapha are dominant. Think mud: damp, wet, heavy, soft, earth. You want to get the heaviness or stagnation of kapha moving. Bring more intensity and heat to your life with backbends, breath of fire, bursts of quick movements, core work, lengthening the inhale, and all things that raise your energy.
People with kapha dominance in their constitution do well when they lighten their diet and possibly eat two meals a day without snacking in between. This is very beneficial for reducing the heaviness of this dosha.