We all have all three doshas, because all three doshas are required for the maintenance of life. However, one or two doshas are usually predominant in a person's constitution (prakruti).
When your doshas are balanced, their positive characteristics are enhanced. But imbalances of the doshas lead to symptoms.
Kapha dosha is the principle of nourishment. Kapha describes the functions of water and earth elements, which form the building block materials of our cells and tissues. We can identify kapha through its qualities of being heavy, dull, slow, cool, oily, slimy, dense, and stable.
Western culture tend to give a lot of value to pitta and vata qualities, but not so much when it comes to kapha. No wonder many of us are so depleted--kapha is necessary for many important functions, like sleep.
The functions of Kapha include:
nourishment
lubrication
support
stability
groundedness
growth
gaseous exchange in the lungs
water electrolyte balance
strength, stamina, energy
sleep
repair + regeneration
memory
But all that being said, it is important to manage excessive kapha qualities if they are cropping up. However, it's also important to identify the root cause of the imbalance: often kapha increases to protect the tissues from the destruction of vata and pitta.
Click the slides below to learn more about kapha, the principle of nourishment.