Ayurveda and Body Types

Dr. Light Miller in her book, Ayurveda and Aromatherapy, does a lovely job of explaining how Ayurveda medicine classifies people into doshas or body types. There are three main ones called Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. They combine into seven mixed types and most people can find themselves within these different types. What is of most interest to us and this paper is the Kapha type.

Kaphas tend to have large bodies with heavy bone structure and slow metabolism. They also tend to have large foreheads, large liquid eyes, and large teeth. They tend to gain weight easily and often have problems with sugar and are prone to diabetes. The philosophy in Ayruvedic medicine says that these doshas can become imbalanced and the person tends to become ill or show signs of the imbalance. Weight gain can be one of those signs for imbalanced Kapha. Dr. Light Miller has listed several oils to correct a Kapha imbalance. She says that the warming and drying oils are best for Kaphas and help to bring this dosha into balance.

* Indicates oils that should be used carefully as they tend to burn
** Indicates oils that should be avoided unless under supervision of a Certified Aromatherapist
If you are pregnant, only use these oils under the supervision of a Certified Aromatherapist or not at all.

How to use the oils

Dr. Miller suggests using a bath of 5 drops cypress, 5 drops juniper berry, and 5 drops orange to help water retention. You can use the above oils to create other baths. Use Dr. Miller's bath as a guide for the number of drops to use.

When Massaging Kaphas, the essential oils need to be mixed with a fixed or vegetable oil like fractionated coconut oil, jojoba, sweet almond, or your own skin cream or lotion. Kapha skin requires the smallest amount of fixed oil for the skin. I oz of fixed oil to 15 drops of birch, clary sage, cypress, orange, rosemary, eucalyptus, or juniper berry. This formula will help relieve edema and increase circulation.

Food cooked with these essential oils will also help the digestion of food. Menkit Prince has written The Essential Oil Cookbook that has lots of ideas on how to use essential oils in food. Smelling the above essential oils while cooking or before eating may be helpful in curbing the appetite.