A quick core-strengthening class fires up the gluteal muscles and deep core stabilizers to support the low back. You’ll build heat and break a sweat with repetitive poses to get the blood pumping to warm the body. Squats, sit-ups, chaturanga push-ups, and work with a resistance band to stimulate the inner heat and encourage the digestive fires to pacify Kapha dosha. This class is ideal for anyone looking to strengthen and tone the body, specifically the legs and glutes.
Style: Core Yoga
Duration: 27-mins
Level: intermediate
Props: 1 block, 1 resistance band
Focus: Glutes and core to pacify Kapha
Location: Lila Familia Production Studio, Vancouver, BC
Pacifying Kapha Dosha
Kapha typically has oily skin and hair with stocky, curvaceous, and broader-boned body types. Kapha has slow digestion, in life experience and diet, and is prone to skipping meals. Good stamina and physical endurance allow Kapha to take on any physical activity, but Kapha prefers solo sports, enjoying the time alone. Kapha gains weight easily and likes slower movement and lots of sleep.
Kapha prefers a slower-paced lifestyle; when imbalanced, over-eating, avoidance of exercise, and over-sleeping may cause Kapha to become overweight. Kapha has many close, long-standing friendships, but when hurt or angered, tends to withdraw and pull away, which may cause depression.
To maintain equilibrium and balance, Kapha should maintain regular exercise and eat regular meals in smaller proportions. Avoiding fatty, sweet foods in preference for spicy and flavourful foods help stimulate Kapha’s digestion. Running, vinyasa yoga and other heat-building activities stoke the inner fires of Kapha’s calm and steady nature to burn off the lethargy and clear the static energy.
Strong Roots and Glutes
This class asks that you use fire to transform how you feel and stimulate the digestive system. Agni is fire in Sanskrit; to stoke the fire we need to build heat to get things moving. Fire allows us to shift how we feel in the body and mind through the awareness of breath and our intentions. Through the Agni we light ourselves up from the inside, outwards, to burn away any impurities and release all that needs to be shed—including toxins waiting to be released.
Toxins are known as Ama in Ayurveda. Ama builds up in our body when we don’t get enough sleep, eat the right foods or get enough physical activity that aligns with our constitution, or take on too much stress. Ama also accumulates when we watch violence on television, argue with loved ones, or spend too much time on social media.
For more on what to eat or the activities to pacify Kapha dosha, refer to our Ayurvedic Nutrition Guide.
Opening Sequence
Seated side waist stretching
Kapalabhati with breath retention
Strengthening Sequence
Squats with the resistant band
Plank pose with the resistant band
Chaturanga push-ups with the resistant band
Downward Dog
Repeat this cycle 2x
Floating bridge pose the resistant band
Yogi sit-ups
Backbending Sequence
Sphynx pose
Fingerstand cobra
Cooling Sequence
Cow face (Gomukhasana)
Thread the needle or pigeon pose are alternatives to this pose if you have any knee pain.
Meditation or Savasana to close your practice.