I’ve recently decided to spend some more time up in the country where my mother lives. While I love Los Angeles and am grateful for all that it has given me, I know myself and what I need to thrive, and that is frequent visits to nature and quiet. As a Kapha Dosha – Earth element – I do not work well under pressure. I need a relaxed and easy going environment to match my naturally easy going mood. That being said – I do thrive off the fire and energy of the city for motivation. So I do enjoy living in the city, but I feel no shame to take frequent trips out to unwind. Feeling no shame about this took me some time to come into. We live in a society where slowing down is not acceptable. Taking time for yourself is not ok. The people who are idolized are the people who can get the most done in the shortest amount of time. And that’s an awesome quality to have if you have it, but unfortunately society doesn’t recognize the other types of people. The more nurturing types. The Kapha types. The ones who don’t need to have it all figured out by age 30. We are all born with unique gifts. Imagine a world where there were no nurturers, no natural born givers. Kaphas are natural born givers and when balanced, can be true healers. They also are wonderful at holding space for people, as they have that ground, so often times working one on one with a Kapha Dosha can feel like being with Mother Earth herself. Because they love to give, they often forget to give to themselves – and this is how they become depleted.

Now, I am not fully Kapha. I have a lot of both Pitta (Fire) and Vata (Air) in me. Kapha is the Dosha I was born with and it is my physical body type -I’m curvy, and can put on weight easily. However my personality is a mixture of the other two elements. I have a lot of air, and these days, a lot of fire. The fire element is the one I have had to work hardest at though – it is the one I had the least of. But once you bring your natural born Dosha into balance…the other two Doshas seem to follow.

My Vata is my creative side, my esoteric side, the part of me that loves to travel and explore and meet all different kinds of people. It’s the part of me that doesn’t like routine, but needs it to feel stable. However, because I am mostly Kapha – I feel pretty grounded most of the time, and even though I do need to watch my Vata too – I can get away with mixing things up. In fact, it’s good for me not to get too stuck in one routine. That’s when the heaviness and lethargy kicks in…

My Pitta is the part of me that is a leader. Most predominantly Kapha people are not natural born leaders – however, since I was a little girl I always wanted to call the shots. I always made the plans for my friends/family and I, I was the one who would convince you to go out to that party even when you didn’t want to. When my family would take trips, I was the one who researched where to stay and made the decision of where that would be! I always wanted to be in charge somehow, and hated being told what to do. Hence why I’ve always had difficulty working for someone else, and why I decided to step into entrepreneurship. This is totally a Pitta quality, not a Kapha one.  But I’m unorganized, need help in getting motivated, and can easily become lazy and stubborn….There comes the Kapha again!

So I know, it can be so confusing right? Here’s what I tell clients when working with them. Don’t get too fixated on one element.

See how you can work with ALL of the elements, so that you can use them all in your favor!

Remember, the one you were born with is the one you will always have to come back to and check in with, however, as you grow and evolve, that can change too. Last time I saw an Ayurvedic doctor he told me I am a Pitta/Kapha. Which at the time I have to say was true, I was more in my Fire than Earth element. But eventually I burnt myself out, and fell back into my Kapha-ness. Pittas need to watch out for burn out – when you feel yourself in your Pitta stage, make sure to take ample times for rest. And this is exactly what I am doing now.

Rest, create, take action. Then rest again. This is the cycle.

Having some kind of spiritual practice in your life is key to help you navigate through the ebbs and flows of life. Wether it be yoga, meditation, writing, chanting, DJing, making clothes, music, art, spending time with your Grandma. Literally anything that takes you out of yourself for a moment and has you step into a Higher purpose.

Above all, I truly believe that none of us here can be confined into one category, or box, or Dosha.

We as humans are so complex and are multi faceted creatures. Especially those of us who have a yearning and a calling to evolve and grow…not everyone is going to choose the growth path. It’s simply not their Karma in this lifetime, and that’s ok! But for those of us who are literally shedding skin every single day…don’t try to define yourself. You’ll never figure it out, and it will only make you more confused. Just go with it. Go with the ebbs and flows…go where your heart takes you, go fully into each phase and stage of your life.

With Love and Gratitude,

Helene