I think there are two kinds of people in the world. The ones who would do anything for their morning cuppa and the ones who couldn't care less.
Ayurveda recommends the elimination of coffee, as caffeine is an addictive substance, which constricts the flow in the body (as you know I talk a lot about getting a lovely flow of Prana, life energy, in the body during our Yoga classes so that is not what we want to happen).
The thing I love about Ayurveda is that even though it recommends not to have it in the first place, it always puts balance as the key, and thus can provide guidelines on how to take your cuppa to create the least havoc, if you happen to fall into the first category (I am part of that club I must confess).
First of all, what is the effect of coffee on your system? You would think that it is warming and as it is a liquid it is hydrating. Nope. In actual fact, it is quite the opposite. It has a bitter taste (qualities of cold, dry and light in Ayurvedic tastes), so it is cooling in it's quality and it is also a diuretic - makes you pee a lot - which in fact dries the body out. So a rule of thumb, when you have a caffeinated drink, always have a few glasses of extra water to balance it out.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash (copyright free)
Let's look at the Doshas, how should they make their coffee the least imbalancing by customising their brown liquid:
Vata coffee - I am sorry to say but coffee can be a Vata's worst enemy, as it has the exact same qualities - cold/dry and light. It could make them anxious like there is no tomorrow. I would recommend limiting it to one a day and definitely none after 2 pm as it will mess with their sleep too. Adding warm milk and a bit of sugar can balance the bitter taste a bit and making the coffee as weak as possible will help too. Vata coffee should always be warm. Using spices like cardamon, cinnamon, brown sugar and nutmeg could also counter the drying/bitter effect for them. They should go for a latte, or a great alternative can be chai, chai latte.
Pitta coffee - Good news for Pittas, coffee actually cools them off. The sweet taste of milk is also beneficial for them. The coffee can be a bit darker than a Vata coffee and maybe a bit less milk too. In the summer an iced coffee is also an option for them. Pittas are actually are the ones most likely to be quite grumpy before their fix in the morning, the bitter taste cools them off. They should go for a cappuccino or a frappe in the summer.
Kapha coffee - Kaphas will actually have the least harm from coffee, as it dries and uplifts them. They are sturdier thus can take the buzz, it will get them to move which is a plus in their case. They just have to make sure to avoid milk and sugar in their cups as the sweet taste could end up making them crave sweet things all day, which is imbalancing for them. Espresso is their friend.
Namaste
Dora