3 Tips to Managing Pitta in Pitta Season

In Ayurveda, we’re well into the heat of Pitta season with the elements of fire and water dominating.  While you may very well know in July not to close all the windows and turn up the heat in your house, it’s also not advised to turn up the heat in your body internally.

The practice of Ayurveda integrates all three doshas or elements—Pitta (fire), Vata (air) and Kapha (earth). Each person has all three doshas within their body to varying levels, but when one dosha gets out of whack due to changes in environment, stress, or more, the result is physical and emotional suffering. The goal of Ayurveda is to delicately find a balance between the three doshas.

The number one Ayurvedic principle to remember in order to restore balance is: like attracts like. For example, in Pitta season, we may want to drink lots of dehydrating alcohol on a 100-degree day directly in the hot sun, but it can cause skin irritations or rashes and make our tempers rise, literally. When my teacher Ali Cramer taught me about all of this during my training, it was all so logical.

And as a Pitta Vata, the Pitta in me wants to really celebrate and soak up summertime. I know I’ve gone overboard (or am vitiated) when I become irritable, self-critical, angry, and flushed. Some of the qualities of Pitta are hot, sharp, oily and penetrating. If we remember like attracts like, then we realize hot, sharp, oily may aggravate and create more heat in our body, resulting in heat rashes, sunburn, anger, impatience, and diarrhea.

But we can remedy this by applying the opposite qualities of pitta to ground, cool down, and relax.

Get outside

Be sure to enjoy these long hours by getting plenty of fresh air by taking nice walks, or otherwise engaging in a moderate exercise routine, during the cool times of the morning and night. Surround yourself with sweet smells, scenes, and company of the places you love in Mother Nature and explore new places, too!

Eat naturally cooling foods

If like attracts like, too many hot, oily, greasy, fried, acidic, spicy, salty, sour, and fermented foods can aggravate pitta, as can coffee, alcohol, and red meat. Even onions, garlic, and nightshades like tomatoes, bell peppers, and potatoes are difficult for pitta to digest, especially when it’s hot and humid outside. What’s good about Ayurveda is it doesn’t ask to take these away entirely, but observe your consumption of them and how you feel.

And instead, look to favor the summer harvest. Enjoy cool and refreshing fruits and veggies, leafy greens, bitter and astringent foods and spices that are light and naturally cooling like coconuts, sweet berries, watermelon, cilantro, and fennel.

Prioritize introspective, cooling practices

Try and keep a relaxed and playful routine, where you are patient and tolerant with yourself. Prioritize routines that feel like you’re on vacation, such as dipping in a river, pool, lake or ocean, instead of a hot tub. Or right before you shower every day, indulge in a 15-minute self-massage, also known as Abhyanga, by covering yourself with Sunflower or Coconut Oil. Not only will it make your skin cooler and less irritable, you’ll also have a nice healthy glow. Lastly, try and meditate or practice personal reflection daily and in the evenings take time to bask in the light of the moon for 20 minutes or so for a cooling, peaceful practice.