Summer time is the Pitta time of year. The fire is blazing in the sky, and the days are long and bright! According to Ayurveda, there are five elements: Ether (space), Air, Fire, Water and Earth. Two elements combine to make three Doshas/Constitutions: Vata, Pitta, Kapha. If you’re curious to learn more about your doshic makeup, take the quiz here!
The Pitta Dosha is composed of the elements Fire and Water. It lacks Ether (spaciousness), Air (wind/movement) and Earth (grounding). It’s recommended to balance the Fire and Water elements of Pitta with Earth and Ether (space). While the Pitta Dosha is missing the Air element, because the Air element has the quality of movement and mobility (think of the Wind), we want to decrease the Air element. Air/Wind fans Fire and can cause a spreading destruction. This is exactly the same in Mother Nature. Forest fires spread, destruct and consume more when air & wind come into contact with the Fire. So the general guideline for balancing the Pitta Dosha in the Summer is to bring in spaciousness, grounding and slowness. We do not want to add additional fire, heat, intensity, movement and/or mobility as that will cause an increase and lead to imbalance.
A note about movement/Air/Wind…this is physical AND mental movement. One can easily increase their mental wind (and cause imbalance) by multitasking, blazing through their day at a fast pace, engaging in multiple forms of technology at once: phone, emails, texting, social media, iPad and squeezing too much into the day. For balancing Pitta, we want to prioritize grounding, coolness and slowness.
The qualities of the Pitta Dosha are: hot, sharp, light, oily, spreading, mobile, penetrating and intense. If you have an incredibly busy day in the summer, drink hot coffee, consume alcohol, have spicy-warm food, multi-task, practice hot yoga around noon time, stare at a computer screen, end the day with a hot shower and hot tub, you might notice an imbalance of the Pitta Dosha showing itself as: easily irritated, burning eyes, agitated, overly critical, profusely sweating, breaking out in hives, having a hot temper or hot feeling in the head. You may feel heartburn, have burning urine and loose stools. Sound familiar? Read on for more information and recommendations to balance your fire!
You may be able to easily spot a Pitta person, or perhaps you are one yourself! Pitta dominant people typically have a medium and athletic build, their weight tends to stay pretty steady. They can be sensitive to light, with medium shaped eyes and have a piercing gaze. Their skin may flush red easily and be slightly oily. They are typically leaders in the workforce and follow through with their assignments and big goals. They are incredibly organized, focused and intense and love to be in control. Pitta’s can have a hot temper and overheat easily, and typically have warm or hot skin and tend to sweat easily. They can have sharp hunger, a sharp tongue and have sharp features. They can be critical at times and opinionated. Pitta’s love to spread their name. Pitta’s have a strong desire to be productive and a natural tendency to be great leaders. They have an insightful mind, wonderful concentration and enjoy an intellectual challenge.
According to Ayurveda, like increases like and can lead to imbalance. The hard driving executive who gets a sudden heart attack is usually a high Pitta type. A Pitta’s primary challenge is their ability to convince themselves and others that they have more stamina/strength than they actually do. Too much fire leads to burn out and destruction. Because the Pitta dosha has the fire element, adding additional fire, intensity, sharpness and heat can lead to imbalance. Some common Pitta imbalances look like: burning urine, loose stools, burning red eyes, inflammation, heartburn, acid reflux, overly critical, judgemental, jealous and angry, hives, acne, and/or rashes. If you are a Pitta dominant person, in the Pitta time of your life (puberty-menopause), be aware that come the Pitta time of year (summer) you may actively need to take steps to stay cool, stabilize the fire and bring harmony.
Some simple diet & lifestyle recommendations one can do in the summer to bring balance. These recommendations bring in the opposite qualities of the Pitta dosha…notice spaciousness, coolness, slowness in the recommendations:
Looking at the world through the lens of Ayurveda can be incredibly beneficial and life changing. Ayurveda believes in small baby steps to build consistent changes. For more information on Ayurveda, please check out Meg’s previous written blogs on the topic. For more personalized information on your elemental makeup, it is highly recommended to connect with an Ayurvedic Practitioner or Ayurvedic Health Counselor. Meg is an active member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and graduated from Kripalu with 650 Hours of Ayurvedic Studies becoming an Ayurvedic Health Counselor in 2024. She is available for 90 minute in-person Ayurvedic Consultations at the NH Health & Wellness Center. A consultation can be incredibly beneficial for anyone experiencing sleep issues, digestion issues, lack of energy, fatigue, headaches, feeling unsettled, irregular bowel movements, an overall lack of balance and much more.
Meg Visnaskas is a Licensed Massage Therapist and Ayurvedic Health Counselor at the NH Health & Wellness Center. She finds great passion working with clients and helping them reflect on their daily habits and work towards creating new ones. Meg is a 200 Hour Yoga Teacher and teaches at Humble Warrior Power Yoga. She has a deep love for sharing yoga philosophy in her classes. For questions and scheduling, contact her directly by email at meagan@nhhealthwellness.com
