pitta dosha and the sun
It is nearly the solstice. This is where we are in the year whatever calendar we use - because this is NATURE. It’s the rhythm of the Sun and Earth. And it’s a perfect time for celebrations and reflections.
Pitta, summer, fire and water
With the heat, summer is also associated with pitta dosha in ayurveda. Pitta dosha is the fire and water element but we often think of fire when it comes to pitta. And indeed the sun is fire!
Fire transforms and digests. The fire helps us digest our food, our sense impressions and our feelings. Some become nourishment and some become waste. So it’s important that we digest properly. Digest our food properly (yes, ayurveda talks A LOT about digestion and elimination), digest our sense impressions with contemplations, rest, mindfulness and meditation, and digest feelings and experiences through our spiritual awareness.
Fire is metabolism.
Fire makes us see clearly. It’s sharp and focused.
It’s illuminating, glowing and radiant.
It gives warmth so things can grow and evolve.
It’s the clarity of our intellect and intelligence.
We need the perfect amount of fire. For us as individuals.
But too much fire can burn us out. Literally, we can get sunburn or heatstroke.
We can burn ourselves by eating excessively hot foods - like chillies.
Or overindulgence in red meat and alcohol.
Fire can cause inflammation in our joints, organs, skin and tissues.
Indigestion and heartburn.
Hot flushes.
Mentally and emotionally it is the same. Heat, frustration, anger and irritation are expressions of excessive fire. Hot flushes are partly due to unstable fire element as are many premenstrual symptoms.
Pitta and type A personalities
Fire as part of pitta dosha is often likened to the typical Type A personality. Ambition and drive. But when imbalanced that person can be sharp and aggressive. They burn out…
Finding balance
When there is excess fire we try to reduce the fire or pitta element where we can. And if need introduce some of the opposite qualities.
Pitta time, according to ayurveda, is between 10 and 2 (am and pm). So if it’s very hot and sunny and we are already hot we avoid being directly in the sun between those hours.
We avoid exercise that is overheating. Definitely no hot power yoga! Instead, favour a more dynamic practice in the morning when it’s still cool and in kapha time between 6-10am. Kapha is cool and heavy so this is the perfect time to exercise.
Enjoy cooling and calming yoga in the afternoon or evening to cool and calm both body and mind. Sheetali or cooling breath is perfect for pitta.
Enjoy cooling foods and drinks. Not cold in temperature but cooling in quality. Cucumber and fresh salads can be enjoyed for lunch during hot summer days (again not cold - but room temperature or even warm). Watermelon and coconuts are cooling and soothing. Anything sweet in taste such as apples, mangos and oranges. Carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes and pumpkins. Astringent or bitter tastes combined with sweet are also good for excess pitta such as kale, spinach and dandelion greens.
Enjoy coriander or fennel tea. Or soothing rose and saffron. Perhaps take some aloe vera juice.
Accumulation of pitta
Some consequences of excess fire are immediate: sunburn, the burn after heating a hot chilli… The immediate anger or frustration when things don’t go our way.
Other things accumulate and the effects are seen maybe weeks, months or years later.
If we have a hot temper and are easily angered or frustrated we need to find a way to work around that. Partly through the activities we do including what we eat and how we exercise. But also in how we approach life. That’s our practical spiritual practice.
How can we work with our personal or constitutional tendencies rather than suppress them? How can we embrace our personality yet also evolve and develop?
That’s the practice of yoga and ayurveda. Getting to know ourselves.
If we have a tendency of increased fire or pitta how can we direct it? Through karma yoga and selfless service or activism? Through devotion and spiritual awareness? Can you “loosing up” a bit?
Enjoy the cooling nourishing moonlight (moonbathing, rather than sunbathing)
Enjoy breathing practises such as the cooling breath and alternate nostril breathing but with devotion and tenderness rather than focusing on getting it ”right” or aiming for a goal.
Be out in nature - and breathe
I always consider the seasons, time of day and the general energy at the time I am teaching our yoga classes. (Find my online Zoom classes here). And you as an individual can always consider your constitution and embrace that as an intention as we all practice together.
