Have you started experiencing the intense heat in the summer months?
As you know, it is the Pitta season as per Ayurveda.
Pitta is the harmonious combination of elements of fire & water.
So, how does it affect you?
Pitta governs healthy digestion and transformation, metabolism & energy movement for everyone. It can get aggravated during summers. Everyone is made up of different combinations of the 3 doshas or you can say every person has a different Prakriti.
Now, Why does it really matter?
Of course, it does matter. Not everyone is predominantly made of Pitta but every person has some Pitta in the body’s constitution. Pitta accumulates inside you, reaching its peak. For example – a person with most Pitta combination will feel the hot summers in a more amplified way than others. A Pitta person might be aggravated, angry and irritated by the excess of heat. When the outside is hot and humid, pitta inside is also hot and humid. Such qualities may cause discomfort. A Pitta person’s hands are always warm and a bit oily to touch. Pitta tends to be hot and so the person might spend the whole summer with AC running non-stop.
Ayurveda believes “like increases like”.
High Pitta in the digestive tract leads to acid reflux, diarrhoea, heartburn or sometimes ulcers. It may show up in your skin in the form of acne, rashes, or allergic reactions. Your eyes might give a burning sensation, red eyes or yellowing eyes when Pitta shows up in the eyes. High pitta in the hair leads to early greying or balding. Excess pitta affects your emotions in various forms such as aggression, agitation, irritation or frustration.
How to Balance Pitta?
Keeping your mind and body cool during summers will help balance out the pitta dosha. Here are a few tips to balance the Pitta dosha and enjoy your summers.
- Avoid hot foods such as pickles, oily, greasy, fried, acidic, spicy, salt, sour, fermented foods, onion, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, coffee, and alcohol. Check out Amrutam's Zeo Malt for all your stomach related issues like digestion, acidity, etc.
- Consume cool and refreshing fruits and vegetables instead like leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, avocados and grains (rice, barley, oats). You should consider cooling foods like watermelon, plums, pears, oranges, coriander, lime, fennel and coconut.
- Slow down your lifestyle, prioritize self-care. Avoid stress as it is excessive vata that in turn aggravates pitta. Take some time for yourself, spend relaxing or rejuvenate yourself or indulge in activities like swimming or yoga or meditation. Avoid over-exertion.
- Include healthy fats and oils such as avocado, coconut, ghee, sunflower oil and olive oil. Pitta can have a drying effect, so modify it with these lubricating foods. Stay hydrated to cool pitta as well as flush out toxins.
- One can get a body massage done. Abhyanga with coconut oil weekly once or more will make you feel better. Check out the range of Amrutam's Body Oils for Abhyanga. You can even use Aloe Vera tonic to calm the fire. You can coat your scalp and hair with coconut oil, wrap in a towel and leave it overnight. Wash in the morning and your hair will feel great along with a calm mind & body.
The takeaway to balance Pitta dosha in summers is –
- focus more on eating the sweet, astringent and bitter taste
- focus less on eating salty, pungent and sour taste and
- reduce hot, light and dry qualities.
By following the above rules and staying hydrated, let's enjoy the summers while attaining the ultimate state of ‘sattvic cool’.
References:
https://ayurvedichealthcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/AHCWS-Food-Brochure-Pitta.pdf
https://www.ayurveda.com/pdf/intro_ayurveda.pdf
