Don't Fight Fire With Fire: How to Survive Pitta Season

Photo by @libbylivingcolorfully

Are you unbalanced in the summer? Riddle me this:

• Are you more prone to breakouts and/or skin irritation in the summer?
• Do you become irritable, combative, or overall unpleasant to be around if exposed to heat?

If you answered yes to either of these then your Doshic constitution is Pitta, the ~Fire~ Dosha. 

In Ayurveda, Pitta is one of three Doshas, or energies, that exist in all of us at varying degrees of intensity. Each Dosha is made up of a combination of elements that also make up the universe, that’s right, the whole damn universe. They are: Water, Fire, Air, Space, and Earth.

Pitta is Fire, naturally warm and in need of a cooling lifestyle to feel balanced, and guess what: we have 5 ways for you to find that balance during #Pitta2018, which we hear is going to be hotter than ever. 

1. Bottoms Up:  Drink lots of water! Hydration helps cool that hot Pitta bod of yours. Enhance it by adding cucumber + mint for extra cool. Sipping coconut water or using it as a base for your smoothie will also cool AND give you bonus electrolytes. Just try to avoid consuming ice water as it messes with digestion.

2. Keep it light:  Small, light meals are easier for the body to digest, and use less energy. In the world of Ayurvedic Medicine, energy = heat and we want to avoid getting all hot and bothered (mostly).  Afternoon is the hottest time of day so make lunch your smallest meal to avoid a non-work approved siesta. Increase consumption of cooling foods that have a bitter, astringent, and sweet taste and cut back on pungent (hot, spicy), sour, and salty (dehydrating) tastes. Need a Pitta cooling grocery list? Girl we got you:

3. Beach Bod:  Summer mornings are generally cooler so wake up early and get your fitness on then. We know you want to keep that beach bod tight but overdoing it during a workout gets you too hot to handle so take it down down a notch while it’s warm. SWIMMING! The best exercise to get ya fit and cool ya down. And when practicing yoga or stretching on your own incorporate twists and bends to release toxins and help with digestion.

 4. #SunBLESSED:  Keep cool and hydrate your body and hair by lathering them with coconut oil before bed (or the slip n' slide) every once in awhile. Master tip: rub aloe (straight from the plant) on skin that has been overly sun-kissed or run a cool bath and add a cup of high quality ACV.

5. Drank:  Sip on this Pitta perfect tonic we like to call “I Pitta Da Fool”

1 tsp Moringa

½ tsp Cordyceps

1 tsp Maple Syrup

1 tsp Collagen

8 oz Almond Milk (or we're biased to our home-made House Almond)

3 tbsp hot water

Whisk all dry ingredients + maple syrup (the preferred sweetener of Pittas everywhere) with hot water until mixed. Add mixture and milk to blender. Blend for 20 seconds. Pour over ice. Sippa da Pitta.

We hope these tips and tricks help all the Pitta + partial Pitta's stay cool and balanced this summer. Please note that we are not telling you to never eat spicy Mexican food or give up Hot Yoga for the next few months. Instead, try cutting back on spicy items a few days a week. Swap out Hot Yoga or an intense HIIT class for a mellow yoga class or pilates. Any changes you make will get you closer to a more balanced state.

Learn more about your dosha here.