understanding pitta dosha

If you’re at all familiar with Āyurveda, you’ve likely heard the terms Vata, Pitta, and Kapha dosha thrown around. But what exactly does dosha mean, and what the heck are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha?

Let’s layout the basic framework around the concept of dosha and then we’ll dive specifically into Pitta dosha. The goal is to strengthen your relationship with the concepts and to help you become more confident in working with this dosha in your day-to-day life. We will define Pitta dosha, chat a little about the how and why behind the dosha, and give you some practical and approachable tools that you can incorporate into your routine to create a healthy balance in relation to it.

the doshas and the qualities of pitta

Āyurveda recognizes that the entire gross, physical world is made up of five elements; ether, air, fire, water, and earth. These elements are also what our bodies are made up of, and these elements manifest in the human body as three constitutional types, what we call doshas. Another way to look at this is that dosha is your particular elemental makeup.

Vata dosha is a combination of ether + air elements, Kapha dosha is a combination of earth + water elements, and Pitta dosha is a combination of fire + water elements. These three doshas govern all the functions of our body, mind, and consciousness. When in balance, the body and mind are in harmony, and when out of balance, dosha contributes to the disease process.

lava meets water elements of pitta dosha

The qualities of fire + water elements (and therefore, the qualities of Pitta dosha) are hot, quick/sharp, mobile (spreading), light, and oily. Pitta dosha rules and regulates body heat, temperature, metabolism, transformation (digestion, absorption, assimilation), perception, understanding, hunger, thirst, and intelligence. Having strong digestion, medium build, and sensitive skin are all signs of Pitta dosha.

Balanced Pitta shows up as a healthy drive, determination, passion, and radiance. When out of balance Pitta can cause issues of the skin (hives, rashes, urticaria, breakouts), loose stool, strong hunger, anger, jealousy, irritability, and perfectionist tendencies.

Pitta’s keyword is INTENSE.

how pitta manifests in the body

fire and sparks representing balanced pitta dosha

Individuals with a Pitta constitution have a medium build, with a medium bony structure. They often run hot; meaning they tend to feel hot, sweat easily, and have hot, quick, and sharp digestion, and elimination. Pitta individuals also have brilliant, sharp, piercing minds, as well as sharp tongues.

Each dosha has a home site in the body. The home site of Pitta is the small intestine. It also shows up in the red blood system and rules the liver. Those with Pitta constitution tend to have strong appetites, can take large quantities of food, and may have excessive perspiration. They have good power of comprehension, they are ambitious, and don’t mind leading. They also tend to enjoy exhibiting their wealth and possessions.

They have oily skin, oily digestion, and tend to have higher levels of body odor. Lightness in the eyes, redness of skin, hair, and eyes, and light sensitivity, are all signs of Pitta dominance.

what unbalanced pitta may look like

When Pitta is out of balance, some of the things you might notice include:

Skin sensitivities such as hives, rashes, urticaria, and acne, all of which may be spreading in quality
Premature graying of hair/hair loss
Excessive perspiration
Agitation, anger, frustration, or a hot temper
Indigestion in the form of acidity or heartburn
Loose and or hot stool
Impatience, intolerant, or critical mindsets
Sharp hunger
Difficulty sleeping
Excessive perfectionist tendencies

If these symptoms are something you are dealing with, read on to learn what you can do to calm Pitta when it’s high and start to find balance again.

balancing pitta dosha

In Āyurveda, we use the ten pairs of opposites (or gunas) to describe everything in the material world. When we think of the time of year, the food we eat, and even the practice we incorporate it's important that we pause and ask ourselves what qualities am I experiencing when I interact with this “thing”.

Is it relatively hot, or relatively cold? Is it relatively dry, or relatively wet? Fairly heavy, or light? By evaluating things through the lens of these gunas, we get a clear picture of the doshic makeup of the thing, and also how it will impact us.

Āyurveda teaches us that “like increases like, and opposites balance”. With that in mind, let's talk about ways to incorporate opposite qualities of Pitta dosha to help when things get off track.

Opposite qualities would include: cool, soft, stable, slow/dull, heavy, and dry.

ways to balance pitta dosha

Diet

Favor foods containing sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes - dark leafy greens, root vegetables, rice, lentils, dates, and almonds. Fresh, cooling foods are a great option, too.

Use cooling spices such as fennel, cilantro, cardamom, and mint. Our Pitta Churna is a lovely addition to your pantry!

Avoid deep-fried/fatty foods, foods that are pungent, sour, or salty in taste, highly processed foods, red meats, and alcohol. Avoid warming/heating spices such as peppers, cumin, ginger, and black pepper.

Not sure what to cook, or how to spice? Set up an individualized health consultation with Kristin Linde.

Abhyanga

Our Pitta Daily Massage Oil is crafted with cooling, skin-soothing herbs in a base of sesame, sunflower, and coconut oil that shifts according to the season. This oil is perfect for bodies that tend towards skin irritation, and it smells lovely keeping Pitta's mind happy too! Read more about this practice here.

Yoga + Pranayama

There are a number of yoga + breath work practices that are very effective at managing excess Pitta in our on-demand library. Shitali helps to dissipate excess heat from the body and mind, and this flow incorporates postures centered around cooling and calming Pitta.

Cooling, Soothing Herbal Tea

When Pitta gets overheated and cranky, Cool Refresh is a lovely support. Cooling, blood nourishing, and a little sweet - this blend makes a Pitta pacifying and delicious cup.

Aromatherapy

We carry lovely aromatherapy supports for Pitta here at the Ayurvedic Wellness Center. Rose, Jasmine, and Khus attars are especially supportive.

As we move toward Pitta season here in the northern hemisphere, we begin to see a shift in our external environment, from the heavy, cold, and wet qualities of spring, to the hot, sharp, and oily qualities of summer (Pitta season). This is a time to begin to tend the flames of Pitta in order to keep ourselves in check as things warm up.

May this article be of support for you in keeping calm, cool, collected and balanced. Interested in one-on-one support? Contact us at contact@ayurvedicwellness.center.