This in-depth study on dosha Pitta is part of a series of articles, available on the Yoga n' Ride blog, which deal with the fantastic world of Ayurveda.
If you haven't already done so, I suggest you take a look at the article: Ayurveda: what it is, how it works, and how to put its teachings into practice >
Pitta is the dosha composed of the elements fire and water, and literally means “the power of digestion or cooking.”
According to Ayurveda, Pitta is responsible for our ability to digest food, but also to digest our life experiences and to clearly understand what our body perceives and tries to communicate to us.
When the dosha Pitta is in balance, even the blood and acid secretions of the intestine and stomach will be in an optimal state to promote digestion, both physical and mental.
In fact, even the ability to discern and judge are functions that we exercise best when Pitta is in a state of balance.
Characteristics of a Pitta type person
Since the main element of the dosha Pitta is fire, the tendency of individuals who belong to this constitution group is to be very energetic, courageous, active, and often play the role of leaders and good organizers.
Alas, sometimes, when this dosha is out of balance, it can manifest itself with a tendency to raise one's voice, and to be aggressive and jealous.
People with a Pitta type constitution generally have a very active metabolism and good digestion… for this reason they are often people who have a lot of appetite, and who if they don't eat immediately when they are in the grip of a hunger attack can literally go into crisis.
They are generally also not very tolerant to hot environments, are of medium height, slim, and with moderate muscular development.
They tend to have very hot hands and feet, lots of freckles, angular noses and they sweat a lot.
Areas of the body and biological processes
According to Ayurveda, the dosha Pitta is related to the central part of the body, in the navel area, which is the area which, not surprisingly, is often referred to as the “solar plexus”.
Pitta's main physical state is the stomach and small intestine, but it is also identified in the blood, visual system, and skin.
Furthermore, Pitta is responsible for the following features:
- digestion
- absorption, assimilation, nutrition
- metabolism,
- regulation of body temperature
- skin coloring
Examples of disorders of dosha Pitta imbalance:
When Pitta is aggravated, i.e. in excess or in a state of imbalance, disorders or pathologies related to the areas of the body and biological processes for which Pitta is responsible may appear in the body.
Here are some examples:
- Heartburn and gastritis
- Problems related to liver and blood function
- Hemorrhoids
- Red eyes
- Acne or skin rashes
- Poor absorption of food
- Agitation as a response to stress
- Burning sensation in the eyes, skin, mouth or with urination
- Yellow, smelly urine
- Excessive sweating
- Red nose, cheeks or ears
- Excessive bleeding when you cut yourself
- General acidic body odor
- Obsessive or compulsive thinking
- Strong anger and irritability
Diet Tips for Pitta
People with a Pitta constitution are generally advised to abstain from foods that can contribute to generating heat (such as fried foods), and instead favor fresh ones.
Furthermore, when choosing food, it is good to prefer sweet, bitter and astringent tastes.
This is due to the fact that, according to Ayurveda, the sense of taste is a natural guide towards correct nutrition, and that much of the awareness necessary to know how to choose the appropriate food “rests on the tip of our tongue”.
In fact, our taste buds do much more than simply identify flavors; Indeed, they represent the first element of the entire digestive process.
Below I give you some examples of foods, suitable and not suitable for the Pitta constitution, taken from the book: Ayurveda, the science of self-healing, by Vasant Lad.
If you want to delve deeper into the topic, in this book you will find very interesting tables that identify foods for each type of constitution, the actions of tastes, the properties and actions of foods.
Foods that favor Pitta, to be consumed freely
- Vegetables: asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cucumbers, cauliflower, celery, green beans, lettuce, mushrooms, peas, peppers, potatoes, courgettes
- Fruit: apples, avocado, coconut, figs, mango, melon, oranges, pears, pineapple, plums, pomegranate
- Cereals: barley, oats, rice, wheat
- Meat – fish: white meat (chicken, turkey, rabbit) shrimp
- Legumes: lentils
- Dairy products: butter, cottage cheese, ghee, milk
Foods that aggravate Pitta, to be consumed in moderation
- Vegetables: beets, carrots, aubergines, garlic, onions, radishes, chilli peppers, tomatoes, spinach
- Fruit: apricots, bananas, cherries, berries, lemons, oranges, blueberries, grapefruit, peaches, papaya, persimmons
- Cereals: buckwheat, corn, millet, rice (brown) rye
- Meat – fish – eggs: beef, eggs (yolk), lamb, pork, fish
- Legumes: all legumes except lentils
- Dairy products: whey cheese, sour cream, yogurt
Lifestyle Tips for Balancing Pitta
Below are some suggestions that you can adopt in your daily life, and which can help balance your dosha Pitta.
Try to stay in cool environments as much as possible.
This suggestion arises from the fact that, being the dosha Pitta related to the fire element, it is good to compensate for it by trying to stay in cool environments as much as possible, avoiding excessively hot and humid ones that can increase body heat.
Prefer a cold shower or a warm bath with sandalwood essential oil, and massage the body for a long time with coconut oil.
As with the hot/cool environments mentioned above, people who belong to the Pitta group should prefer showers that are not too hot and use Ayurvedic products that have the property of rebalancing the Pitta dosha.
In particular, the use of coconut oil for massages (for its refreshing and emollient effects) and sandalwood for its aromatic qualities is recommended.
Chant often or practice mantra repetition regularly.
A Pitta type person can “overheat” easily, running the risk of becoming short-tempered or angry. The repetition of mantras, as well as singing, help to positively transform the energy of these emotions, bringing back calm and mental peace.
Sport is also very useful in this sense but I remind you that Pittas are generally people who are already quite “accelerated” and who need to compensate by preferring calmer activities.
Yoga to balance Pitta
Pitta type people have the characteristic of always having a warm body, of being very ambitious, they love to excel and shine in what they do, and for this reason, in general, they should be careful not to make the practice of yoga become hard work which generates additional heat in the body, and avoid overheating the blood and bringing too much heat to the head.
Obviously, even those belonging to this group of Ayurvedic constitution can perform energetic practices, but they must be adequately compensated with moments of rest and counterbalanced with refreshing positions, such as the plow position (halasana) or refreshing pranayamas such as shitali pranayama.
Pitta type people generally benefit from any postures that remove tension from the abdomen, small intestine and liver.
Forward bends, such as the rapier, (Pashimottanasana), are good because they have a cooling effect, but they must be performed with abandon, without effort. Twists, especially in the sitting position, are great because they help detoxify the liver.
At the end of a yoga session, Pittas should feel refreshed, satisfied and calm, with no more tension in the midsection.
Ayuryoga, yoga according to Ayurveda
If you want to put into practice the theory we have talked about so far, on Yoga n' Ride you will find a special Yoga playlist, which includes a series of specific yoga lessons for each Dosha and for the 5 elements.
Click here to discover Yoga n' Ride's Ayuryoga playlist >