How To Reduce Pitta In a Flash | Pitta Dosha Symptoms
With rising temperatures and increasing intensity in life, Pitta dosha can quickly escalate in our bodies and minds. Pitta intensifies rapidly and spreads like wildfire. When this occurs, maintaining our composure—both physically and mentally—becomes more challenging 🥵
Luckily, Ayurveda provides effective methods to balance Pitta, helping you prevent bothersome heat-related issues such as excessive sweating, irritability, and digestive discomfort.
Learn to recognize Pitta symptoms and learn how to keep your cool. Bonus: free Pitta cooling beverage eBook.
Explore more on the Saumya Blog, selected top Ayurveda blogs and websites.
Which Dosha is Responsible for Body Heat?
In Ayurveda, Pitta dosha is responsible for body heat. Pitta is described as hot, sharp, oily, and penetrating. When fiery Pitta flares up – we burn up and burn out. That's why reducing body heat with Ayurveda starts with reducing Pitta dosha.
Pitta Imbalance Signs and Symptoms
Pitta heat manifests in many ways, including:
Body:
1. Frequent and/or urgent stools that are soft, loose, liquid, or oily (soft serve ice cream and looser).
2. Red, burning, or irritated skin including eczema and dermatitis
2. Headaches with burning sensation and migraines
3. Rashes, response to insect bites
4. Hot flashes and night sweats
5. Red, dry, irritated, sensitive eyes
6. Inflammation or any of the "itis” conditions
7. Acne
8. Stomach heat increases, causing heartburn, acid reflux, GERD and ulcers
9. Hyperthyroidism
10. Overactive metabolism
11. Nausea or discomfort upon missing meal
12. Heat avoidant or intolerant
13. Heavy, clotty cycles
14. Interrupted sleep
15. General feeling of uncomfortable heat in the body
16. Inflammation in the body can lead to joint pain
17. Increased sweating and sour or foul body odor
18. Increased hunger and thirst
19. Heated digestive system issues: inflammatory bowel conditions and flare ups
20. Excessive thirst, unquenchable thirst
21. Autoimmune disorders
22. Fevers
23. Acute inflammation of the joints
24. Sun avoidant
Mind:
27. More argumentative, judgmental, competitive, angry, irritated, frustrated, and nit-picky (short fused)
29. Workaholic tendencies
30. Burned out
31. Jealousy
32. Impatience, criticism, and intolerant
33. Overly attached to goals
34. Ego inflamed
35. Controlling, fiery personality
17 Ways to Reduce Pitta and Body Heat with Ayurveda
Believe it or not, it’s easy to get heat out of the body with Ayurveda.
17 powerful, yet manageable, ways to reduce Pitta dosha and keep your cool:
1. Eat Cooling, Pitta-Reducing Foods
Your diet is one of the best ways to reduce body heat with Ayurveda. Focus on foods with cooling properties and high water content:
Water-Rich Foods: cucumber, asparagus, squash, zucchini, celery, etc.
Bitter Greens: dandelion greens, kale, spinach, chard, and beet greens (avoid mustard greens)
Cooling Vegetables: beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, okra, parsnip, peas, potatoes, and rutabaga
Berries: strawberries, raspberries, cherries, etc.
Melons: watermelon, muskmelon, cantaloupe
Whole Grains: rice, quinoa, oats, etc.
Dairy: milk, butter, ghee
Almonds (soaked and peeled)
Moong dal (sprouted whole green moong or yellow moong dal both make great cooling snacks)
Flax seed
Remember to eat your main meal around noon when your digestive fire is strongest. This helps prevent excess heat buildup in the body.
Learn More: Explore our full guide to Pitta-reducing foods
Cooling Ayurvedic Recipes from the Saumya Kitchen
Looking for delicious ways to incorporate these cooling foods into your meals? Explore these original Pitta-balancing recipes from the Saumya Kitchen:
These nourishing dishes are crafted to cool your body, soothe your Pitta, and tantalize your taste buds while supporting your overall well-being.
2. Stay Hydrated with Cooling Ayurvedic Drinks
Proper hydration is essential for managing body heat. While it may be tempting, avoid ice-cold drinks as they can inhibit digestion and lead to more heat in the body over time. Try these cooling beverages instead:
Coconut water with a squeeze of lime
Rosewater lemonade
Mint-infused water
Room temperature herbal teas (hibiscus, rose, chamomile)
Aloe vera juice
Fennel and cumin seed water
Cooling Drinks from the Saumya Kitchen
There are many ways to quench your thirst and cool your Pitta with Ayurvedic beverages. Try these original recipes from Saumya Ayurveda:
These refreshing concoctions are designed to not only cool your body but also balance your doshas and support overall well-being.
3. Do Light Exercise in the Morning or Evening
Exercise is great for your well-being, but it can also heat up your body and mind. Reduce Pitta by exercising early in the morning or in the evening when temperatures are lower.
Opt for less strenuous activities like:
Brisk walks near water or in nature
Gentle yoga or tai chi
Swimming or water aerobics
Leisurely bike rides
Remember to listen to your body and avoid overexertion, especially on hot summer days. Find a way to get exercise without leaving your body overheated and your mind overly intense.
Learn More: Keep your Cool – Top Yoga Tips for Pitta Dosha
4. Perform Ayurvedic Oil Massage (Abhyanga)
Abhyanga, or Ayurvedic self-massage, is an ideal way to relax and cool the body. Massaging cooling oils into your skin can bring you instant relief on a hot day. Use oils with natural anti-Pitta properties such as:
Coconut oil
Sunflower oil
Brahmi-infused oils
Saumya Ayurveda's Pitta-cooling oil
Massage these oils into your skin, paying special attention to your feet, hands, and scalp. This practice not only cools the body and prevents Pitta from building up and boiling over, it also calms the mind and improves our overall well-being.
Getting Started: How to Do Ayurveda Self-Massage (Abhyanga) at Home
5. Dress in Pitta-Cooling Clothing
According to Ayurveda, one can reduce Pitta and heat by choosing fabrics and colors of clothes that balance Pitta. This concept aligns with Surya Chikitsa, the Ayurvedic practice of color therapy or treatment.
Surya Chikitsa teaches that colors have a profound impact on our physical and mental well-being. By extending this principle to our clothing and environment, we can create a cooling effect that helps balance Pitta dosha.
Here's how to apply this wisdom:
Favor cool, natural fabrics that breathe well, such as 100% cotton and linen.
Choose flowing fabrics that allow air to circulate around the body.
As Pitta quality is predominantly hot, cooling colors bring balance – look to the cool side of the color palette and favor blues, greens, cool purples, and white.
If you're feeling particularly warm, consider dousing your clothing with cool water or using cooling scarves and neck gaiters designed to keep you cooler.
The principles of Surya Chikitsa can be extended to your environment as well. Consider incorporating cooling colors in your home decor, such as the color of paint on the walls, furniture, or even something as simple as the color of flowers or pictures on your desk at work.
By mindfully choosing your clothing and surroundings based on these Ayurvedic principles, you can create a cooling oasis that helps keep Pitta in check throughout your day.
6. Reduce Mental and Emotional Intensity
Hot weather isn’t the only thing that heats up Pitta dosha. There’s Pitta season, of course, and Pitta-aggravating foods like alcohol, caffeine, and hot spices. But the most overlooked source of Pitta provocation is... intensity!
We live intense lives. Commuting, stressful, demanding jobs, work-life balance challenges, pandemics, and on it goes. There's a lot of intensity just navigating daily life, so where we can, we need to release the pressure and also learn how to keep it from building up.
Here are a few Pitta-friendly ways to manage stress and intensity in your life:
Practice mindfulness and guided meditation daily
Set boundaries to create work/life balance
Engage in calming activities like reading, painting, or gardening
Take regular breaks during work to prevent burnout
Practice gratitude to shift focus from stressors to positives
When we take steps to make our life less intense and overwhelming, Pitta cools down – and our bodies do, too. Read our blogs Ayurveda for Anxiety and Burnout and Natural Remedies to Manage Anxiety with Ayurveda to cool intensity and reclaim your calm.
7. Practice Pranayama Breathwork
The way we breathe changes how energy flows throughout our bodies. If you learn to breathe diaphragmatically, you will be calmer and healthier, and you'll strengthen your mind and body connection.
So, take a deep breath – let's relax.
How To Reduce Pitta Immediately
Shitali Cooling Breath
How to perform shitali, or cooling breath:
Close your eyes and relax. Sit with your head, neck, and spine in alignment. Straight, yet relaxed.
Curl your tongue to make a straw shape.
Inhale slowly through the straw hole.
Exhale through the nose, keeping the mouth closed.
The inhalation will be cooling to your mouth, tongue, and the mucus membrane, and the head in general.
Note: If you cannot curl your tongue, clench the teeth gently together and press your tongue up against the teeth. Inhale through the teeth, exhale through the nostrils with the mouth closed.
Benefits of Shitali Pranayama
Cools the oral temperature down
Improves digestion, assimilation, and absorption
May lower blood pressure
Reduce symptoms of hot tongue and mouth
Alleviates burning eyes
Cooling to the entire body and mind
Shitali pranayama breathwork is an excellent practice for Pitta types and those with Pitta symptoms. Hot flashes? Add this to your morning and evening daily routine and anytime you need to cool off and chill out.
Ready to get started? Incorporate these cooling, centering practices into your daily routine, and you will change how you feel. Empower yourself.
8. Find Balance With Nasya Oil
Nasya, the Ayurvedic practice of applying medicated oil to the nasal passages, can be a powerful tool in cooling Pitta and reducing body heat. This therapeutic treatment nourishes and cleanses the nasal passageways, considered the gateway to the brain in Ayurveda.
What is Nasya Oil? Nasya oil is infused with Ayurvedic herbs to balance the doshas, improve prana flow, and alleviate various health issues. For cooling Pitta, specific cooling herbs and oils are used in the preparation.
Benefits of Nasya for Cooling Pitta:
Soothes and cools the mind
Relieves tension and heat in the head area
Can help alleviate Pitta-related issues like headaches
How to Use Nasya Oil for Cooling: Use Nasya oils with cooling ingredients like Brahmi oil, coconut oil, or ghee. Apply a few drops in each nostril in the morning or before bed. This practice helps cool the head and mind, often providing relief from headaches and mental tension.
*Note: While Nasya can benefit many, it's important to remember that Ayurveda emphasizes personalized care. An experienced Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner can help identify the correct Nasya oil blend to effectively reduce body heat and cool Pitta for your individual needs.
9. Try Ayurvedic Moon Bathing
Wondering how to do an Ayurvedic moon bath? It's simple. Go outside. Sit or lay on the ground or, if you prefer a chair or lounge chair. Whichever you choose, keep the head, neck, and spine in alignment, yet relaxed.
Sit or lie outside under moonlight
Practice gentle diaphragmatic breathing
Listen to our free guided practices. Choose one 11-minute practice from Part Two and continue directly on to Part Three.
Enjoy your moon bathing experience for at least 30 minutes.
Learn More: Ayurvedic Moon Bathing to Cool and Calm
10. Use Cooling Mists
Soothe your skin with a cooling facial mist. Keep in the fridge and spritz if you feel a hot flash coming on. Book a free consultation to see why Saumya clients love our organic rosewater mist.
Relevant Read: Dosha-Specific Routines to Reduce Signs of Aging
11. Embrace Aromatherapy
Use cooling essential oils like sandalwood, jasmine, or spearmint to calm Pitta. Fragrant flowers can soothe Pitta, too. So, stop and smell the roses – and the lavender, geranium, and jasmine! – it's nature's aromatherapy.
12. Practice Emotional Release:
Holding in or onto emotions aggravates Pitta. Is something or someone creating stress in your life? Conduct a reflective assessment and let go of what and who is no longer supportive.
Journal, talk with a trusted friend, or seek professional support to let go of pent-up emotions. You should feel lifted and energized after interacting with your life, not spent and irritated.
13. Incorporate Ayurvedic Daily Routines:
Establish cooling morning and evening routines to maintain balance throughout the day. Explore these Saumya guides to determine which daily rituals are right for you:
14. Be Mindful of Sun Exposure
While sunlight is essential for health, excessive exposure can aggravate Pitta dosha and increase body heat. To balance your sun exposure:
Limit time in direct sunlight, especially during peak hours (10 am to 4 pm)
Seek shade when outdoors, particularly under trees which offer cooling energy
Use protective clothing such as wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses
Apply natural, Pitta-pacifying sunscreens
Practice sun salutations early in the morning to harmonize with the sun's energy
Opt for Ayurvedic Moon Baths
Remember, moderation is key. Some sunlight is beneficial, but protect yourself from overexposure to maintain Pitta balance.
15. Balance Social Activities
Be aware of your social energy limits and take time to recharge when needed. Be smart about events and observe what your sweet spot is for social activities. If you're prone to overheating, take it easy, don't push yourself. Pitta types may tend to push themselves, and what is needed to balance that intensity is to back off and take it easy.
16. Left Nostril Breathing | Chandra Bhedana Pranayama
Left Nostril Breathing | Chandra Bhedana (Moon-Piercing Breath)
bhedana = piercing
(chahn-drah)chandra = moon
An easy and most effective pranayama which cools the body. Single nostril breathing purifies the Chandra (moon) Nadi (channel). Nadis are energy channels in the subtle body through which prana (energy) flows.
Every hour and half, our bodies switch which nostril is dominant (most open). When the left nostril is dominant, our body cools down.
To Perform Chandra Bhedana or Left Nostril Breathing: Gently close your right nostril and simply breathing normally, inhaling and exhaling through the left nostril. This pranayama activates the parasympathetic nervous system activates, reducing adrenaline, slowly the heartrate, calming and clearing the thinking, reduces anxiety and...the body temperatures drops.
Chandra Bhedana is instantly cooling.
Recognize Pitta dosha symptoms and reduce Pitta in a flash.
Your Guide To Dosha Imbalances
If you're wondering if you have a dosha imbalances, chances are likely that you do. Peruse these comprehensive lists of signs and symptoms of dosha imbalances. Remember, you may have more than one dosha imbalance.
Peruse these comprehensive and convenient lists of signs and symptoms of dosha imbalances. As we are comprised of all Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, there can be an imbalance in any of the doshas, or a combination of dosha imbalances. Read all three lists and see if anything looks familiar.
How To Reduce Pitta In a Flash | Pitta Dosha Symptoms
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