CHAPTER 9
Understanding Pitta
Pitta is the only dosha of the three with fire in it, so it’s precious for that hot quality. Pitta’s heat supports so much in the body, especially in the way of digestion, transformation, and vitality. Heat supports the sharpness of the mind and passion of the heart. Pitta types have a lot to offer the world with their ability to get things done and blaze new trails. It’s very important, as it is with all of the doshas, to keep pitta in balance so its wonderful qualities support your healthy living.
Pitta dosha is of the elements fire and water. The fiery qualities of pitta mean that a predominantly pitta-type person normally has good digestion and a good deal of willpower, passion, and determination to get things done. Pitta’s qualities include liquid, oily, hot, light, fluid, and intense.
Two of the qualities of pitta—fire and fluidity—help you come up with great ideas, accomplish goals, and push projects to completion. The sharpness of the pitta mind loves to achieve, and the fiery momentum helps burn through obstacles to that end.
What are the physical signs of a predominantly pitta person?
The physical attributes of pitta can be reddish hair or baldness; moderate body; freckles; sharp eyes that are brown, hazel, or green. Pittas are usually of moderate build. But remember you don’t need to have all these qualities to have a good deal of pitta in your constitution. These are simple ways of viewing the likelihood of pitta being present.
It’s very important for a pitta person who is on the move and on a mission (whether in business or with family) to keep her pitta balanced so she doesn’t start to get too pushy, angry, annoyed, and judgmental. While it is exciting and creates a great sense of accomplishment to keep up the momentum and fuel the fire, it’s important to balance that fire so others will enjoy working with you and supporting you as you reach your goals. You won’t cool off too much if you balance your fire: you’ll still shine, shine, shine, and you’ll do it with more finesse and joy if you don’t get yourself overheated.
The subtle force of pitta is tejas. It’s important to keep tejas in balance, and the same methods for balancing pitta will work with tejas. So, at the basic level, it’s good for you to know that, like the other doshas, pitta has a subtle energy at work. If you just keep in mind the doshas and working with them, it will help their subtle energies, as well.
To calm overstimulated tejas, as you would do with pitta, be mindful of your diet, your exercise, and the use of stimulants. When your fire is too hot, you want to cool it down to protect your immune system, your tissues, your organs, and your mind from burnout.
When you wonder about what excess pitta could look like for the mind and body, think about the effects of heat. Imagine what effects hot oil could have on the insides of your body (since pitta is hot and oily).
A person who is hotheaded is known to be easily angered and can fly off the handle without much warning. To others, a hotheaded person’s reactions can seem unfounded, unwarranted, and too much to handle. Too much pitta also affects the mind, causing it to experience jealousy and control issues, which can be detrimental to relationships in work and in the home. When pitta is in excess, you can become domineering and hard to please.
Pitta types lose control with great rapidity. It takes a great deal of awareness for them to remember that other humans
—namely vata and kapha—inhabit the planet. —Maya Tiwari
If your pitta is out of control, it can be detrimental to relationships, and all that fire is a lot for your body and mind to experience. If you are predominantly pitta and your pitta is in excess, you may not realize that it’s not healthy to be constantly hot, pushing, and exerting yourself. It does take a toll, over the long haul, on your health.
Also, if you are hard to please and controlling, it affects your ability to experience a deep sense of love, trust, and joy when in relationship (work or otherwise) with others. By balancing your pitta, you could open up to a more collaborative and harmonious existence in your work and home life … and still be outstandingly productive.
A good way to remember what effects pitta has on the physical body is to think of it as though there were molten lava in the body. Imagine how molten lava spurts and spreads from a volcano. So, when pitta is aggravated, it can lead to such things as acne, rash, ulcers, heartburn, loose stools, and excess urine. And due to pitta’s spreading nature, one may find it spilling into other parts of the body, as well.
It may be hard for you to recognize if your pitta is in excess, especially if you are used to living that way. Take a moment to answer these questions.
Be honest with yourself when you answer these questions. If you answer yes to many of them, you may want to really make sure that your pitta is in check. When pitta is in excess, it’s one reason that pitta’s life span tends to be moderately long rather than very long. They burn their energy so quickly that what they have will last fewer years. And you could be making the people around you more uncomfortable than you’d want to while also adding unnecessary stress to your own life. You are full of potential and brightness, so it can be a struggle to not overdo it.
When pitta is in balance, you are a very bright light. You’re sleeping well, your digestion is working well, and your mind is sharp and active. You are grounded and secure and able to accomplish things while also taking time off to relax, play, and be full of compassion.
Pitta types shine in the world through their desire and ability to make things happen. Their enthusiasm for accomplishments and leading the way means they produce, create, and then share their final product and the knowledge they’ve gained. Pittas don’t tend to work quietly at home and enjoy their success alone; they like to share their knowledge and expertise.
Pittas are smart and capable. They tend to be doctors, engineers, teachers, and lawyers. They also do well with public engagements because they are charismatic. Pittas may be drawn to become politicians, especially because they believe strongly in their principles and are drawn to leadership positions.
Even in a domestic sense, pittas will adhere to their principles. They will be happiest when they create order and are fastidious about cleanliness.
For pitta types, it’s important that when you get hungry you eat, otherwise you can become irritable and experience hypoglycemia. Because you have a strong digestive fire, it’s important to make sure you take time to eat three meals per day and be aware of which snacks are supportive to your type.
It’s likely that you will prefer to stay up late—past midnight. You may find yourself wanting to read yourself to sleep, late at night. And that’s okay, because your sleep will be sound and moderate in length. If you can, though, take a break between reading and sleeping to do a calming pranayama or visualization. This is because pitta’s dreams can be tumultuous.
As it is with all three doshas, pitta energy is the predominant force during certain times of day, times of year, and a time of life. When these times in nature are predominant, you can take advantage of pitta’s qualities and also be careful not to exacerbate them.
The pitta time of the day is 10 A.M.–2 P.M. This is the time when your body is doing its work for digestion. It’s digesting what you’re eating and what you’re taking in with all your senses. It’s a fiery time, so you can eat your largest meal at this time. Also, because it’s a fiery time, try not to do strenuous activity or have sensitive conversations at this time of day. Keep your activities to a moderate, steady pace.
It’s also pitta time from 10 P.M.–2 A.M. You’ll likely be asleep during this time, and sleep is good for you during pitta time. At this time, while your senses are relaxed, your body can focus on digesting all the food and information you took in while you were awake.
Summertime is pitta time of year. That’s why you’ll dash to meet the ice cream truck, you’ll pull out your swimsuit, and you’ll take vacations to the beach. When you are drawn to play on the beach, try not to do it during the pitta time of day. If you do, be sure to cool yourself off before and after by drinking cool drinks, massaging yourself with coconut oil, sitting in the shade, and listening to soothing music on your iPod.
ACTIVITIES FOR THE SUMMER TO BALANCE PITTA
Remembering to take extra care to cool yourself down during the summer months will help you keep your pitta in check. You’ll feel healthier, happier, and more balanced if you continue to create balance for yourself in the heat.
Your pitta years are the middle years of your life. When you’ve become an adult and before you’re in your wisest years, you are in your pitta years. During these years, you are experiencing the height of your energy to create, desirous to find out who you are and what your mark will be on the world. These are the years you are gaining knowledge, skills, and expertise, then putting it all to use. These are when you make adult friendships, create your own family and community, and begin to put your unique stamp on all that you do.
Enjoy these pitta years. Learn, experience, and find out who you uniquely are so you can share your particular gifts. And take time to balance your hard work with relaxation—get in some bodywork and spend time relaxing with friends or family.
There’s so much you can do for your children to keep their pitta in balance. If you have a child who is predominantly pitta, when you add things into his life to balance pitta’s qualities he will be able to continue those practices when he is older (especially in the pitta time of his life).
You can disguise pitta-pacifying things as fun, cooling activities and special family-time excursions for you and your children.
Being able to get all As in school, play first base on the baseball team, and be the star in the school play every year is one way that pitta types may be able to gain supportive recognition. Bright and capable children will work hard, especially when they are encouraged and rewarded for their achievements. They may get rewards, such as getting into the best schools, attending the best universities, and getting jobs in fields they are passionate about. Working hard and gaining experience in leadership roles help the pitta child as life goes on, too. She may be the president of student council or the editor of the school magazine. Schools separate the “gifted and talented,” and many schools will help the very bright, talented children to keep pushing themselves to their potential. (And hopefully the schools will help all students reach their highest potential, not just the gifted and talented.)
The important thing to recognize if your child is predominantly pitta is to see if those qualities are not being balanced. So ask yourself these questions:
Does my child get in arguments at school? Does my child have digestive issues, such as acid stomach, diarrhea, or vomiting? Does my child have severe acne, rash, or other skin inflammations? Is my child’s mood characterized by being irritated and angered at home? Is my child very uncomfortable in the heat? Did my daughter start her period early? Does my child stay up past midnight, reading? Is my child really competitive in sports, with grades, and with my other children?If you answer “yes” to these questions about your child’s temperament and appearance, it would be a great help to your child’s health, life experience, and eventual aging process if you would help her balance pitta through diet and creating a pitta-pacifying environment at home. As usual that means creating an environment for that child that has the opposite qualities of her pitta qualities.
Creating a pitta-pacifying home environment can be great for everyone, not only the pitta types. A pitta-pacifying home will have the qualities that can cool and calm fiery energy. After a workday or school day, many people—whether predominantly pitta or not—could love and benefit from these tips in the home.
All this is to say, it’s so supportive to encourage and celebrate when your child excels, holds leadership roles, and wins in sports. It’s also beneficial to create balance when she comes home so that now and later in life she’ll be able to balance that pitta fire. She can appreciate its glow and learn how to keep from overheating.
It’s easy for pittas to keep the momentum going and to want to stay up late. One way to help everyone get to bed before midnight is to stop the stimulating activities early. Movies are stimulating to watch before bedtime, and so is television. If you can make a break between movies or television and going into bed, that could really help pitta transition more smoothly.
Instead of watching movies or playing competitive games at night right before bed, transition from activity to sleep. Consciously make the choice to engage in warm, fun activities together. Read calming bedtime stories together, tell stories about your children’s grandparents or about your childhood, encourage your children to journal.
Something you can do as a family is grow plants, vegetables, or herbs. You could use the evening time to talk about the plants, vegetables, and herbs; water them, and observe how they grow and change. Look through recipe books calmly, and think about what you’d like to make with the food you’re growing.
When choosing activities to do before bed, try to think of what will not instigate competition or stimulation.
Many single people, as well as families, have a lot of activities each day, and each night might not look the same on the calendar. However, whenever possible, try to stick to the routine of having quiet time before bed. Once everyone, even adults, gets used to carving out time at night to relax before bed, it can become a good habit.
It’s really worth it to slow down because pittas can have turbulent dreams, even though they sleep soundly. At the very least, if you cannot make a lot of time to slow down before bed, try this visualization either in a comfortable chair before bed or once you are lying in bed.
NIGHTTIME VISUALIZATION
Visualizations are a wonderful way to calm down after a long day. Another great practice is called yoga nidra, or yogic sleep. For that practice, you’ll buy a CD or download yoga nidra onto your iPod. It’s a guided relaxation and will help you relax from head to toe, from mind to body.