Dosha Love—Pitta Style

Use alchemy to keep your Pitta Partner feelin' the love all summer long! Do you have a fiery partner? Someone who is sharp, hot, passionate and a bit of a “know it all”? If you do not feed them on the regular they can become a “hot mess”? If you answered yes to more than one of these questions, then you have yourself a Pitta dominate playmate and this season they might need a little TLC.

Folks who have Pitta, or Fire and Water, as part of their elemental nature can be dynamic and intense. This can be a great match for the soft and cool Kapha, or the chatty, creative, free spirit of Vata…until that fire starts to flame and you get burned!

In ayurvedic medicine we have a few rules that govern our ability to bring ourselves back to balance. One is that like increases like, in this case the scorching temperatures increase the heat in all of us. Those folks with lots of heat in their constitution will overheat and this can create some tense and uncomfortable moments in the body, mind, and with you!

Our second rule in ayurveda is that opposite effect can pacify or heal. This means the heat of summer, being added to your “hot headed” loved one, might create discomfort for both of you. You will benefit by learning the art of how to cool them off, soften them up, or help them take a “play” break. Any of these will help your pitta partner keep their alchemy, and your relationship, in balance.

Here are a few alchemical suggestions to revive the Summer of Love with your Pitta sweetie:

1. Find some cooling beverages and keep them at the ready. Watermelon juice, Cucumber and Mint infused water, chamomile tea. These types of cooling, sweet, and bitter tastes help to keep the fire of Pitta pacified. Remember do not serve these beverages with ice, as this will only create more heat in the body in the long run. Room temperature water or warm teas help to support the body’s natural a/c and promote perspiration. This moves the heat away from the central organs and cools the body down.
2. Offer a little head and foot massage! Bringing a cooling oil to the skin helps to relieve the heat that can get expressed thru the subdosha of pitta that governs the skin, Bhrajaka Pitta. Coconut oil or Coconut Brahmi oil (even better!) applied to the skin will create a cooling effect. They can do this on their own with a morning abhyanga then a cool shower, or you can offer them a little touch therapy with the oil on their scalp and on their feet. This is perfect for sleep support so that your sweetie can get to sleep and stay asleep…sweet dreams always makes pitta happy!
3. Aromatherapy can go a long way with Pitta pacification too. Not much is needed as Pitta can have aversion to overwhelming smells! Rosewater spray, or creating a scented oil like rose, jasmine, bergamot, and lavender, is sweet and cooling.
4. Pitta individuals need to feed their fires on a regular schedule. You can tell when they need to eat, so be prepared! Herbs like those in Pitta Digest are a perfect support for those hot digestive fires, keeping the acid from getting too high and creating tummy troubles. Offering spices and herbs in food to keep the Pitta digestive fire even is important this season. Herbs like cilantro, coriander, mint, rosemary, fenugreek, fennel, and Lavender are wonderful to add to meals when cooking and will absolutely nurture the digestive heat that can rise in the summer months.
5. Have fun in the sun and keep an eye on hydration levels for Pitta, and make opportunities to rest. My number one suggestion? Invest in a hammock for your shade tree—now there is a real Pitta pleaser!