Living like a Pitta

Are you a predominantly a Pitta dosha? Discover Ayurvedic meditation, movement and diet recommendations to start living a life more aligned with your Ayurvedic characteristics. Working with your dosha, rather than against it, is the first and the most important step on the journey to finding your glow.

Meditation for Pitta

Pittas are usually natural sceptics. This means as a Pitta, you’ll need to feel convinced of the benefits of meditation before you can truly commit to a practice. Once convinced, however, you’ll likely find meditation easy – since you’re blessed with a sharp, focused mind and excellent discipline.

See things for yourself. You don’t have to be comfortable taking others’ word for it – you might prefer to do your own research on the benefits of meditation and review the supporting scientific evidence.

Try a gazing practice. The dosha governed by sight, you might naturally gravitate towards {trataka}, meaning ‘to gaze’. This ancient yogic concentration exercise most commonly uses a lit candle, lights off, focusing on the flame while breathing slowly and deeply.

Movement for Pitta

Natural sportspeople with an enviable combination of strength, speed and stamina, Pittas are built for movement. Natural born leaders, with Pitta comes a fierce competitive streak that can hinder their enjoyment of exercise when winning isn’t the outcome.

The secret is to find balance between types of exercise that keep you engaged, but don’t always mean winning. You might not have the patience for a long-distance run or the precision for tai-chi, but your strong-mindedness means you thrive on a challenge, in a team or solo.

Competitive sports. Try tennis or squash, with their explosive energy and need for power, or team sports like rugby or football as a captain or in a prominent position.

The gym. A cross-training programme is perfect – it will keep you energised.

Martial arts. Kickboxing, karate, MMA, kung fu, taekwondo or judo.

Rock climbing and bouldering. The perfect match for Pitta’s strength and agility, alongside adventure sports like horse riding, kayaking and surfing.

Time in nature. When feeling off-colour, a dose of green is your best friend. Forest bathing, the Japanese art of Shinrin-Yoku, invites you to walk slowly, breathe slowly and be mindful.

Wild swimming or snow sports. The combination of nature and cool temperatures will soothe Pitta heat.

Mindful yoga. Take your yoga practice down a notch with more mindful Hatha practices, holding the asanas for longer and focusing on breathwork {pranayama}.

Eating like a Pitta

As a fire dosha, the main aim of the Pitta diet is to cool the mind and body. If you have a strong Pitta constitution or a definite Pitta imbalance, follow this nutritional guidance to restore digestive equilibrium.

1. Don’t forget to eat. You’re prone to forgetting meals or eating on the move when you’re busy or stressed, but this makes you irritable. Make a habit of sitting down, eating calmly and focusing on your food.

2. Ease off spicy foods. You’re likely drawn to hot foods, like curries, but it may feel as if they don’t agree with you. It’s true – they further ignite your fire, leading to indigestion and other digestive issues. To soothe excessive fire and restore balance to the gut, avoid spice altogether.

3. Enjoy bitter and astringent flavours. Where your thirst for intensity can’t be satisfied by heat, opt for punchy flavours that will get your taste buds tingling.

4. Help from herbs and spices. Those with cooling and soothing properties will reduce inflammation and acidity in the gut. Use herbs like coriander, dill, fennel and mint, and spices like cardamom, saffron, turmeric and ginger, freely in your cooking.