Movement recommendations for Pitta

How working with your dosha will make exercise easy

Keeping active is a magical elixir of wellness. Researchers and doctors all agree that incorporating movement into everyday life is one of the most important things you can do for your wellbeing. Regular exercisers have stronger bones and muscles and a much lower risk of developing chronic health conditions such as heart disease, strokes, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and some cancers.

It’s not just the physical benefits that are impressive – getting active can boost your self-esteem and help kick depression and anxiety into touch. Get moving and you will have more energy, better sleep and a brighter mood .

Overall movement helps you live longer, healthier and happier. What’s not to love?

How Ayurveda can help you move more

However not all of us find it easy to get into a movement practice. Many of us were put off sport at school, when we were forced into activities we didn’t enjoy or couldn’t do well. It can be enough to put you off exercise for life! This is where working with Ayurveda can help.

There are two ways of looking at movement from an ayurvedic perspective. The first is to choose a sport that suits your predominant dosha – if you have always struggled with exercise, this is a smart way to motivate yourself. When you choose activities that suit your predominant dosha you have a head start – they will come naturally and more easily to you because they suit your physical frame and psychological profile.

The second way is useful once you’ve built up a regular movement habit. It involves finding types of movement and exercise that soothe your doshic imbalance.

Let’s look at each dosha in turn and find your perfect match.

Movement recommendations for Pitta

Pitta people are tailor-built for movement. They’re natural sportspeople with that enviable combination of strength, speed, and stamina. Add to that a natural sense of balance and coordination and they get used to being winners. That’s all really good news.

However, the one downside is that, as a Pitta, you can be so competitive that you can get yourself worked up if you don’t come out on top. This can lead to frustration, anger and irritation – and can lessen your enjoyment of exercise too. So your programme has to be balanced. You need to find movement that engages you and plays to your natural strengths but which doesn’t tip you into frustration.

Working with Pitta dosha

Our predominant dosha dictates to a large degree which forms of movement will suit us best. With the best will in the world, the vast majority of Pitta people won’t have the patience for long distance swimming or the precision needed for tai chi.

So the key, as always, is to work with your predominant dosha rather than against it.

Movement to suit Pitta types

Pitta people tend to have a medium build and bone structure. You’re strong-minded people who thrive on challenges. Competitive is the key word for Pitta. You’re also natural born leader who demands perfection from your team. So the best movement recommendations for Pitta include:

•  Pretty much any competitive sport will engage Pitta. Tennis and squash will appeal in particular with their explosive energy and need for power.
• Pitta loves team sports on the whole though you will probably only be happy in a prominent position, and preferably as squad captain.
•  The gym usually holds a lot of appeal for Pitta and a cross training programme will keep you energised.
•  Faster yoga forms suit Pitta – you’re a natural for ashtanga and vinyasa flow. You may be drawn to hot yoga but take care – Pitta easily overheats.
• Rock climbing and bouldering suit Pitta’s strength and agility.
• Adventurous outdoor sports are good choices – horse-riding, kayaking, surfing and scuba-diving will probably appeal.

Balancing your dosha with movement

If Pitta dosha is out of balance, you can help soothe it by choosing complementary forms of movement.

If you are feeling overheated, irritable or angry, you need to temper that Pitta fire. So the first rule is to make sure that your activity is not competitive – that’s a hard one for Pitta! Try these:

· Head out into nature – a dose of green really is your best friend. Shinrin-Yoku, forest bathing, is tailor-made for grouchy Pittas. Walk slowly, breathe slowly, be mindful. 

• Get out of the swimming pool and try some wild swimming or cold swimming. The cool temperature and nature combo will soothe Pitta heat.
• Take your yoga practice down a notch with more mindful hatha practices, holding the asanas for longer and focusing on breathwork (pranayama).
• Snow sports are great for calming Pitta’s fire while appealing to your adventurous spirit – cross country skiing, sledging, snowboarding.
• Take your gym workout into the wild – explore somatic movement or functional fitness.

Keep your cool

Pitta can easily overheat so make sure to include some cooling elements in your exercise routine. Ice baths and cold showers, which are so popular right now, are tailor-made for Pitta.

Splash your face and body with Rose Floral Water or Vetiver Floral Water to cool and ground you.

Sugandhadi Body Cream is ideal also for Pittas’ or Kapha-Pittas body auto-massage after a post-exercise shower.