In this episode of “5 Minutes,” Dr. Robert Svoboda explores traditional Ayurvedic practices for controlling Pitta and maintaining balance through a calm and cooling approach.
It is important to remember that Pitta is very intense. Therefore, anything you do to control it either needs to be more intense than it is, or it needs to be calmer, cooler, milder, and gentler. Most of the time, you will want to use the calmer, cooler, milder, gentler approach because you do not want to unnecessarily increase the intensity.
Sometimes a stronger intervention is appropriate, but only if you know exactly the degree and intensity that is required. If it is precisely balanced, it can bring things to a good resolution. With Pitta, however, it has to be very exact.
Always remember that Pitta is made up of two important elements: water and fire. Water and fire are natural opposites. If there is enough water, it will extinguish the fire. If there is enough fire, it will consume the water. They are continuously working against one another, and this is part of the nature of Pitta.
This inner conflict often appears as irritability or antagonism towards other people. That is why we want Pitta people to remain cool and to focus on things that are calm and gentle.
In Ayurveda, there were only a limited number of ways to create coolness. People did not have refrigerators to cool themselves, so the traditional advice was to spend time near a fountain, wear a necklace of pearls, apply rose water to the eyelids, and have the feet massaged with ghee. All of these are considered beneficial.
It is also helpful to use pearl powder, coral powder, and plenty of aloe vera, both internally and externally.
Equally important is avoiding the things that aggravate Pitta. Pay close attention to foods that are sour. Consume only the amount of salt that is appropriate for you. Hot and spicy foods are very likely to increase Pitta. Cardamom is one spice that generally does not do this. Cinnamon is more balanced, while chillies will definitely increase Pitta.
Tobacco and alcohol are also very aggravating for Pitta. Too much protein, especially animal protein such as red meat, and even fish, can increase Pitta because of the qualities present in the flesh.
The calmer your diet and your daily activities, the easier it is to maintain balance.
It is also important to ensure adequate anulomana. This means allowing the digestive juices, especially bile, to flow properly through the body without becoming trapped. We always want the liver to remain healthy. Aloe vera is very useful for this, as are herbs that support the liver, including dandelion, chicory, burdock, and yellow dock. Ayurveda also has excellent herbs that encourage the proper flow of bile from the liver.
The focus with Pitta, especially if you are a Pitta person or live with someone who is, should be to keep the mind positively engaged so that it is not looking for something to react to.
Choose cool surroundings, wear cooling colours, and avoid sights that are overly stimulating, because vision is particularly important for Pitta. Reducing intensity in every aspect of life is perhaps the most important principle for keeping Pitta in balance.