In Ayurveda, Pitta season typically spans late spring through summer, when heat, intensity, and transformation dominate. If you’re feeling a little extra irritable, inflamed, or sweaty these days… That’s Pitta doing its thing!
In Ayurveda, Pitta dosha is the energy of fire and water, responsible for digestion, metabolism, and transformation in the body and mind. It governs how we process food, thoughts, and experiences. When balanced, Pitta allows for strong digestion, confidence, drive, determination and a sharp intellect. When out of balance, it can show up as irritability or anger, inflammation, overheating, acid indigestion and perfectionism or burnout.
In Ayurveda, there’s a simple but powerful rule:
“Like increases like, and opposites bring balance”
Because Pitta is already fiery by nature, adding more heat (literally or metaphorically) throws it off balance. Examples include hot weather, spicy or acidic foods, intense workouts mid-day, too much caffeine or alcohol, stress, overwork and perfectionism.
All of these things feed the fire, and that’s when symptoms start creeping in: skin rashes, heartburn, irritability, impatience, or just feeling overly intense.
Luckily, there are plenty of easy, grounding ways to keep you cool, calm and collected. Here are some of my favorite tips and tricks to help you stay balanced during Pitta season:
Eat to beat the heat
Food can be one of the BEST ways to keep your cool in the summer heat
~ Favor cooling foods like cucumber, mint, coconut, avocado, cilantro, fennel, zucchini, whole grains, lentils, and leafy greens. Think light, fresh and hydrating.
~ Minimize hot, spicy and fiery foods like alcohol, chilis, garlic, onion, tomato and fermented foods (i.e. kombucha, sauerkraut). These foods just add more fuel to the fire.
~ Stick with room temperature foods and beverages. In Ayurveda, digestion is ruled by agni or your inner fire. This fire is crucial for breaking down food, absorbing nutrients, and eliminating waste properly. When you consume ice-cold foods or drinks, it’s like throwing a bucket of cold water on a campfire as it weakens your digestion. You may feel bloated, sluggish, or like food just “sits” in your stomach. Additionally, Ice-cold foods can actually create stress in the body, causing constriction in the digestive tract. Your body has to work harder to “warm up” the food to body temperature before digestion can even begin. This can make you feel more tired or heavy after eating.
~ Sip on cooling, hydrating beverages like coconut water, pomegranate juice, and opt for cooling herbs like lemon balm, rose, chamomile, mint and hibiscus.
~Opt for sweet, cooling treats in moderation like mango sorbet, coconut milk popsicles or a fruit based granita.
Time your activities wisely
Work with the heat, not against it
~Exercise in the morning or evening and avoid mid-day sun exposure. Pitta is naturally strongest from about 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., which is also when the sun is at its highest and the external heat peaks. Adding intense physical activity (which also generates heat) at that time can easily lead to dehydration, irritability, inflammation (skin rashes, joint flare-ups), exhaustion and burnout.
~Practice moon salutations upon waking. Moon Salutations, or Chandra Namaskar, are a calming, cooling sequence of yoga postures designed to honor the energy of the moon. Unlike the energizing Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar), Moon Salutations help you slow down, stretch gently, and ground your energy — perfect for balancing the heat and intensity of Pitta season.
Turn down the mental heat
Pitta isn’t just about body heat.. it also shows up mentally and emotionally as frustration, perfectionism, irritability and impatience
~Spend time near bodies of water. Swimming, wading, or even dipping your feet in water helps lower your body temperature and relieve that overheated, restless feeling. The sound of moving water, like waves, rivers, or streams, has a deeply soothing effect on the mind. It can slow your heart rate, ease anxiety, and reduce mental tension.
~Practice cooling breath work practices like sheetali pranayama. When you inhale through your curled tongue the air passes over moist surfaces — your tongue and mouth — which cools it down before it enters your lungs. This cool air then lowers your internal body temperature slightly and helps relieve that hot, flushed, overheated feeling.
~Try moon bathing to absorb the cooling energies of the moon. Moon bathing is the act of spending intentional time under the light of the moon, usually during the cooler evening or nighttime hours, to absorb its cool, calming, and nourishing energy. In Ayurveda the moon is associated with Soma, the essence of tranquility, nourishment, and rejuvenation. It possesses cool, watery, and feminine qualities — all of which balance the hot, sharp, fiery qualities of Pitta.
Create cooling rituals
~Treat yourself to a self-massage (abhyanga) using cooling coconut oil to nourish your skin and calm your system.
~Keep your cool with a rosewater spray. Naturally cooling and soothing, rose water helps reduce heat, calm inflammation, and uplift the senses. Just keep a small spray bottle on hand and mist your face, neck, or arms throughout the day — especially after being in the sun or feeling overheated.
~Take lukewarm (not cold!) showers. Cold water can shock the system and actually aggravate Pitta.
The summer heat naturally fuels Pitta’s fiery nature, but with some mindful attention, you can maintain balance, stay calm, and feel comfortable throughout the season. By listening to your body and bringing in cooling, calming elements to counteract the heat, you’ll not only stay refreshed but also nurture steady, lasting energy.
