Welcome to high summer, the peak of pitta season and the hottest heat of the year. Temperatures are high and tempers are short. Because, let’s be honest, it’s hard not to be cranky when you’re constantly covered in sweat!
One summer in particular showed me the power of prioritizing cooling down in these hot months: the summer of my yoga teacher training at Revolution Yoga. Learning that heat, judgment and anger are interconnected in yoga philosophy and Ayurveda was so eye-opening for me. These qualities are associated with pitta dosha, the combination of the fire and water elements. When there’s an excess of pitta, we’re more susceptible to its negative qualities in our bodies and minds.
A pitta-imbalanced culture
In the bigger picture, our culture encourages many pitta qualities that can be very unhealthy when they’re out of balance:
- Precision can morph into perfectionism. We’re encouraged to strive for absolute perfection, never settle, and make sure every detail is correct. Only the best will do, and anything less is unacceptable.
- Determination can turn into depletion. We’re encouraged to work our hardest, never stop or surrender, and blame ourselves for falling short. If only we had tried harder, done more or planned better, we could have achieved The Thing.
- Ambition can mutate into emptiness. We’re encouraged to go faster, accomplish more and keep striving. If you’re content with what you have, you must be lazy and unmotivated.
Wait a second. Pump the pitta brakes!
- Surrender isn’t weakness. It’s acceptance and trust.
- Contentment isn’t giving up. It’s appreciation and gratitude.
- Mistakes aren’t shameful. They’re part of being human.
We might not be able to change the whole culture at once, but we can cultivate calmness, kindness and contentment in the microcosm of our own lives. Ayurveda recommends that to combat the heat, we cool off with compassion.
On the mat
In our yoga practice, compassion can be encouraged with heart- and shoulder-opening poses, like gentle backbends, side stretches and expansive, wide-armed variations. Sphinx, Locust, Bridge, Warrior II, Extended Side Angle and Mountain can help us soften our shoulders and release the tension that gathers there when we’re stressed.
Slow-flow and restorative practices soothe racing thoughts and help them settle. When we create stillness in the body and breath, it tells the nervous system it’s OK to release anxiety and panic, too.
Off the mat
We can add simple practices to daily life that encourage empathy, patience and equanimity. It’s all about slowing down, cooling off and chilling out.
- Loving-kindness meditation (metta) reminds us how to get out of our hot heads, into our hearts, and into someone else’s shoes.
- Breathwork (pranayama) like cooling breath (sitali) and two-to-one breathing calms the nerves, while balancing practices like alternate-nostril breathing (nadi shodhana) help temper the internal fire.
In the kitchen
We can show compassion for our bodies in the hot, humid months by adding sweet, creamy, mild and bitter foods to our meals:
- Sweet: bananas, pears, mangoes, coconut and mint
- Creamy: avocados, hummus and dairy (in moderation)
- Astringent and bitter: tulsi, rose, coriander, cumin, fennel, pomegranate, bitter greens and beans
Hydration is especially important in summer, but stick with room-temperature or slightly cool water. Iced drinks and foods can be too extreme and shock the system.
Scents, colors and sounds
Cooling, calming scents include florals like geranium, rose and jasmine, and more astringent scents like tea tree, sandalwood and peppermint. Cooling colors include pastels, light neutrals (white and beige), blues and greens. Sounds that pacify pitta include running rivers, crashing waves and rustling leaves: gentle movements in nature that relieve the stagnant heat of summer.
Releasing judgment, perfectionism and anger helps us find surrender, patience and compassion, to calm our minds and cool our tempers. It can be hard to let things go in our pitta-imbalanced culture, particularly in hot, sweaty, cranky pitta season. But there are plenty of simple ways to balance all that heat as we make another cycle around the sun.
Wishing you all the fun and celebration summer brings!
