Summer is Pitta season in Ayurveda. The fire element accumulates and gets trapped, leading to irritability, skin inflammation, acid indigestion, summer colds. But the standard wellness advice (blast the AC, freeze yourself out) actually blocks your body from knowing what it needs. The Ayurvedic frame is to feel the weather first, then respond with the right tools.
Why "catch the season" matters more than climate control
You will hear a lot about Pitta balancing in the summer from Ayurvedic practitioners. But it is important to note that Pitta balancing does not include freezing yourself out with blasting AC in summer.
We want to "catch the season," meaning go outside and feel the extremes so your body will have a chance to send you appropriate cravings.
Of course, please don't let yourself get depleted, burned out, or overheated. But DO feel the true weather, as it allows your body to let you know how much of the Pitta-balancing tools you need to employ. All of the extreme climate control in our culture is a big strain on the body if the inside temperature is radically different from the outside temperature. It is better not to set the AC at room temperature, but rather something in between the blazing hot temps outside and room temperature.
Minimize climate control to create a hardy body.
Once you are truly feeling the weather on a deep cellular level, the body can reset to the current season and will let you know what it needs. The same goes for climate control in winter.
My goal as an Ayurvedic teacher is not to give people lists of things to memorize. Instead, I want to help them reawaken the Ayurveda that is already within them. How do the birds know when to fly south and the bears know when to hibernate? They catch the season. That is how they know where to go and what to eat. Their life depends on it, and so does ours. Once you really are catching the season, you will naturally crave the Pitta-balancing foods, routines, and activities.
What Pitta imbalance looks like in summer
In Ayurveda we believe that "like increases like" and "opposites balance." In summer the fire element is most likely to accumulate and get trapped in the body. The constitution/body type with the most fire is called Pitta. Pitta actually contains fire and water, but the fire element often dominates.
What does excess Pitta look like in the body? Often it looks like accumulated and/or trapped heat drying out and irritating the tissues, organs, and/or emotions. This can create a whole host of issues that have a FLAME, such as irritability, skin inflammation, acid indigestion, and summer colds.
The truly refreshing drinks (hydration with electrolytes)
What is the number one tip to help your body and your furry friends stay cool in the summer?
Hydration with electrolytes. Water buffers extreme temperatures (inside and outside the body).
Think bubbling brooks, lush greenery, and full deep belly breathing to bring the body into a peaceful and naturally calm state. Saturate your cells with oxygen, water, and nature.
You are not just looking for something that is cooling, but more importantly, something that is refreshing to your body on a cellular level. Iced latte is cold to the tongue, but the caffeine is very stimulating and dehydrating. Long term this causes burnout on many levels.
Your best bets for truly refreshing and hydrating beverages:
- Fresh juiced fruits and vegetables (incredibly hydrating on a deep cellular level)
- Fresh coconut water (nature's perfect electrolyte)
- Hibiscus tea (a natural refrigerant) mixed with maple water
- Purified water with a pinch of Himalayan pink salt, fresh cucumber slices, and mint leaves (make sure you take plenty of water with electrolytes away from meals)
- Pomegranate aloe lime spritzer (astringent, cooling, and soothing electrolyte drink)
Work with your Ayurvedic professional to find out which of these would be best for you. Juiced cruciferous vegetables will often put a strain on someone with a weak or strained liver. A beet, apple, carrot juice will send most people's blood sugar through the roof. It is important to work with a trained professional to find out how to use these foods and herbal teas in a way that supports you.
An Ayurvedic tip for cooling without shocking the body
If you do want to cool your drink with ice, wait until the ice melts before enjoying it. Room-temperature beverages are best.
What Pitta is, and what Ayurveda is
What is Pitta? In Ayurvedic medicine, Pitta is the energy of transformation that governs heat and metabolism in the body. Pitta is concerned with the digestive, enzymatic, and endocrine systems, and is eliminated from the body through sweat and the bowels.
What is Ayurveda? Ayurveda is the ancient art of nourishing your body, mind, and spirit through connection to nature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Ayurveda recommend feeling summer instead of staying in AC? Because climate control prevents your body from registering the actual season. Once you truly feel the weather on a cellular level, your body knows what it needs. Susan's framing: birds know when to fly south and bears know when to hibernate because they catch the season.
What does Pitta imbalance look like in summer? Accumulated heat drying out and irritating tissues, organs, and emotions. Irritability, skin inflammation, acid indigestion, summer colds.
What are the best hydrating drinks in summer (Ayurveda)? Fresh juiced fruits and vegetables, fresh coconut water, hibiscus tea with maple water, purified water with Himalayan pink salt and cucumber, pomegranate aloe lime spritzer.
Can I drink iced drinks in summer? Wait until the ice melts before drinking. Room-temperature beverages are best in Ayurveda.
Is iced coffee good for Pitta in summer? No. Iced lattes are cold to the tongue, but the caffeine is dehydrating and over-stimulating. Long term this causes burnout on many levels.