Pitta - “The Ambitious One”

Best trait - Witty

Worst trait - Gets angry easily & dominating

Introduction

Pitta is one among three main doshas (energies) present inside the body with the predominance of
fire and water elements. Balanced pitta governs digestion, metabolism, and transformation of the
body. Among the three stages of life (childhood, adulthood, and old age) pitta dosha dominates in
the adulthood.On the basis of the day and night time, pitta dosha is dominant between 10:00 am to
2:00 pm and 10:00 pm to 2:00 am. Based on the seasons, pitta dosha accumulates during the late
rainy season and aggravates during autumn. It is essential to follow pitta balancing diet and lifestyle
particularly during this time of the year otherwise, it may lead to pitta aggravating symptoms.

Characteristics of Pitta

Physical traits:

Pitta individuals are medium in body built. They generally have soft skin slight oily hairs. Their hands
and feet are often warm to touch. Pittas have a fairly well appetite and it is easy for them to gain or
lose weight. Imbalanced pitta leads to hyperacidity, premature graying of hairs and other pitta
related conditions.

Personality traits:

Pitta individuals are active, passionate, competitive, sharp-minded, intelligent and perfectionist. They
are also dominating, argumentative, good speakers and amazing leaders. They like luxury, adventure,
investigating things, gaining knowledge, cleanliness, and keeping things organized. But they also lose
temper very easily. They put a lot of thought and then make decisions. Imbalanced pitta can lead to
impatience, jealousy, anger, irritability and other pitta related conditions.

Food & Weather

Pitta individuals like cold weather.

They should prefer sweet (ghee), bitter (bitter gourd), and astringent (broccoli) tastes. These tastes
balance pitta dosha because they have opposite qualities of pitta dosha.

Avoiding the pungent (spices), sour (lemon), and salty (rock salt) food items help to keep pitta
balanced.

Imbalance of Pitta

Pitta gets imbalanced due to excessive exposure to the sun, drinking more than two cups of tea or
coffee, excessive stress, aggression, eating more food with hot potency (garlic), eating more food
with pungent (spices), sour (cheese), and salty (chips)tastes. When such aggravating factors are
continued then pitta starts getting increased inside the body. As this increase in pitta starts
accumulating, it can cause acidity, pimples, ulcers in the mouth, loose stools, bleeding gums, swelling
in joints, excessive thirst, premature graying of hairs, burning sensation in the body, an appearance
of rashes in the skin, redness in eyes and other imbalanced pitta symptoms. If a person is suffering
from any of the above said symptoms and still choose to continue pitta aggravating diet and lifestyle,
then later or sooner, he or she may suffer from any of the pitta diseases like urticaria, peptic ulcers,
hemorrhage, eczema, and other pitta diseases. So, it is very important to understand your symptoms
before your imbalanced dosha starts spreading all over the body to find a place to lodge and initiate
a disease.

Ground rules to balance pitta dosha

Qualities of pitta:

पपपपपप पपपपपपपपपपपपपपपप पपप पपपपपप पपप पपपपपप |

Interpretation:

Pitta is smooth, sharp, hot, light, pungent, penetrating, and liquidy by its nature.

Balance pitta:

The key to balance pitta is to avoid above-said qualities because they will aggravate it. Instead, intake
of opposite qualities like cool, mild, and dry helps to balance pitta.

Diet -
Suitable diet

Cool potency food items like coconut water, ghee, pumpkin seeds, and fennel should be particularly
consumed during warm weather to balance the pitta.

Nourishing food items like milk, grains, pulses, and vegetables are helpful to maintain the balance of
pitta.

Dry quality food items like potatoes, popcorn, and beans help to balance the liquid quality of pitta.

Food items with milder properties like apples, khichdi, and cucumber are very beneficial for pitta
person.

Unsuitable-

Avoid food and drinks with hot potencies like capsicum, peanut, eggs, ginger, garlic, tea, and coffee.

Avoid sour food items like curd, cheese, and sour cream.

Avoid sharp quality food items like pickles and vinegar infused recipes.

Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol.

Lifestyle-

Suitable

Perform self-massage with coconut oil every morning for 30 minutes at least one hour before bath.

Meditate for a minimum of 10 minutes every day.

Perform sheetali pranayam everyday especially during warm weather and pitta balancing postures
(explained in “Day rituals” section).

Unsuitable-

Avoid going out in hot weather.

Avoid sleeping during the daytime.

Avoid suppressing natural urges.

Avoid stress as much as you can.

To know more about how to balance of pitta

Follow simple pitta pacifying diet and lifestyle tips given in respective sections

DIET -

Introduction

Pitta (heat energy) is one of the three main energies of the body.

Pitta has the dominance of fire and water elements.

Balanced Pitta governs digestion and metabolism of the body.

It has the qualities like slightly oily, sharp, hot, light, smelly, and liquid.

Imbalance of Pitta

Causes of imbalanced pitta:

Food -

Eating food with sour, salty, and pungent taste in excess.

Eating hot potency food items in excess.

Activities -

Anger

Stress

Fasting

Symptoms of imbalanced Pitta:

Acidity

Premature graying of hairs.

Burning sensation in the body

Balance the Pitta

To treat pitta disorders food, herb, therapy or activity opposite to pitta’s qualities are prescribed.

Diet -

Food with astringent, bitter and sweet taste should be consumed.

Food cool in potency should be consumed.

Therapy -

“Virechana” (purgation)

Activity -

Meditation

Pitta pacifying food items

Grains

Suitable grains for Pitta person are said below:

Rice

Wheat

Cereals

Granola

Pancakes

Oats bran

Pasta

Tapioca

Amaranth

Barley
Unsuitable grains for Pitta person are said below:

Corn

Millet

Buckwheat

Bagel

Muffins

Dry oats

Quinoa

Pulses

Suitable pulses for Pitta person are said below:

Green lentil (moong Dal)

Chickpeas (kabuli chana)

Kidney beans (rajmah)

Soybean

Unsuitable pulses for Pitta person are said below:

Black gram (urad Dal)

Split red gram (arhar dal)

Vegetables

Suitable vegetables for Pitta person are said below:

Cooked beetroot

Sweet potato

Pumpkin

Asparagus
Bitter melon

Brussel sprout

Carrots

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Dandelion greens

Kale

Lettuce

Mushrooms

Okra

Leeks

Cooked radish

Squash

Zucchini

Leafy green vegetables

Unsuitable vegetables for Pitta person are said below:

Eggplant

Capsicum

Fresh corn

Green chilly

Raw leek

Raw radish

Raw beetroot

Mustard greens

Turnip
Garlic

Milk and its products

Suitable milk products for Pitta person are said below:

Cow's milk

Homemade unsalted butter

Ghee

Homemade curd

Unsuitable milk products for Pitta person are said below:

Packed salted butter

Cheese

Sour cream

Frozen curd

Fruits

Suitable fruits for Pitta person are said below:

Watermelon

Oranges

Apples

Apricot

Avocado

Coconut

Pineapple

Grapes

Cherries

Berries
Pears

Pomegranate

Unsuitable fruits for Pitta person are said below:

Raw apple

Raw grapes

Kiwi

Green mangoes

Raw pineapple

Strawberry

Banana

Papaya

Peach

Sweets

Suitable sweets for Pitta person are said below:

All natural sweeteners

Suitable sweets for Pitta person are said below:

All artificial sweetener

LIFESTYLE -

Lifestyle for pitta person

You are the one who is very ambitious, passionate and competitive. It could be tiring sometimes for
your brain and body. So, it is very important for you to cool yourself down. Give yourself some time
in order to maintain the balance of your body. We are suggesting here day and night rituals
specifically for you to follow. Try not to follow the rituals altogether. Start with either one or two and
increase your habits day by day as per your need. If you want to follow them without any
procrastination then go to our “Habit section” and set the reminders to make your life easy.

Day Rituals

Wake up between 5:00 am to 6:00 am.

Empty your bladder and bowels (in squatting position).

Clean your teeth with the herbal twig or powder like neem.

Scrape your tongue with a scraper. As you have the dominance of pitta (heat energy) in your body, it
is prescribed to use a silver scraper for pitta person as it gives a cooling effect. But it is fine to even
use stainless steel scraper also.

Swish one tablespoon of coconut oil inside your mouth for 5 to 20 minutes.

Drink a glass of peppermint water (room temperature).

Meditate for minimum 10 minutes every day.

Perform yoga specifically to pacify pitta. (Check the specific asanas for pitta person in Day Rituals
section)

Massage your body with coconut oil.

Bath with room temperature water (neither too cold nor too hot water).

Night Rituals

Eat your dinner between 6 pm to 8 pm.

Stop using a cell phone or watching television one hour before sleep.

Massage your foot with coconut oil especially on tiring days.

Wash your face with the paste of multani mitti (fuller's earth) and water.

Apply aloe vera gel on your face at night.

Drink warm milk added with one tablespoon of grated pumpkin seeds.

Brush your teeth with cinnamon herbal powder.

Meditate every night for 5 to 10 minutes.

Read an inspiring book before you sleep.

Go to bed between 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm

YOGA

Vata body type

Vata individual is exceptionally hyperactive and anxious.

They should perform asanas which will bring calmness to their mind and body.

Postures (Asanas) for Vata body type

Shavasana (Corpse pose)

Sarvangasana (Shoulder pose)

Kurmasana (Tortoise pose)

Pawanmuktasana (Wind-relieving pose)

Ardha Matsyendrasana (Sitting half spinal twist pose)

Pitta body type

Pitta body type sweat more so they should keep the surrounding properly ventilated and airy.

Postures (Asanas) for Pitta body type

Chandra Namaskar (Moon salutations)

Bhujangasana (Cobra pose)

Virasana (Hero pose)

Paschimottanasana (Seated forward bend)

Vajrasana (Thunderbolt pose)

Kapha body type

Kapha individuals are usually inactive and overweight so it is better for them to perform active
asanas.

Postures (Asanas) for Kapha body type

Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations)

Naukasana (Bow pose)

Shalabhasana (Locust pose)

Virabhadrasana (Warrior pose)

Profession

Yoga International

HEALTH | AYURVEDA & NATURAL REMEDIES

WORK IN HARMONY WITH YOUR DOSHA

by Shannon Sexton

Work can fulfill us or deplete us. And since we spend easily half our waking hours on the job, our
occupation affects our longevity and health. If we learn how to explore the full potential of our
constitution (prakriti), we can design our lifestyles accordingly, reaping maximum success from our
labors and increasing our levels of energy, joy, and vitality.

Work can fulfill us or deplete us. And since we spend easily half our waking hours on the job, our
occupation affects our longevity and health.

Our prakriti is comprised of three doshas—vata, pitta, and kapha. Here is how the doshas play out at
work and some ayurvedic advice on how to regain balance if your job is dosha-aggravating.
Vata

Are you creative and energetic with a gift for communication? If so, your dominant dosha is vata.
You’re an original thinker bursting with ideas but tend to flit from place to place, project to project,
instead of seeing a job through from start to finish. Intoxicated by excitement, you dive headfirst into
projects and can easily exhaust yourself if you don’t take proper precautions.

Ayurvedic advice: At work (and everywhere else), make a concerted effort to practice moderation.
Excessive responsibilities, boredom, interruptions, or multitasking will feed your erratic, nervous
nature. And pay close attention to your working environment. A lack of fresh air; flourescent or
flickering lights; and too much movement, dryness, and cold will further aggravate your vata
imbalance.

If you can’t avoid some vata aggravation on the job, be sure that the rest of your life compensates for
it by sticking to a strict routine—eat, sleep, work, and exercise at the same time every day. Warm,
moist, slightly oily, heavy foods will nurture you; daily oil massage will ground you; and slow,
methodical movement such as walking or swimming will soothe your changeable nature.

Your ideal career: When balanced, vata people flourish in the arts as designers, dancers, actors,
teachers, writers, and photographers.

Pitta

If you’re intense and competitive at work, your dominant dosha is probably pitta. When balanced,
you’re a realist, a leader, a planner, a decision maker. Left to your own devices, however, you can
become aggressive and self-promoting; chances are, you’ll eventually overheat (both physically and
mentally).

Ayurvedic advice: Although you are fueled by challenges, competition, decision making, and
overcoming obstacles, an excess of these conditions will make you impatient, irritable, and
domineering. Keep your working environment cool and resist your tendency to plunge into dog-eat-
dog competition. Instead, practice compassion; learn to listen to your colleagues; and set aside time
for seemingly non-essential leisure pursuits.
To combat any on-the-job pitta aggravation, emphasize coolness in your diet and lifestyle. Avoid
salty, oily, spicy foods and choose sweet, bitter, and astringent foods instead. Exercise during the
coolest part of the day—swimming is best. Take time out to spend time with loved ones, laugh, and
have fun.

Your ideal career: Because you are a logical, goal-oriented perfectionist, you may find success in
politics, surgery, law, or finance.

Kapha

Do your friends describe you as slow but steady, reliable, and compassionate? Your dominant dosha,
then, is kapha. When you’re in balance you exhibit superior stamina, endurance, and strength. Kapha
people often use these qualities to make a business or operation run smoothly. But if you’re stuck in
a sedentary job, it’s easy for you to slip into complacency, inertia, possessiveness, and greed. You
may avoid change even when it would be beneficial.

Ayurvedic advice: Excessive boredom, repetition, and lack of physical movement at work will make
you stiff and lethargic. You need motivation and stimulation. Change your environment frequently
and seek out competition even though it may push you out of your comfort zone. And keep in mind
that your prakriti is aggravated by artificial lighting and cold.

In your everyday life, vary your routine to combat your tendency to get stuck in a rut. Create
challenges for yourself. For example, sign up for a class in something that sparks your interest. Eat
light, dry, spicy food and resist your tendency to overeat, especially sweets, dairy, and meat. And
exercise vigorously 5 to 7 times a week. Running, aerobics, and martial arts are good for you.

Your ideal career: Kapha people make great administrators; they also find satisfaction in the caring
professions, horticulture, and manual labor jobs.

Related Topics

AYURVEDA

Shannon Sexton

Shannon Sexton
Former Yoga International editor-in-chief Shannon Sexton writes about food, travel, yoga, and
natural health.

PREVIOUSNEXT

RELATED

SHOW COMMENTS

LEARN

YOGA Expand Dropdown

WISDOM Expand Dropdown

HEALTH Expand Dropdown

CLASSES

CLASSES Expand Dropdown

CHALLENGES Expand Dropdown

COURSES

VIEW MORE Expand Dropdown

TEACHERS

VIEW MORE Expand Dropdown

ABOUT

VIEW MORE Expand Dropdown

All Content © Copyright Yoga International 2018. All Rights Reserved

..Banyan Botanicals

Ayurveda in the Workplace: Nobody is Like You!

Posted on January 27, 2016

by Monica Bloom

posted in Ayurveda in the Workplace

Welcome to Ayurveda in the Workplace, where we offer tips to help you meld the seemingly
conflicting energy of your daily work life and your Ayurveda practice.

As part of the Ayurveda in the Workplace series, nobody else is like you! We are all going to approach
work and projects differently. Let's explore how we can work more in harmony with good
understandings of each other.

We already know that each of us contains all three doshas—we just have them in unique
combinations. So in order for us to function properly, all three are needed. Well, the same goes for
our personalities and our different job functions in the workplace.

Vata

In the office vatas tend to be: Jibber-jabberers (water cooler anyone?), vibrant, creative, hands-on
creators, full of ideas, inspirers, fast, yet inaccurate. They start a lot of projects but tend not to finish
them. They often create goals that are far too lofty and then feel bad because they fail to achieve
them. They are chronic multitaskers, often causing them to lose their focus as they easily get
overwhelmed. But if they use vata-balancing techniques to stay grounded and focused, nothing beats
their final creation. People who are said to have “raw talent” are often vatas. They have a magic
about the way they move (at the same time, they can be super klutzy), the way they create, and how
they share their creations.

To ensure harmony with colleagues or customers, vatas need to: Talk slower and be mindful to use
brevity. Listen more. Show up to work and meetings on time (I know you, vatas!). Follow through
with commitments. Learn how to see the value in a good critique. Let others talk and share their
ideas too. Don’t take on too many projects. And, make small, frequent, attainable goals.

How vatas can be perceived by others: exhuberant, creative, fun, having great ideas, like a “breath of
fresh air,” flakey, self-centered, unreliable.

For managers and coworkers of vatas, vatas need: projects broken into simple pieces, someone to
highlight what they did well and point out something small they can improve upon. Clear direction, a
plan they can stick to, space and time to create, a good proofreader.

Pitta

In the office pittas tend to be: Strategists, organizers, eyes on the data, analyzers, leaders, quick
problem-solvers, quick-witted, joyful, and able to take on a lot of work. Because pittas are the
control freaks (no offense! I’m one also) of the group, they have a very hard time delegating. While
keeping the workload with them might make them feel more in control, it actually causes excess
stress as they hold the weight of the world on their shoulders. Pittas can inadvertently hurt people's
feelings because they are very direct and once they have a plan, pittas just want to get things done.
When stressed or not getting their way, pitta’s tongue can be very sharp. Under a balanced pitta’s
leadership teams thrive and work well together like a well-oiled machine.

To ensure harmony with colleagues or customers, pittas need to: Ask others for input. Remain open
to strategies other than their own. Delegate and let go. See the good before they critique. Remember
how they influence people (it’s not all just data). Realize they leave an impression. Choose words
carefully—they will remember inspiration just as much as a critique. Realize it’s ok not to be perfect
in all aspects.

Lunch meeting
How pittas can be perceived by others: smart, witty, joyful, innovative, risky, bossy, controlling,
condescending.

For managers and coworkers of pittas, pittas need: a challenge, a reliable team, direct feedback (or
pittas will see you as weak), an organized system, questions answered in a timely manner, consistent
updates and follow-through.

Kapha

In the office kaphas tend to be: Sweet, peacemakers, quiet, in production roles, great listeners, jolly,
followers, people-pleasers, team support, strong, slow but reliable, and set in their ways (stubborn).
They are very reliable so long as they have a clear plan (thank you, pitta!) to follow. Kaphas are quiet
or silent in their communication and will never tell you when they are overloaded. Kaphas do not like
change and may be stubborn adopting a new company initiative until others have proved that it
works first. Once they are bought in, they will be a happy advocate for life. Because they are people-
pleasers, they might over-commit and work hard behind the scenes so as not to disappoint (again,
they will never tell you). Kaphas also do not think well on the fly and will need time to come up with
ideas to contribute. Kaphas love to be trusted and relied upon. Give them a task list and a due date
and the project will get done thoroughly and on time.

To ensure harmony with colleagues or customers, kaphas need to: Proactively communicate project
updates to others. Contribute in meetings. Stay open and flexible to adopting new ideas. Realize their
strength but be careful not to over-commit. Move a bit quicker than what feels natural, when
needed. Stay organized and throw away old work stuff no longer needed.

How kaphas can be perceived by others: sweet, loving, nurturing, a shoulder to lean on, reliable,
slow, impossible to move, non-communicative.

For managers and coworkers of kaphas. Kaphas need: a list and a due date (then get out of their
way), a kudos or note of appreciation, to be offered a break, gentle delivery of feedback, time to
come up with ideas, and space and time to be heard.

All Together, Now!

As far as projects go, the three doshas sound something like this:
Vata: Hey! I have a great idea! Let's do ABC, 123!

Pitta: Those are some good ideas, vata. I especially like ABC best, so we'll choose that one. Now, let's
come up with an action plan to execute it and then a system to measure how successful it was. The
action plan should be xyz and we need to get it done in 1 month. Kapha, is it possible to get xyz done
in 1 month?

Kapha: Yep. Sounds like a great plan, pitta. And, I always love your ideas, vata. Pitta, please give me a
to-do list and I'll make sure it gets done.

And it goes a little something like that! Sound familiar? Would love to hear your feedback and
comments if this sounds like people you work with. Here's to harmony in the workplace! *clink*

Comments

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Banyan Botanicals
products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information on this
website is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or
treatment. For more information pertaining to your personal needs please see a qualified health
practitioner.

© 2017 Banyan Botanicals All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy / Terms of Service

Banyan Botanicals, 6705 Eagle Rock Ave. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113

All content and images found on BanyanBotanicals.com may not be reproduced or distributed
without written permission

link - https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/blog-the-banyan-insight/category/ayurveda-in-the-
workplace