Pitta Season

Written By Havanna Stegner

OILY, SHARP, HOT, LIQUID, MOBILE

You may have noticed, summer has arrived! The dense, heavy, and moist qualities of kapha season have evaporated thanks to the increase in yang energy and the hot summer sun. Here in Portland, this seasonal transition was more abrupt than night turning to day. It was as though Mother Earth simply turned off the tap, one moment it was pouring rain and the next it was not! This sudden transition has required me to lean on Pitta pacifying practices to help my body and mind adapt to the season.

Pitta is the metabolic force of fire + water and it is responsible for our ability to digest our lived experiences. Pitta governs the stomach, liver, eyes, skin and blood. Pitta is also the force of passion, leadership, hard work, judgment, and anger. We all need the force of Pitta in our lives to move forward in our creative and professional endeavors, but when out of balance, Pitta energy can hold us back. It can cause us to be hyper-judgmental, quick to anger, stubborn and eventually lead to burn out. The societal structure of the modern day living requires us to be perpetually tapped into our pitta energy in order to survive, so by the time pitta season arrives, we are prone to imbalance. 

To stay cool this summer, you might invite in these simple pitta-pacifying practices in your life:

  • increase sweet, astringent, and bitter foods

  • decrease pungent, sour and salty foods

  • go to bed before 10pm

  • "relaxed effort" when it comes to exercise

  • grounding pranayama practices (nadi shodhana)

  • focus on rejuvenation and restoration

R E C I P E S


Pitta Pacifying Date Smoothie

  • 1tsp coconut oil

  • 4-5 whole pitted dates

  • 8 oz plant based milk

  • 1/4 tsp cardamom powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder

  • 2 tablespoons coconut flakes

Bali Tea

  • 1/2 of a lime

  • 1 small stalk of fresh lemongrass (or about 1tbsp of dried lemongrass)

  • Sprinkle of cinnamon

  • 1 chunk of fresh ginger, chopped into sheets

  • combine ingredients in a mug with 8-12 ounces of hot water and enjoy!

Havanna Stegner
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Kapha season