Do what your dosha needs and you’ll be able to avoid any hot flushes. Discover 7 tips to stay cool with Ayurveda.
The sister science of yoga, Ayurveda, is a holistic wellbeing system designed to keep the body in balance. Aligning everything with the rhythms of nature and the five elements within it – earth, water, fire, air and space, there are also three doshas which determine our mind-body type. Divided into Vata, Pitta and Kapha, each of us will be more aligned with one or two of the doshas, and by knowing your dosha you can use mental, physical and emotional cues to keep your body in peak condition throughout the year, and long-term, your entire life.
The doshas are also connected with a time of day and year, and for summer, the Pitta dosha is dominant. With elements of fire and water, it's most prevalent between 10 AM and 2 PM (when the sun is at its hottest). If you don’t work to keep the Pitta dosha cool and balanced, it can lead to overheating, inflammation, fatigue, irritability, and digestive issues. This is especially important if your personal dosha is Pitta too, as you’ll be more prone to burnout during the summer months.
“Pitta can easily go out of balance in summer since the qualities of a Pitta person/dosha are typically hot, sharp, oily and internally heat-producing. Too much Pitta can lead to excess sweating and burning sensations in the evening hours, and acid reflux is also common, so balancing Pitta is of utmost importance,” says Dr. Vidhi Patel, who combines modern medicine with the wisdom of Ayurveda.
Luckily, there are plenty of easy tips and tricks you can implement to cool and calm the fiery Pitta fallout, though. In Ayurveda, balance is achieved via the principle of opposites, or ‘Vishesha’. That means treating heat with cold, dry with oily, sweet with salty, etc. That’s why with some nutritional tweaks, more mindful movement practices and balancing breathwork, you can avoid the fiery nature of Pitta and navigate summer without feeling hot and bothered.
1. Eat and hydrate with cooling food and drinks
Ideally you want to avoid any foods that are going to create fire in your belly. That includes hot spices like chilli, sour and fermented foods, anything fried, oily, or salty, and limiting red meat and hard cheeses. Instead, you want to replenish and cool your gut and digestion with sweet, juicy fruits like pears, cherries, mango, watermelon and peaches; vegetables such as cucumber, celery, courgette, green beans and salad, then mix in some whole grains. Despite it being summer, nourishing soups like the Summer Bowl of Balance are also a good idea as they’re easy to digest, but serve them warm, instead of hot.
As for drinks, it might be tempting to reach for the ice, but anything that’s too cold can actually weaken digestion and increase your internal heat, so support your hydration and your body with fluids that are room temperature. Coconut water, aloe vera juice, mint lemonade, and water infused with cucumber are all great go-tos, and if you do want to enjoy a cocktail in the balmy summer sun, go easy or swap your mojito for a virgin ‘no-jito’ or a juicy mango spritzer.
2. Watch when you work out
You might feel like you have more energy in the summer months as you’ll quite literally be fired up, but this is the time to slow your flow. In the heat, your reserves will deplete far faster, so instead of intense exercise, which raises your core body temperature, choose movement such as yoga, walks in nature, outdoor swimming and leisurely bike rides that support your circulation and won’t leave you feeling drained or dehydrated. Try and keep your movement to early morning or evening too as this is when the air will be cooler and the sun less intense.
3. Practice Ayurveda’s cooling breath
A brilliant tactic if you suddenly feel like you’re running hot, Sitali Pranayama – also known as cooling breath – can quickly calm and cool both body and mind.
“Practising Sitali Pranayama for five minutes a day in summer can noticeably reduce heat and help balance Pitta," explains Dr Vidhi. "Being born and brought up in the hot country of India, I always did this particular exercise in our growing-up years in the middle of the day. The mechanism of action is simple: as air passes over the moist surface of the tongue, moisture evaporates slightly within the mouth, cooling the incoming air before it reaches the lungs. This produces an instant, mild cooling sensation one can experience in the mouth, throat, and chest as well.”
To master the technique, sit up straight with your eyes closed and extend your tongue out of your mouth, ideally rolled into a straw-like shape, or if you can’t curl your tongue, leave it flat or purse your lips as if you were going to sip through a straw. Inhale slowly and feel the breath on your tongue, then close your mouth and exhale slowly through your nose.
4. Connect with the moon
Remember how we said that Ayurveda was all about using opposites to find alignment and balance? Well, when you’re getting exposure to the sun and heat during the day, they recommend some time under the moon at night. Whether that’s outside lying under the moon on some cool grass, relaxing on a chair by the window where you can see the moon or going out for a gentle walk when the sun goes down and the moon appears, aim for around 30 minutes in your twilight zone.
5. Use cooling mists and aromatherapy
Cooling essential oils work wonders for soothing that hot, fiery Pitta energy and reducing any inflammation. Rose, jasmine, lavender, vetiver, sandalwood, neem, eucalyptus and peppermint oil work best and either massage them into the skin using coconut oil as a carrier (it’s naturally cooling), add them to a diffuser, or look for room mists that contain them. You could also make your own cooling mist with rosewater or aloe vera – a fast fix for when your temperature starts rising.
6. Reassess your wardrobe
This is not the time for bodycon outfits and tight, restrictive clothing. In Ayurveda they call on Surya Chikitsa (sun therapy), which teaches which colours and materials can help to balance the heat of Pitta. It’s a subtle change, but one that could make a noticeable difference. Light, breathable fabrics like 100% cotton or linen are best and ideally loose, free-flowing garments that allow the air to circulate around the skin and provide a cooling effect. As for your Pitta colour palette, picture cooling tones such as sky blue, ocean aqua, apple green, white, lavender and pale grey.
7. Monitor your stress and sleep
Being hot and bothered at night causes anyone to feel stressed, but especially Pitta types, who can be prone to irritability and frustration. Cortisol also naturally spikes when temperatures rise and that could show itself as restlessness, waking up early or broken sleep.
“Typically, a Pitta energy person can have a difficult time in the evening hours, as Pitta rises again late at night (around 10 PM and 2 AM), so if you stay awake past 10 PM, the mind often becomes alert, analytical, or even hungry again, which can disrupt the sleep pattern very easily,” says Dr Vidhi.
To prepare for a good night’s rest, ensure your bedroom is cool (whether that’s with an open window or a fan), turn off all devices half an hour before bed and start and end your day with some moments of meditation, however that looks for you. Dr Vidhi also recommends washing your feet with cool water just before going to bed, and if you can, avoid wearing socks after 4 pm.
It could even be as simple as starting your day by planning it out and making a to-do list; that way it will stop you feeling overwhelmed or flustered as the day goes on, especially if you add in buffers that will allow you to continue at a balanced, considered pace, rather than rushing around and feeling stressed. This will then allow you to end your day without feeling overwhelmed or out of control, setting you up for a good night’s sleep.
By incorporating these small changes throughout your summer months, you may well find that you’re more proactive, less prickly and move through the season feeling lighter and more energised.
