Understanding & Balancing Your Pitta Dosha
Hi and welcome! I’m Evangeline—mom, Registered Massage Therapist, Yoga teacher, and lover of all things health and wellness. I started this blog back in the early days of Covid19 as a way to stay in touch with my clients, and it’s grown into a space to share what I love most. Here you’ll find simple, nourishing recipes I make for my family, sprinkled with Ayurveda and Yoga wisdom. My hope is that these posts inspire you to care for yourself in small, joyful ways and feel a little more balanced in everyday life.
Ayurveda, the “knowledge of life,” teaches us to live in harmony with nature’s rhythms. As the seasons shift, so do our bodies and minds—adjusting diet and lifestyle with these changes supports balance, vitality, and deep healing from within.
Pitta Dosha & it’s 5 Subdoshas
Your fiery energy is known in Ayurveda as pitta dosha—the force responsible for digestion, metabolism, and transformation of everything that moves through your body.
Pitta is made up of five sub-doshas, each governing specific functions and located in different parts of the body:
Pachaka Pitta – the stomach, governs digestion
Ranjaka Pitta – the liver, seat of digestion, major detox organ, cleans the blood, digests fats
Sadhaka Pitta – the heart, linked to emotions and intelligence
Alochaka Pitta – the eyes, governs vision
Bhrajaka Pitta – the skin, regulates complexion and temperature
Why Lunchtime Matters for Pitta Dosha
Interestingly, 10 am to 2 pm is also governed by pitta, but during the day this energy supports healthy digestion and mental clarity. Midday or 12pm is when your digestive fire (agni) peaks, making it the ideal time to eat your main meal. Skipping or delaying meals—especially for those with strong pitta or prone to headaches or migraines, and other pitta imbalances—can lead to other health complications. The liver, a key pitta organ, secretes digestive juices in anticipation of food. When no food is present, this can lead to increased acidity, irritability, and “hot blood”, triggers of chronic inflammation.
The Cost of Staying Up Late
Summer evenings can feel magical, but staying up past 10 p.m. may aggravate pitta dosha. In Ayurveda, the hours between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. are governed by pitta dosha—when the body naturally turns inward for detoxification, digestion of the day’s experiences, and cellular repair. This is a time meant for deep rest. When we stay awake during these hours, especially under artificial light and stimulation from technology use, we disrupt the body’s natural rhythms—overstimulating the liver, mind, and metabolic processes.
The liver, known as the seat of digestion in Ayurveda, plays a vital role in filtering toxins, regulating metabolism, and maintaining emotional equilibrium. And since digestion is viewed as the root of health—or disease, caring for the liver is essential for overall long-term health.
Over time, this habit can lead to a build-up of internal heat and deeper imbalances. Signs may include irritability, overheating, poor digestion, skin and eye discomfort, and eventually more chronic issues such as ulcers, inflammatory conditions, or autoimmune disorders. Honouring the body’s natural cycles by winding down before 10 p.m. allows the body to fully restore, repair and detoxify, supporting long-term vitality and mental-emotional clarity.
Simple Ways to Balance Pitta Dosha
Pitta governs heat, digestion, and transformation—so when it goes out of balance, it can lead to irritability, overheating and chronic inflammation. Here are some simple practices to help restore harmony, especially during the summer months:
DAILY HABITS
Eat at regular times, with your largest meal around midday, when digestive fire is strongest.
Avoid skipping or delaying meals, especially if you tend to overheat or get irritable easily.
Include cooling foods, spices, herbs— lauki squash, zucchini, leafy greens, pears, apples, pomegranates, peaches, plums, apricots, blueberries, grapes, figs; spices and herbs such coriander, fennel, mint, dill, parsley, rosemary, reships, rosebuds
Limit spicy, salty, and overly dry foods, which can stir up internal heat.
Wear cooling gemstones like pearls or rose quartz to soothe and support emotional balance. In Ayurveda, these stones carry lunar energy, and promote a sense of peace and groundedness.
Plenty of indoor plants in your home create a soothing, calm, relaxed feel helping ground and stabilize moods and emotions.
Take a leisurely walk in a flower garden, a peaceful moonlight stroll, walk slowly along the beach or by a lake, explore a shaded nature trail. These gentle activities calm the mind and soothe excess pitta energy—naturally.
BALANCE IS KEY
Avoid overwhelming your digestive fire (agni) with too many cooling foods (like excess watermelon or cucumber), or ice-cold drinks that can weaken digestion.
HYDRATE RIGHT AWAY
Stay well-hydrated with room-temperature spring water or herbal teas like fennel, rose, or coriander infusions, or hibiscus tea.
SPICE WISELY
Cook with pitta-pacifying spices and herbs, such as fennel, coriander, mint, rose, cilantro, parsley, and cardamom—they cool the system gently without extinguishing your digestive strength. Try the Summer Spice Mix!
SUPPORT YOUR LIVER
Wind down and go to bed before 10 pm to avoid overstimulating the liver, a primary pitta organ active between 10pm - 2am, pitta time—the body’s natural window for processing, cleansing, and repair. Give your liver the rest it needs by being asleep during these hours.
References
Vaidya R. K. Mishra- Notes from Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda Courses, Practicum, Conferences and Lectures 2003-2015
