Dancing with Fire: Flow through Pitta Season's Heat with Ease

According to Ayurveda, we're in pitta season, which brings warmth and activity. The summer's fiery energy fuels your desire to get out there and do things—like picnics, camping, and pool parties.

- By Michelle Briks Prosper

And after a long winter cooped up inside, the urge to be more active and social makes sense. But all of that heat and action can also lead to burnout, irritability, and exhaustion. That's because overdoing it can cause anyone, no matter their dosha, to feel overextended.

Pitta-season challenges can show up in your body and attitude as physical and mental flare-ups: rashes and acne, an agitated mind, and a quickness to anger. But paradoxically, the excess heat and humidity that accompany the season can also help you cultivate balance.

For starters, warmth encourages fluidity and flexibility. Hot temperatures can also remind you to pause and surrender into the present moment. Slowing down can help you to make smart choices about how you move and breathe, and about what you consume. A still, calm mental state also allows you to remain open to possibility, which is the opposite of rigidity. From this discerning place, you can feel more clarity, relaxation, and ease as you move through your day.

Ayurvedic wisdom supports turning inward to listen to what you need. It also offers you ways to customize your yoga practice so that you can feel and function your best, no matter how high the temperature rises. These Ayurvedic guidelines will help you to navigate pitta season with ease and grace.

Let go of shoulds