In our previous blog you came to know the best yoga for Kapha Dosha. In this blog you will find which yoga to do for Pitta dosha.

Pitta is one of the doshas or problem in the human body according to Ayurvedic studies where your body gets irritated due to hot weather conditions. The person with Pitta dosha  sweat or perspire a lot. Their eyes, skin, liver, brain and intestines are ruled by pitta and thus its imbalance creates problems like rashes, heartburn, fever, infection and more.

People with Pitta dosha also have feelings of anger, anxiety and hatred. People with pitta dosha are also prone to mental disorders. Therefor, it is important to maintain the balance by doing Yoga for pitta dosha.

Pitta in English can also be termed as gallbladder, liver or digestive system.  As Pitta dosha is ruled by fire and water and the energy is associated with not just digestion but also enzymatic and endocrine systems as recommended by Ayurveda. It helps in digestion of nutrients providing energy and vigor to the body. There are many yoga asanas or poses that help in providing stability to the pitta dosha.

What yoga to do for Pitta Dosha?

Following yoga poses are considered the best for Pitta Dosha.

You need to do that type of yoga which are heart opening and cools the Pittas.

1. Pranayama Yoga

This is easy yoga and Pranayama is done in every yoga class.  As you learn how to breathe while exhaling through your mouth you cool the Pitta as you release heat and balance the pitta dosha. Pranayama practices that are the most beneficial for Pitta people are shitali or sitkari breathing to cool the excess heat of Pitta.

It is said the regular doing of Pranayama yoga even body ulcers can be treated.

Which Pranayama is best for you

2. Vinyasa Yoga

Vinyasa yoga or rounds of sun salutations should be done with slow and relaxed poses so as to bring calmness and cooling to the body. You can start with cat cow stretches.

In cat-cow pose, you need to synchronize your breath with the movement. Inhale as you arch, and exhale as you round. While doing cat-cow pose, imagine the fires in your stomach spreading out to the rest of your body. It’s said that when pitta is out of balance, fire accumulates in your stomach. These postures are believed to help spread the fiery energies and balance them throughout the body.

3. Setubandhan or bridge pose

This yoga pose strengthens the legs, back and hips, massages the spine, and opens the heart to give a cooling affect. You need to lie on your back in the center of your mat with your knees bent, your legs and feet parallel and hip-distance apart. Now move your feet closer to your buttocks. Press down firmly through both of your feet and inhale to raise your hips, lifting from the pubic bone and not the navel. Next clasp your hands under your back on the floor.

Then broaden your collarbones and get on top of your shoulders. Firm the outer shins and roll your upper thighs inward. Press down firmly through your heels and lift the back of your thighs and the bottom of your buttocks even higher while keeping the thighs parallel. Finally, exhale, release your hands, and lower to the floor and allow back to rest in a neutral state as you observe the spaciousness within your chest.

It’s a cooling down posture and isperfect for bringing heated pitta back into balance.

4. Sarvanga pose or shoulder stand

In this yoga pose you can feel the cooling effect as you do this inversion. You feel relaxed as stress is also one of the cause of Pitta dosha. There are many variations to do the shoulder stand yoga.

There is another pose to mention here called the legs up the wall pose or viprit karni yoga. The main benefit of this type of yoga  is that it puts back into circulation the bodily fluids stored in your legs.

The advantage of legs up the wall compared to a headstand or shoulder stand is that you’re able to achieve the benefits of inversion without stressing or straining your neck and head. As you relax and ease into this pose, bring in the intention to soften all parts of your body and mind.

5. Butterfly pose or Titli or Bhadkona yoga

As the name suggests you have to sit and flap your legs  like a butterfly. Here both the feet tucked close to the groin, clasped tightly with the hands as though tied or bound together in a particular angle. It is also popularly known as the Butterfly Pose because of the movement of the legs during the posture, giving the appearance of a butterfly flapping its wings. This yoga cools your intestine and helps in bowel movement releasing the heat out of your body.

Other yoga to do for Pitta Dosha

There are various other yoga to do for Pitta Dosha.

• Meditation: Simple meditation to calm pitta and cool this dosha even further, ease into cross-legged pose as you simply watch the breath.
• Anjanasayana or crescent lunge and Salsbasana or locust pose should be done in a relaxed manner, to bring more coolness to the body.
• Uppavistakonasana or forward bends or folds are cooling in nature and  is a good one as it cools off the Pitta fire in the pelvis area. 
• Pascimottasana, or the Pigeon pose is a one with forward bend that is also good to perform.
• Ardhamatsyendrasana or the half lord of the fishes pose  best to cool the abdominal areas, as it twists like fish is also very balancing in nature. One needs to stand straight and then bend forwards in bow pose and cobra pose in a bid to do pitta pacifying yoga.
• Nadisodhana or alternate nostril breathing in a seated position also helps in Pitta dosha. 
• Maitreya or Peace meditation overcomes the pitta dosha problems like hunger, short temper, impatience and anger. The pitta mind also responds well to the meditation that is centered on sounds that are soothing, good smells and bright colors.
• Restorative child pose and fish pose asanas also help balance the pitta. These poses help in being peace to the body and mind.

 Points to remember

1. While doing yoga for Pitta dosha wear cool colours like pastel colour clothes or whites. Make sure to surround yourself with cool and light colors with soothing music to relax your mind.
2. You need to focus more on inhalation as the cool breath helps to diffuse the heated pitta dosha faster. Exhalation helps to release and let go of built up anger and frustration easily.
3. Avoid doing headstands as they accumulate too much heat in the head and eyes, aggravating the condition. As eyes are controlled by pitta, this creates serious imbalance. 
4. Don’t do strenuous pose may heat up the body, aggravating the pitta.
5. Try to enjoy movements in the poses that help to make them more relaxed. You can also practice yoga with your closed eyes under a dim light and under a fan or a cool room.
6. If a particular yoga aggravates the problem you can change the style. That’s why yoga is done under supervision of a yoga teacher if you are beginner.

Finally alongside yoga you can control pitta dosha with well balanced diet.