Pitta-Pacifying Yoga

As a sister science of Ayurveda, Yoga is an excellent exercise and spiritual practice to incorporate in your daily routine for balancing your individual constitution. Although many yoga poses or asanas are beneficial to each of the doshas, the greatest benefit for balancing your dosha comes from your approach and the way you practice the pose.

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A yoga practice for a pitta individual should encourage compassion, acceptance, relaxed effort, and be cooling in nature. Pittas can cultivate this by following some basic guidelines:

• Have fun in your poses. Do not take yourself or your pose too seriously.
• Enjoy movement in your poses.
• Soften your gaze downward, at the horizon or even practice with your eyes closed.
• Allow freedom and creativity in your practice. Change it up. Avoid sticking to one style or series of poses.
• Practice in a moderately cool space. You do not want to get cold, but pittas should avoid practicing in extremely heated spaces.
• Focus on the yoga experience in your body, not your brain.
• Work at 80% effort.
• Avoid being judgmental and critical of yourself.
• Make sure you have plenty of practice space.
• Remind yourself that yoga is not a competition.
• Focus on your exhalation.
• Use the exhalation to let go and release any built up anger, frustration, stress, etc.
• Be aware of your breath in your back body.
• Practice plenty of twists and side body openers.
• Notice the position of your ribs; draw them back into your body.
• Benefit from practicing at a moderate pace.
• Remind yourself that less is more!

The poses shown below are pitta-pacifying poses that can be done individually or as a sequence.

Child's Pose

Child's Pose Flow

Cat-Cow

Mountain

Moon Salutation

Chair

Revolved Chair

Standing Forward Fold

Side Angle

Revolved Side Angle

Cobra

Locust

Half Boat

Leg Lifts

Bicycle

Bridge

Half Shoulder Stand

Revolved Abdomen Variation

Seated Forward Bend

Savasana

Full Yogic Breath