Ayurveda 101: Understanding Your Dosha & Cooling the Inner Fire

How well do you know yourself and what your body needs?

I enjoy summer and the heat, but I’m sensitive and run hot. Too much heat makes me irritable, my skin burns easily, and I feel overstimulated and emotionally fried by the end of most days if I’m trying to do too much.

I am sensitive in general, deeply feeling, and Ayurveda has given me new knowledge on how to feel balanced, physically and emotionally.

I’m learning that I’m Pitta dominant, meaning I carry more fire and intensity in my constitution. And when life (or the season) adds more heat and more pressure, more to do, more to process that fire overflows.

It’s not just the weather. For me, Pitta imbalance looks like:

• Doing too much, too fast

  
  

• Getting frustrated when things aren’t efficient or clear

  
  

• Feeling hot, both physically and emotionally

  
  

• Digestive issues & inflammation

  
  

• Feeling overwhelmed when I’ve consumed too much — food, media, even caffeine or alcohol

  
  

I’ve been exploring how to cool from the inside out.

What Is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is an ancient system of medicine (and sister science to Yoga) from India that teaches us that we’re all made of the five elements: fire, water, earth, air, and ether. These elements express themselves in three primary energies, called doshas:

࿐ Vata (air + ether): cold, dry, light, quick

☀️ Pitta (fire + water): hot, sharp, intense, focused

🌱 Kapha (earth + water): heavy, slow, grounded, stable

We each have all three doshas within us, but one or two usually dominate. Your dosha can shape everything from your digestion to your energy levels, skin, mood, and how you respond to stress and the seasons.

👉 Want to discover your dosha? Take a free quiz here.

Summer & Pitta: A Recipe for Overheating

Summer is the Pitta season — the sun is hot, schedules are full, and intensity is in the air. Plants are growing like crazy. That extra heat can stir up frustration, burnout, inflammation, and overstimulation, especially if your internal fire is already running high.

We want to reach for iced drinks, cold fruit plates, and slow beach days under the umbrella, but Ayurveda also invites us to balance the inner world to tame the fire.

How I’m Cooling My Inner Fire

What’s helping me this summer isn’t more, it’s less. Less rushing. Less stimulation. Less mindless consumption. More rhythm. More breath. More quiet. And trust me, I want to do so much, but my body needs me to help it stay cool and go slow.

A few simple cooling rituals I’ve been practicing:

• Saying no to things that feel “hot” (think too much caffeine, alcohol, back-to-back events)

  
  

• Eating lightly and slowly, as much as possible

  
  

• Spending time in water or under trees

  
  

• No/ minimal phone or tech an hour after waking

  
  

• Slowing down my workouts and honoring rest

  
  

Foods to Cool You Down

🥦 Veggies:

• Cucumber

  
  

• Zucchini

  
  

• Lettuces

  
  

• Celery

  
  

• Fennel

  
  

🍉Fruits:

• Watermelon
  

• Berries
  

• Cherries
  

• Pears
  

• Coconut (water or coconut meat)
  

🌾Grains:

• Quinoa
  

• Oats
  

• White Rice
  

🍹Drinks:

• Coconut water
  

• Calendula tea
  

• Hibiscus tea
  

• Mint & lime water

  
  

• Cucumber water

  
  

Why Your Dosha Matters

Understanding your dosha can help your body return to equilibrium, which it is always striving for.

If you’ve been feeling hot, irritable, overstimulated, or burnt out lately, your fire is just asking to be tended with care.

Want to talk about how we can holistically support your health & well being?

Book a free call with me, a health coach for women specializing in holistic nutrition & self-care practices.