How to Cool Pitta and Reduce Body Heat with Ayurveda
- Veena Haasl-Blilie
- May 13
- 15 min read
Updated: Jul 10
Feeling overheated – physically, mentally, or emotionally? 🥵 If you’re sweating through your sheets, suffering from skin rashes or acid reflux, or feeling just plain irritable lately, there’s a good chance your Pitta dosha is out of balance.
This expert guide shares 16 time-tested Ayurvedic practices to reduce body heat, calm inflammation, and restore internal balance. From cooling foods to calming breathwork and simple lifestyle shifts, you’ll learn how to rebalance Pitta dosha – so you can start feeling like yourself again.

Explore more on the Saumya Blog, selected top Ayurveda blogs and websites.
What is Pitta Dosha––and Why Does It Overheat?
In Ayurveda, Pitta dosha represents the energy of fire and water. It governs digestion, metabolism, transformation, and drive. When balanced, it gives us focus, clarity, and ambition. But when it builds up in excess? We burn up—physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Common Signs of Pitta Imbalance:
Acid reflux, indigestion, or loose stools
Inflammation, breakouts, or rashes
Irritability, anger, or impatience
Hot flashes, excessive sweating, or night sweats
Intense hunger or thirst
Trouble sleeping (especially around 2–3 a.m.)
Sound familiar? Browse our Hot List of Common Pitta Imbalances for deeper insight.
Why Pitta Gets Imbalanced
In Ayurveda, “like increases like,” which means the hot, sharp, and intense nature of Pitta tends to build when we’re surrounded by those same qualities. That can come from our environment, our diet, or even our mental patterns.
Pitta naturally rises during the summer (in the Northern Hemisphere) and with:
Hot weather
Spicy, oily, or sour foods (especially in excess)
Prolonged stress or intense emotion
Overexertion or pushing through fatigue
Hormonal shifts like PMS or menopause
Perfectionism, control, and constant doing
When that internal heat overflows, symptoms follow. This guide will help you restore balance by inviting in the opposite: cool, soft, stable, and moist.
How to Cool Pitta and Reduce Body Heat with Ayurveda

1. Eat Cooling Foods for Pitta Dosha
Your diet is one of the fastest ways to lower internal heat. When Pitta has you burning up, favor foods that are light, hydrating, and naturally sweet, bitter, or astringent.
Cooling Fruits:
Watermelon, melons, pears, apples, mango
Grapes (red, purple, black), figs, raisins
Coconut, pomegranate, honeydew
Cooling Vegetables:
Cucumber, zucchini, asparagus, celery, squash
Kale, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans
Beets, cabbage, lettuce
Cooling Grains & Legumes:
White rice, oats, barley, quinoa
Mung beans, lentils, chickpeas (in moderation)
Cooling Dairy:
Cow's milk (warm, spiced), ghee, soft cheeses, fresh homemade yogurt (sparingly)
👉 Pro tip: Eat your largest meal midday, when digestion is strongest. Avoid skipping meals or eating late at night—both aggravate Pitta.

Foods to Limit – Heating Foods in Ayurveda
If you’ve ever added fuel to an already raging fire, you know what heating foods can do. These are best reduced or avoided when Pitta is high:
Spicy foods (chilies, hot peppers, garlic, onion)
Sour or fermented foods (vinegar, tomatoes, citrus, aged cheeses)
Fried, oily, salty, or heavily processed foods
Alcohol, caffeine, red meat, hard cheeses
A note: A Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner can help you refine these guidelines into an intuitive food plan that truly supports your unique body, mind, and spirit. (Book a free discovery call with Veena here.)
Pitta Cooling Ayurvedic Recipes from the Saumya Kitchen
Ready to get cooking—and cooling? Here are a few of my favorite Pitta-balancing recipes, crafted to reduce body heat, soothe inflammation, and nourish your whole system from the inside out.
2. Hydrate with Cooling Ayurvedic Drinks
Proper hydration is essential for managing body heat. But when it comes to cooling Pitta with Ayurveda, "cooling" doesn't mean ice-cold.
While iced beverages may feel refreshing in the moment, they can weaken digestion and actually increase internal heat over time. Instead, enjoy these cooling Ayurvedic drinks at room temperature to hydrate gently while supporting your digestive fire (agni).
Coconut water with a squeeze of lime
Rosewater lemonade
Mint-infused water
Room temperature herbal teas (hibiscus, rose, chamomile)
Aloe vera juice
Fennel and coriander seed water
Cooling Ayurvedic Drinks from the Saumya Kitchen
There are many ways to quench your thirst and cool your Pitta with Ayurvedic beverages. Try these original recipes from Saumya Ayurveda:
👉 Want even more ideas? Download our free Pitta Cooling Beverages eBook, packed with delicious, soothing recipes to help you stay cool, calm, and nourished all summer long.

3. Do Light Exercise in the Morning or Evening
Movement is powerful medicine—but when it comes to cooling Pitta, how and when you move makes all the difference. Exercise supports digestion, energy, and mental clarity, but it also stokes internal heat. If you're already running hot, pushing too hard can leave you feeling drained and agitated.
To stay balanced, try to move your body in the early morning or evening, when the air is cooler and the sun is less intense.
Pitta-Friendly Ways to Move:
Brisk walks near water, under trees, or in shaded parks
Gentle yoga (especially forward bends and twists) or tai chi
Swimming or water aerobics (both cooling and grounding)
Leisurely bike rides at dusk or dawn
These activities support circulation and clarity without overheating your system or overstimulating the mind. Please remember, you don’t need to “go hard” to feel good—especially in Pitta season. Consistency and gentleness are far more healing than intensity.
Tune into your body, honor what it needs, and let movement restore you.

4. Perform Ayurvedic Oil Massage (Abhyanga)
In Ayurveda, the daily practice of warm oil self-massage (Abhyanga) helps cool the body, calm the nervous system, and nourish the tissues. It’s especially powerful for managing Pitta—restoring moisture, easing inflammation, and supporting emotional steadiness.
But not all oils are created equal. The real benefits of Abhyanga come from using oil compatible with your unique constitution and current imbalance.
For Pitta Relief, Use Cooling Oils Like:
Coconut oil – naturally cooling and deeply hydrating
Sunflower oil – light, neutral, and soothing
Brahmi-infused oils – calm mental intensity
Saumya Ayurveda’s custom Pitta formulas – hand-crafted to match your body and mind's exact needs.
Apply your oil before a shower, using long strokes on limbs and circular motions on joints. Focus on the scalp, chest, hands, and soles of the feet—areas where heat and Pitta tend to accumulate. Even just 10 minutes a day can create a powerful shift in how you feel.
👉 Read our Guide to Abhyanga Self-Massage for everything you need to know to make this soothing ritual part of your daily routine.
Experience the Power of Personalized Ayurvedic Oil Massage
Saumya Ayurveda offers handcrafted, small-batch herbal oils—customized to your unique dosha, symptoms, and seasonal needs. These personalized formulas are available exclusively to clients, offered at cost, and delivered straight to your doorstep.

5. Dress in Pitta-Cooling Clothing
What you wear affects how you feel—physically and energetically.
In Ayurveda, the principle of Surya Chikitsa (sun therapy or color therapy) teaches that certain colors and materials can help balance the heat of Pitta. That means your wardrobe and environment can play a subtle but powerful role in how you regulate body heat and emotional intensity.
How to Dress for Cooling Balance:
Choose light, breathable fabrics like 100% cotton or linen
Avoid tight, synthetic materials that trap heat
Opt for flowing, loose-fitting garments that allow air to circulate
Favor the cool end of the color spectrum: blues, soft greens, white, lavender, and light gray
If you're feeling particularly overheated, lightly misting your clothing with rosewater, or wearing a cooling scarf or neck wrap, can help provide instant relief.
You can extend these principles to your home or workspace by incorporating cooling tones in your décor—like fresh white flowers, ocean-toned accents, or calming artwork.
🌿 Ayurveda isn’t just about food and herbs—it’s also about moving through life in a way that balances your doshic picture.- Veena

6. Reduce Mental and Emotional Intensity
Hot weather isn’t the only thing that flares Pitta. Stress, pressure, and emotional intensity can do it too.
Pitta thrives on ambition and focus, but that same inner fire can turn volatile when life feels overwhelming. One of the most common (and often overlooked) causes of Pitta imbalance is internal pressure: perfectionism, overcommitting, or pushing through exhaustion.
When we soften that intensity—mentally, emotionally, and energetically—Pitta cools. In that space, the body and mind can return to clarity, calm, and true resilience.
Pitta-Friendly Ways to Reduce Emotional Heat:
Start your day with mindfulness or guided meditation (even 5–10 minutes helps)
Set boundaries around work, screens, and social commitments
Take slow, grounding breaks in nature
Make space for quiet creativity: journaling, art, cooking, or gardening
Practice gratitude or pause for conscious breath throughout the day
Even simple shifts, like turning off notifications or spending 10 minutes outside without a task, can help release excess internal heat.
Cool Pitta and Reduce Heat, One Breath at a Time
Download our free Ayurvedic Pranayama eBook for guided breathing techniques that help reduce Pitta, calm the mind, and restore emotional balance—anytime, anywhere.

7. Practice Pranayama (Cooling Breathwork)
When your inner fire is too high, your breath can bring it back to balance.
In Ayurveda, the breath guides the flow of prana—our vital life force. And when Pitta is elevated, breathwork becomes one of the most powerful tools for calming both body and mind.
Let’s begin with one of Ayurveda’s classic cooling techniques, Shitali Pranayama (cooling breath).
Best Pranayama for Pitta: Shitali Pranayama (the Cooling Breath)
How to Practice Shitali Breath:
Sit comfortably with your spine straight and shoulders relaxed. Close your eyes.
Curl your tongue into a straw-like shape and gently extend it from your mouth.
Inhale slowly through the curled tongue, drawing the breath over the moist surface.
Close your mouth and exhale through your nose.
Repeat for 5–10 rounds.
🌿 Can’t curl your tongue? Try Sheetkari instead: Gently clench your teeth, press the tongue to the back of the teeth, and inhale through the teeth before exhaling through the nose.
Benefits of Shitali Pranayama
Cools the mouth, head, and entire body
Calms irritability, anger, and agitation
Reduces hot flashes and night sweats
Soothes burning sensations in the eyes, tongue, and skin
Supports digestion and absorption
Lowers internal heat and blood pressure
This is one of the best daily practices for Pitta balance, especially in the heat of summer or during emotionally intense times. It’s gentle, effective, and easy to integrate into your morning or evening routine.
Why Breathwork Is Foundational in Ayurveda
Practices like Shitali are powerful—but they’re just the beginning. Breathwork helps regulate your nervous system, ease chronic stress, and build emotional resilience over time. It’s also one of the most effective ways to prevent Pitta from accumulating in the first place, specially when practiced consistently.
But like all things in Ayurveda, pranayama works best when it’s chosen to fit your unique constitution and needs. A Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner can help you establish a breathwork routine that feels supportive, sustainable, and deeply effective.
Start Breathing Easier, Today.
Ready to start building your own breath practice? We created a free Ayurvedic Breathwork eBook to help you do just that.
Inside, you’ll learn:
What diaphragmatic breathing is—and why it changes everything
Daily tools to calm anxiety, soothe digestion, and restore vitality
Breath techniques to balance Vata, cool Pitta, and clear mental fog
Gentle guidance to begin and sustain your practice
🌿 "If you do nothing else for your wellbeing, do diaphragmatic breathing, continuously. It will change your life." - Veena

8. Find Balance With Nasya Oil
In Ayurveda, the nose is considered the gateway to the brain—and one of the most direct pathways for calming the nervous system, clearing the mind, and cooling excess Pitta.
The practice of Nasya (nourishing the nasal passages with herbalized oil) helps regulate prana, reduce internal heat, and restore balance at the source.
What Is Nasya Oil?
Nasya oils are herbal-infused blends specifically formulated to support mental clarity, respiratory health, and doshic balance. For Pitta types, that means cooling, calming herbs like:
Brahmi – known for soothing the mind and improving mental clarity
Coconut oil – naturally cooling and anti-inflammatory
Ghee – gently nourishing and balancing to all three doshas
Benefits of Nasya for Cooling Pitta:
Reduces excess heat in the head, neck, and upper body
Calms mental agitation and emotional intensity
Alleviates Pitta-related headaches, tension, and hot flashes
Supports restful sleep and clear thinking
How to Use Nasya Oil for Pitta Balance:
Warm the oil slightly to body temperature.
Lie down with your head tilted slightly back (a pillow under your neck can help).
Gently apply 3–5 drops of oil into each nostril.
Inhale softly and rest for a moment to allow absorption.
Best done in the morning or before bed, depending on your constitution and symptoms.
An Important Note: Nasya works best when personalized to your unique constitution and needs. At Saumya Ayurveda, we offer handcrafted, dosha-specific oils—available exclusively to clients and delivered to your door at cost. Book a free consultation to find the right blend for you.

9. Try Ayurvedic Moon Bathing
Wondering how to do an Ayurvedic moon bath? It's simple. Go outside. Sit or lay on the ground or, if you prefer a chair or lounge chair. Whichever you choose, keep the head, neck, and spine in alignment, yet relaxed.
Sit or lie outside under moonlight
Practice gentle diaphragmatic breathing
Listen to our free guided practices. Choose one 11-minute practice from Part Two and continue directly on to Part Three.
Enjoy your moon bathing experience for at least 30 minutes.
Learn More: Ayurvedic Moon Bathing to Cool and Calm

10. Use Cooling Mists
Soothe your skin with a cooling rosewater facial mist or aloe-cucumber. Keep in the fridge and spritz if you feel a hot flash coming on or to cool and hydrate skin after the sun, wind, or a long day at work.
Relevant Read: Dosha-Specific Routines to Reduce Signs of Aging
11. Embrace Aromatherapy
Cooling essential oils like sandalwood, jasmine, coriander, dill, neem, and rose are deeply soothing to Pitta. Diffuse them in your space, add to your abhyanga oil, or simply pause to inhale their scent directly from the bottle.
Even fresh flowers can work wonders. So go ahead—stop and smell the roses (and lavender, geranium, and jasmine too).
Related Reading: Ayurveda Aromatherapy for Vata, Pitta, and Kapha
12. Practice Emotional Release:
Holding onto frustration, anger, or resentment is classic Pitta fuel. Ayurveda teaches that emotional digestion is just as important as physical digestion.
Is something (or someone) creating tension in your life? Reflect honestly. Release what no longer serves you—with compassion. Try:
Journaling or creative expression
Talking with a trusted friend
Seeking support from a therapist or practitioner
You should feel lifted and lighter after processing emotions—not more drained or disconnected.
13. Incorporate Ayurvedic Daily Routines:
Ayurvedic self-care isn’t about perfection. It’s about rhythm. Establishing simple cooling morning and evening routines can help you stay grounded, even during hot or hectic seasons.
Explore these guides to find daily rituals (dinacharya) that align with your life:
14. Be Mindful of Sun Exposure
Sunlight is nourishing, but too much can overheat Pitta and leave you feeling depleted. Use this checklist to protect your body and preserve balance:
Avoid direct sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Seek natural shade—especially under trees
Wear light, protective clothing (think wide-brimmed hats and breathable fabrics)
Use Pitta-soothing sunscreen made with natural ingredients
Practice Sun Salutations in the early morning
Embrace Ayurvedic Moon Baths to counteract heat exposure
☀️ Please remember, moderation is key. Listen to your body, and let nature support your balance.

15. Balance Social Activities
Even joyful gatherings can overheat Pitta, especially when your calendar gets packed and your energy stretched thin.
Be mindful of your social bandwidth. Notice which types of interactions feel nourishing versus depleting. For many Pitta types, the tendency is to overdo, even socially.
Balance that intensity with conscious rest. It’s okay to say no. It’s okay to leave early. It’s okay to protect your peace. (We promise, you'll thank yourself after!)
16. Practice Left Nostril Breathing | Chandra Bhedana Pranayama
Chandra Bhedana is a simple breathwork technique that activates your body’s cooling energy.
In Sanskrit: Chandra = moon; and Bhedana = piercing. This "Moon-Piercing Breath" purifies the Chandra Nadi, the cooling luna energy channel in the subtle body.
Our bodies naturally alternate dominant nostrils every 90 minutes. When the left nostril is open, cooling energy flows. Chandra Bhedana intentionally activates that response.
How to Practice:
Sit comfortably with your spine straight and shoulders soft
Gently close your right nostril with your finger
Inhale and exhale only through your left nostril, at a calm, steady pace
Continue for 3–5 minutes, or until you feel more grounded
This breath:
Activates the parasympathetic nervous system
Reduces adrenaline and lowers body temperature
Clears the mind and calms the emotional body
Chandra Bhedana is one of the fastest ways to cool down—physically and energetically. Use it during hot flashes, mental agitation, or as part of your evening routine.
Identifying Dosha Imbalances
Feeling like something’s off—but not sure where to begin?
In Ayurveda, symptoms aren’t random. They’re messages from the body, pointing to deeper imbalances in one or more of the three doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.
Start by exploring these quick-reference guides:
Each list includes classic physical, emotional, and energetic signs that can help you better understand what your body is trying to tell you.
💡 Remember: We all have all three doshas, and it’s common to have more than one imbalance at a time. Read through each list and see what resonates.
Cool Pitta and Reduce Body Heat With Ayurveda
Saumya Ayurveda Can Show You How!
If you struggle with overheating during the summer months, find your body running hot throughout the year, have hot flashes, migraines, heated skin conditions, a short fuse....talk with Veena. One short conversation could be the start of a lifetime of relief.



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MEET VEENA: YOUR AYURVEDIC GUIDE
Veena is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and meditation teacher, and monk.
She is President Emeritus and teaching faculty of the Meditation Center.
Veena fell in love with the traditional medicine used in her family’s home, learning herbal remedies at her grandmother's knee.
An experienced Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, Veena’s deep, intuitive knowledge of Ayurveda empowers her clients to reclaim their fullest, most vibrant lives –mentally, physically, and spiritually.
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