Prakruti is your elemental distribution at birth that remains with you your entire life in this body. (Your personal mix of ether, air, fire, water, and earth) You will stay balanced as long as these elements stay to that distribution.
If you took the doṣa test from a few blogs ago and you had more answers coming from the second column, you may be classified as having a “Pitta Constitution”. What this means is that even though you possess all the elements or bhūtas in your physical body (ether, air, fire, water, and earth) it is the elements of fire and water that are more prominent. The word pitta is derived from the Sanskrit word tapa, which means to heat. Those with a pitta prakruti have a low tolerance for hot weather, sunshine, or hard physical work. Even though pitta means heat, it is the principal of fire, the energy of heating or metabolism that explains this constitution more accurately. Metabolism is a combination of all the chemical reactions that take place within our bodies. In other words, pitta relates to regulating digestion, absorption, assimilation and body temperature. Pitta comprises the enzymes and amino acids that play a major role in metabolism. As pitta manifests in the physical body, you will see attributes such as a medium build with medium strength and stamina, skin that is soft, warm, reddish and sensitive. Pittas have warm, loving natures and are intelligent, witty, quick and courageous. They are focused, insightful and astute and react quickly to stimuli. Digestion may be fast and they quickly digest food and eliminate wastes. Their appetites and digestive capacities are strong. Thus if they get too hungry, they may become edgy and irritable. They, like Vāta’s do not tolerate fasting well.
Take a look at the different profiles below. This is how Pitta would present itself in different ways:
Mental Profile:
- Sharp intellect, aggressive
- Good general memory
- Thoughts that are fairly steady
- Better than average mental concentration
- Dreams that consist of anger, fiery, or violent
- Sound medium sleep
- Talks fast, sharp and clear
- Has a medium pitched voice
Behavioral Profile:
- Eats at a medium speed
- Hunger is sharp, needs food
- Prefers cold food and drink
- Is focused and driven when trying to achieve goals
- Gives nothing or large amounts infrequently to donations
- Has intense relationships
- Has a moderate sex drive
- Works best alone
- Has aversion to hot weather
- Has a medium reaction to stress
- Financially saves but is a big spender
- Tends to be a loner (friends are related to occupation)
Emotional Profile:
- Slowly changing moods
- Reacts to stress with anger
- Not sensitive
- When threatened tends to fight
- Relations with spouse-jealous
- Emotional trauma causes denial
- Is outwardly self-confident
Physical Profile:
- Thinning hair
- Hair is neither oily nor dry
- Hair color red/auburn
- Skin temperature is warm
- Has a pink-red complexion
- Medium size eyes
- White of eyes are yellow or red tint
- Has small-medium teeth
- Weight is medium
- Eliminates many, soft to normal stools
- Veins are fairly prominent
Fitness Profile:
- Has medium tolerance for exercise
- Good endurance
- Better than average strength
- Good speed
- Is a driven competitor
- Walks average speed
- Has a medium body with good definition
- Runs like a tiger
- Has a medium frame
- Average reaction time
People having pitta constitutions enjoy large meals and cool foods and drinks. They will wait until hot foods have cooled before eating them. Pitta constitutions have an aversion to alcoholic beverages, because the hot, pungent nature of alcohol aggravates pitta and can produce nausea, gastritis and ulcers. Fasting does not suit pitta people because they do not like to be hungry (with their fast metabolism, it is easy for them to get hungry shortly after eating a meal.)
If this sounds like you, then you may be Pitta. If you would like an Ayurvedic consultation to confirm this and to learn how you can stay balanced, please contact me. I would love to help you balance your life.