The key to living a healthy life is to maintain as much as possible the balance of doshas that you were born with.
Ayurvedic medicine determines your innate and ideal dosha balance and prescribes things such as diet, exercise, and wellness practices to keep your doshas in balance.
In this article, we will look specifically at people who have a Pitta Kapha dosha constitution.
Read on to learn:
- What is Ayurvedic Constitution?
- What is Pitta Kapha Constitution
- Tips for Balancing your Pitta Kapha Doshas
Take this dosha quiz to discover your Ayurvedic body type.
What is Ayurvedic Constitution?
The ancient Indian system of holistic medicine known as Ayurveda understands the human body as a combination of three doshas, also sometimes called energies or humors, which are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.
These doshas exist in a different balance within each individual person, with a person dominant in one or two of the doshas. We are each born with our ideal dosha balance, and this influences our physical characteristics and physiological temperament.
But the strength of our individual doshas are constantly affected by the world around us and our actions. What we eat, the climate that we live in, and our habitual practices strengthen or weaken each of our doshas.
Each dosha is associated with different elements and characteristics.
- Vata – Wind dosha: connected with the elements of air and ether and is dry, light, cold, and rough.
- Pitta – Fire dosha: connected with the element of fire and is hot, sharp, oily, and penetrating.
- Kapha – Water dosha: connected with the elements of water and earth and it is cold, wet, heavy, dull, sticky, and hard.
Each person is born with a unique combination of these doshas, but most people are dominant in one particular dosha. There are also people in whom two doshas share dominance, and in rare cases, there are individuals with an equal balance of the three.
People with the same dominant doshas tend to share physical and physiological characteristics. It is possible to make some generalizations about their appearance, preferences, tendencies, emotions, and vulnerabilities.
Ayurvedic medicine works to maintain optimal health and wellbeing by maintaining the optimal balance of doshas that we were born with and that is meant for us.
When the doshas fall too far out of balance or remain out of balance for too long, this is when we can become unwell, both physically and emotionally.The prescription usually includes diet, exercise, and wellness practices designed to naturally strengthen or weaken certain doshas.
Discover more about Ayurveda here.
What is a Pitta Kapha Constitution?
An individual who has a Pitta Kapha constitution is dominant in both the Pitta and Kapha doshas in more or less equal measure, with a weaker Vata dosha. It is often called the Warrior Constitution.
While the exact balance of doshas within an individual is unique, generalizing allows Ayurvedic medicine practitioners to analyze people and maintain a healthy dosha balance.
The principal characteristics of Pitta are mild unctuousness, warmth, penetrating effects, liquidity, acidity, fluid-like movement, pungent taste, and foul smell.
It is the only warming dosha, with the other two tending towards coolness. People who are Pitta dominant tend to be intelligent and quick-witted, competitive, fast-moving, and often impulsive.
The principal characteristics of Kapha are coolness, heaviness, steadiness, softness, and stability. People who are Kapha dominant tend to be stable and grounded. They are thoughtful decision-makers, but can also be slow-moving.
But what does it look like when these two very different doshas share dominance in a Pitta Kapha individual?
Physically, as a Pitta Kapha, you probably feel well-proportioned and healthy. You don’t struggle to stay in shape but also don’t worry if you put on a few pounds over the holidays.
You probably have a blend of round and sharp characteristics with large, bright eyes, fair and slightly oily skin, and a reddish hue to your overall appearance.
You have a lot of energy and good stamina, but you can tend to overestimate how much gas you have in the tank and burn yourself out.
You have a natural desire to stay active, but this leaves you feeling worn out rather than strong when you don’t also prioritize rest and self-care.
You are highly intelligent, you learn quickly, and you have a sharp wit, but you prefer to take your time and weigh the options when making major decisions.
You are both competitive and relentless, which makes you highly formidable. While you prefer to lay out the perfect step-by-step plan to achieve your goals, you tend to have moments of impulsivity, for which you later criticize yourself.
You love food, both cooking and eating, and you have a tendency to overindulge and eat emotionally. When you are busy you will eat on the run, which can play havoc with your digestion and lead to indigestion, acid reflux, and ulcers. You may be prone to skin disorders.
You are probably the type of person who burns the candle at both ends because you feel energetic in the evening, but also sluggish if you sleep later than 7 am. You do your best when you get a solid seven to eight hours of sleep each night.
Learn more about the different Ayurveda body types.
Tips for Balancing Your Pitta Kapha Doshas
Pitta and Kapha have many opposing characteristics.
Pitta is light while Kapha is heavy, Pitta is sharp and fast while Kapha is dull and slow, Pitta is hot and Kapha is cool, and Pitta spreads while Kapha is fixed. This diversity means that it is essential to maintain a fine balance between the doshas to feel healthy and in control.
As a Pitta Kapha, you often find your burning Pitta energy urging you to push yourself to your limits. But your Kapha can suddenly pull the rug out from under you and leave you feeling burnt out as it demands that you take some time to rest.
When your Pitta energy is heightened, you can tend towards impulsiveness and anger. This can lead to outbursts that you later feel uncomfortable about.
Your methodical and perfectionist Kapha side may also feel like you need to start something over from scratch following even a minor impulsive setback.
Self-awareness of your Pitta Kapha dosha and how an imbalance manifests is essential for maintaining your overall health. You can then take steps to rebalance your doshas by increasing or decreasing their potency.
The main principle to understand when rebalancing doshas is that like increases like, and that opposite elements can decrease a dosha.
Below are five top tips for balancing Pitta Kapha doshas.
1. Maintain a Balanced Diet
One of the most effective ways to balance your doshas is through diet since the doshas are closely linked with digestion and the stomach (the second brain). According to Ayurveda, certain flavors and tastes can increase or decrease the different doshas.
Pitta and Kapha are both enhanced by sour and salty foods, so these are probably your favorite flavors and should feature prominently in your diet.
Bitter and astringent tastes decrease both Pitta and Kapha and so are best avoided in general. Both doshas appreciate plenty of liquid in the diet, so soups and smoothies are often a good choice.
When you need to balance between your two dominant doshas, sweet foods will enhance your Kapha. There are few things better than a big bowl of cold ice cream when a warrior constitution is feeling agitated and restless and needs to boost their cold Kapha dosha.
Pungent tastes such as chili increase Pitta and decrease Kapha. So when you are feeling lethargic or stuck, reach for a hot and spicy curry.
Read more about Kapha diet here and the Pitta diet here.
2. Embrace the Seasons
As a Pitta Kapha you are probably lucky enough that you feel comfortable in most temperatures and therefore pretty good throughout the year. But the changes in temperature and humidity levels with the seasons will affect your dosha balance.
You will find that your cool Kapha dosha is at its strongest in the winter and early spring. This is a time when you should engage in Pitta increasing behaviors such as eating steamy curries and the occasional trip to the sauna.
Your hot Pitta energy is dominant in the summer and early autumn. Therefore balance your doshas by taking cooling swims and indulging in a frequent ice cream.
It can also be a good idea to try and align your goals to the seasons of the year.
Use the winter as a time for planning and making important life decisions that rely on Kapha’s level-headedness. Use the summer as a period of activity and productivity while your energy is high.
3. Plan your Exercise
As a Pitta Kapha, you are lucky enough to have a lot of energy and good stamina. But you are also the type of person who tends to overestimate how much energy you have, so you can feel burnt out after a workout. You also tend to benefit from longer recovery periods.
While you thrive on exercise and activity, you should plan your activities with recovery in mind.
Plan your workouts with incremental increases in intensity over a period of months. Let yourself work up to the challenges rather than following your instinct to jump in at the deep end.
Wear a heart monitor and make sure you are keeping within the 50-60% of maximum effort zone and not pushing higher.
Schedule at least two consecutive rest days each week to give your body time to fully recuperate. This does not mean doing nothing, but sticking to light exercise such as walking and restorative yoga practices.
4. Manage Stress
Pitta Kapha constitutions thrive when they are feeling grounded and level-headed thanks to their Kapha dosha. But your fiery Pitta dosha can cause intense anger, irritability, and bouts of extreme self-criticism.
Pitta Kapha constitutions should learn to manage their stress and minimize these rivers of anger and frustration.
Mindfulness, meditation, deep breathing exercises, and yoga are all excellent practices for reducing and managing stress.
Pitta Kapha may enjoy a flowing Vinyasa Yoga practice, where the breath is connected to the movement of the body since Pitta appreciates both movement and fluidity.
You might also combine this with regular massage sessions that allow you to sink into the heaviness of the Kapha dosha, and also assist in muscle recuperation.
5. Create an Evening Routine
Pitta Kapha tend to feel sluggish for the entire day ahead if they sleep after about 7am. But they also tend to feel active in the evening and enjoy exercising and socializing at night, which can make it difficult to go to bed early enough to get the solid 7-8 hours of sleep needed.
Find ways to help reduce stimulation after your evening activities and get to bed earlier.
An evening routine that involves relaxing activities such as reading a book, relaxing yoga, and calming breathing exercises will help you get to bed earlier.
Start the day with some Kapha-boosting activities such as jogging, hiking, or biking. You will feel more energized throughout the day as a result.
Check out our guide to yoga for better sleep here.
Balancing the Warrior Constitution
In Ayurveda, maintaining optimal health throughout your life means maintaining the innate balance of your doshas that you were born with.
If you are a Pitta Kapha Constitution, also known as a warrior constitution, at your best you are an intelligent, competitive, and persistent person with high energy but also naturally grounded.
You have overall good health and no problem staying in shape while eating well. When your doshas fall out of sync you can be prone to stomach and skin problems, anger and stress, burnout, and bouts of lethargy.
Diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices can help you keep your Pitta Kapha dosha in balance. Follow the tips and this guide from Banyan Botanicals above to maintain a healthy Pitta Kapha constitution.
