DOSHA: PITTA
PIX: While people in
the North are bundled up against cold winter, those in the Southern Hemisphere
are frolicking on the beach.
Summer and the searing
heat of noon that makes us sweat and aggressively burns our skin is reflective
of the characteristics of Pitta.
Ayurveda advises
eating the biggest meal of the day in this time segment as metabolism and digestion
are strong. The meridians that are strong at this time also support this sagely
Ayurveda advice.
TIME SEGMENT:
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Elemental characteristics:
Fire and water: hot, fluid, liquid, sharp and aggressive.
(Heat, metabolism, transformation)
Functions:
Pitta governs bodily processes that produces or needs heat
to occur such as metabolism and energy production. Its scope includes the
digestive process, transforming nutrients into useful substances such as red blood cells and formation of various
secretions and excretions that are either the means or the ends of tissue combustion.
ACTIVITIES:
- By the time Pitta takes over from Kapha, the Spleen meridian is at its strongest. Some people may feel the need to snack at mid morning to fuel Pitta’s energy demand. If you want to lose fat, STOP YOURSELF FROM SNACKING!
When your body has used up its horde of sugar (glycogen)
from your breakfast, it starts to use your store of fat and glycogen for energy.
Your body's fat burning processes are controlled by your sympathetic nervous
system (SNS). Your SNS is activated by both exercise and lack of food. That is
why in the previous article exercise is scheduled before breakfast. Experts
found that exercising on an empty stomach helps you to burn up your fat reserve
stored in the muscles. Eating carbohydrates interrupts the process of
metabolizing fat for about six hours afterward.
Peter Hespel, a professor of exercise physiology at the University of Leuven
in Belgium
suggested, “Exercising without eating produces muscles that are better at
absorbing glucose — which is important for preventing diabetes.”
- By 11
a.m., the Heart meridian asserts itself to transport nutrient rich blood
to all parts of the body. With nutrients pouring in, you get another
energy boost to continue working or studying.
- Have lunch at around 12 – 1 p.m. According to Ayurveda, this is the peak period for digestion. Eat your biggest meal at this time to take advantage of the strong digestion.
You can eat cool, raw food such as salad if you have good
digestion (strong digestive fire). Those with weak digestion, stick to warm,
easily digestible food. You can take small amounts of fermented food with your
lunch to aid digestion. Examples of beneficial fermented foods are miso, temper,
kin chi and sauerkraut.
Concentrate on your meal and chew your food well. Do not do
other activities while you eat such as reading, watching a show or work in
between each bite.
- Wash your face, ears, eyes, hands and feet just before and after each main meal. Rinse your mouth as well. Brush your teeth after the meal.
- Drink water an hour before and an hour after each meal. People with Vata constitution should drink warm water. Kaphas and Pitas can drink tepid water.
- Stroll around after your meal for a few minutes to help the food to go down for digestion. Moreover, walking assist the pumping action of the heart to carry blood and lymph throughout the body.
The Small Intestines meridian is active from 1 p.m. to 3
p.m. The function of the small intestine is the digestion of food and
absorption of nutrients and minerals found in food.
Hey! Isn’t the food supposed to go to the small intestine
first for digestion and absorption before their nutrients are moved to the
spleen for transformation? Aha! Western translators (not the Chinese) do all
the labeling of meridians in English according to organ names! There is some
doubt whether the ‘Spleen meridian’ as named by Westerners was appropriate!
Let us follow the pathway of the Spleen meridian. From the
Big Toe, the meridian goes to the Abdomen and enters the Spleen, continues to
Stomach then up to root of the Tongue. Another branch continues from the
Stomach to the Heart. As you can see, the Spleen meridian goes to a number of
organs. The ‘Spleen meridian’ is involved in digestion, transformation, transportation
and distribution of nutrients. Digestion starts in your mouth when saliva
breaks down starch and continues in the stomach.
Other meridians may go to a number of organs, glands and/or
body extremities including toes, fingers, crown of the head etc.
The information I gave about function of specific organs is
culled from modern scientific sources, not traditional Chinese ones. As one Zen
master once said, a word/name is like a finger pointing to the moon. The word/name
is not the moon itself.
Dinacharya provides a skeleton with some recommendations for
an ideal routine to harmonize your body’s circadian rhythm to the Master clock
in Nature for a healthy lifestyle.
Consider your own constitution and be sensitive to your own biological rhythm
when fleshing out your personal Dinacharya.
NOTE: This Dinacharya is for adults. Growing children who are not obese
can take healthy snacks for brunch and tea (Tiffin) in addition to their main meals.
