Too much pitta? Or is it just hot in here?

On Thursday, Oni asked me if I had considered seeing Debbie, the resident Ayurvedic consultant at the CT Shala.

"You mean about the pitta?" I asked somewhat rhetorically, since I was dripping, no, gushing sweat from every pore.

I have to say that since I have been practicing at the CT Shala, I have been a veritable sweat factory. Two Surya Namaskar A's, and the schvitz is already rolling. Five in, and I'm already ready to roll out my Mysore rug. By the time I get to Padangustasana, I have to close my eyes to keep the sweat from pouring in.

I kind of like the sweat. It makes me feel clean when I'm done with practice. But I can see how it might be indicative of some sort level of pitta imbalance, especially since last winter, I felt quite differently. I couldn't get a good sweat going at all, and my head was spacey. Too much vata.

I guess.

I mean, how much of this is real? And how much is it just another version of old wives' tales? Or homespun voodoo magic? Lose your keys, and you have too much vata, lose your temper and you have too much pitta. Sounds suspiciously like a good se of excuses as I sit here and think about it. I mean, to say that I was late to dinner last night because of the earth's orbit into the Haley's comet meteor shower...well, I don't know. As the words were coming out of my mouth, I realized that I sounded like a nut. I also know that I sound like a nut when I extoll the virtues of young coconut and chai tea for balancing the "doshas".

I will say, without any shame or doubt, that young coconut is a miracle hangover cure. Doshas shmoshas. The stuff has potassium and it's far more organic than gatorade.

But I digress. Along the same lines, is spending more time backbending making me resposible for my walking out of the shala feeling kind of socially vulnerable? Or am I just making up reasons for things that just are what they are? When I was engaged in the deep opening up of the hips that is required for a good Supta Kurmasana and a flat-backed Badha Konasana A, I would attribute flashes of creativity to loosening the joints in my pelvis. There would seem to be a metaphorical connection between giving birth to babies and giving birth to, well, to ideas, I supposed. But again, was that just a bunch of hoodoo crap?

I feel cynical about this stuff right now. I feel as if it makes more sense to think less about why and just see it as how it is.

YC