Pitta Problems
If you’ve known me since before 2020, you might remember I had notoriously inflamed skin. Like when I broke out, it looked angry. I had a lot of excess heat in my system at the time, and to make matters worse, I unconsciously picked at my skin as an anxiety tick. But I think the most detrimental mistake I made, further adding fuel to the preverbial fire, was that I used all kinds of harsh chemicals and (unknowingly) heating substances on my skin, especially my face, in a desperate attempt to heal it of all its acne-laden, rashy glory. It is after all, the first thing people see… your face and skin are a big part of who you are. And I was not enjoying this external aspect of my existence.
Enter, Ayurveda.
The ancient Sanskrit word commonly found in the Ayurvedic cannon “Pitta” is, simply put, a concept referring to an increase in several qualities, including heat in the body, intensity, anger, sharpness, sometimes dryness if it gets too hot, mobility, and more. It’s found in objects like spicy foods, alcohol, black pepper, in moments like midday and the peak of the sun, in the summer season, and within the span of someone’s adult life (about age 20-60). When these objects we consume or experiences we have come into contact with our bodies in excess, we can get a little… off, especially those of us naturally prone to these Pitta, or heating, qualities.
I started my deep dive into studying Ayurveda with arguably the best teachers on this side of world. I say this because it wasn’t even my first nor second introduction to Ayurveda, but it sure felt that way. Concepts, such as pitta and the doshas, which once felt so esoteric and unrelatable were FINALLY making sense and cracking open for me. Some people are just meant to teach. And I am definitely meant to learn, because the second I started to grasp this ancient medical science, I better understood my nature, my habits, my lifestyle, my diet, my issues, and all the things adding up to create my skin problems. (All my problems, really.)
I’ve always believed this quote, and it just proves more and more true for me.
”The way you do anything is the way you do everything.”
-Unknown (of Zen Buddhist origin)
So, what happened? What changed? What’s the secret, you ask?
Not to get too technical, the concept of Pitta directly relates to the red blood cell tissue of the body, according to Ayurvedic theory. So someone more prone to Pitta or someone experiencing issues related to it is likely to have… you guessed it… skin problems. That’s because red blood cells directly relate to what we see on the surface, the skin tissue. My energy, my essence, naturally houses these heating qualities of Pitta, the same way someone with freckles has freckles (which I also have). And that is the point I’m trying to reach.
My entire skin’s life up until this point had been… difficult. As a child I had rashes that came about so easily. I burned in the sun in a second growing up in the torturous Miami heat. By the time I hit puberty, zits were my norm, and the inflammation all over my body was even worse. I would get so angry and worked up, I would pick at my skin. Truthfully, I still have to stop myself from these old habits, reprogramming myself to calm down and focus on something grounding instead of the agitation and intensity. Moving into adulthood, I was eating and doing things that further irritated my skin by increasing my heat level, and that made my life very difficult.
I remember a time in my twenties when my acne problems peaked. At that time, I was pursuing a career in musical theatre, which meant makeup on makeup on makeup. The cakey, pore clogging, oops-I-forgot-to-take-it-off-before-sleeping stuff was real. My skin was NOT happy. It was as close to screaming out for fresh air and something clean as it possibly could have been. And I was looking in the mirror also not happy. So I did the only thing I knew to do… I picked at it, I made it worse, I used harsh, random and heating chemicals and substances to “fix it,” I also wore light makeup regularly. And then I wondered why nothing worked.
2017
2018
2018
2019
Fast forward 5-10 years, a couple career shifts, relationships, relocations, Ayurvedic study programs, and dark nights of the soul later, and everything has changed.
Now, after several years of Ayurvedic practice and study, pursuing this path to help others as well, I understand the properties of the natural world. Every substance and experience we come in contact with on a daily, hourly, minute by minute basis, has the potential to affect our internal world for better or worse. It’s all about balancing. If I take in something heating in the middle of the day, such as spicy tacos and a beer, during the hottest day of the year, and do it directly in the sunlight, AND while having a heated argument, you guessed it… this is definitely going to increase my internal heat and set me way off balance. Probably lead to a skin flare up as well, among other things. Now, this is an extreme example, with so many nuanced aspects, but you get the idea.
Like increases like.
It’s simple enough to cultivate balance once we understand the qualities that make up everything in our world, and the five elements of nature that coincide with it all. Fire is hot. Water is cooling. Earth is grounding and solid. Again, my teachers are freaking awesome, and I’m happy to share their wisdom (or contact info), because this is POWERFUL information that has been sitting there for thousands of years, I’m talking old. Ayurveda is one of the oldest and still most valid natural medical sciences in existence. And what sets it apart more than anything?
THE INFORMATION HAS NOT CHANGED. IT DOES NOT CHANGE. THERE ARE NO ADVANCEMENTS OR NEW FORMULAS. Because Nature is nature is nature. It’s so simple in some ways, and yet a vast network of complexities that weave the body, mind, and energy together. Ayurveda complements yoga and other eastern practices so well. This is a practice that everyone deserves, nay, NEEDS to understand, it just takes a good translator, not just for the language barrier, but also to bridge the cultural gap and time period shift. Ayurveda is more applicable than ever before, but it also takes more clarity and poignancy than ever before to get it right. Personally, I’m witnessing several schools and thinkers in the U.S. take the wisdom, alter it to fit some frame or to create the next diet fad, and the wisdom is lost. It’s just like with math or science… you change one little detail, and it does affect the accuracy of the entire equation.
Off my soap box, back to my Pitta problems…
Point is, and I’ll wrap it up, I’ve learned how to naturally heal my skin, body, mind, energy, emotions, all of the above, through simple, effective, subtle, balancing tools. The tools include food, daily activity, five sense therapy, sleep, energy output, yoga and meditation, and another key I will finally reveal…
A couple years back, my mentor handed me an incredible, all-natural, consciously developed face scrub. It’s been about three years using it, and I’m thrilled to announce that my once highly sensitive skin (though it still has its moments) has transformed. I swear by this stuff. I would recommend it to almost anyone, and I use it near daily. It’s really the only thing I will use, along with a spritz of natural rose spray and some ghee. That’s right… clarified butter is my moisturizer.
Now I’m not perfect, I still get pimples, as you can see, but the difference is night and day. The texture of my skin alone is so soft and supple since I converted, and break outs are minimal and passing, not chronic anymore. I honestly can’t imagine using anything else ever again…
2021
2021
2022
2023
I use this product as a masque, face wash, applying it thickly or thin, and I even put in on itchy mosquito bites in the summer. Check out my Instagram to see it for yourself in action.
I should also mention again, healing my skin has taken me far beyond skin alone. It’s all connected. This process has transformed many other parts of my health and body as well. Even my hair has become replenished to almost unrecognizable status. But that’s another story you can find on Instagram as well.
So that’s my shameless plug, that’s my story, and I hope it’s inspired you, or at least made you question what you think you know. One of my favorite pieces of wisdom from my practice that helps me to always remain a student is about humility.
”WHenever you sit down to study and practice, you have to Empty your cup.”
-Carlisle Amlak
Even with my problems in check, new ones can always surface. Health, much like life, is a continuous practice, and I empty my cup all the time so that I can approach what life throws at me next with love, acceptance, grace, patience, and a willingness to learn all over again.
Aho.
Credit to Carlisle Amlak and Maha Vidya Yoga & Ayurveda for sharing this wisdom and guiding me along the path. Thanks to Carlisle for sharing this incredible recipe, and many more that continue to heal me and make me happy.
If you’d like a jar, you can find this product through Maha Vidya Yoga & Ayurveda’s skincare line, Renuatum.
If you’d like to receive a treatment with this product, reach out to book a session. If you are dying to learn more, reach out to me for a free discovery consultation to see how I can support you on your journey.