Let the Sun Shine!
As we welcome the longest day of the year and embrace the sunshine we also consider our new intentions for the summer season and ask how we can bask in the glory of abundance! According to Ayurveda, summer is ruled by the Pitta dosha. Representing the qualities of hot, sharp, and penetrating. Although it is beneficial to soak up the summer sun, it is also important to pacify the pitta tendencies of overheating, inflammation and exhaustion by including cooling practices into your summer routine.
“Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance.” — Yoko Ono
Tips on How to Keep Cool All Summer Long
Two guiding principles of Ayurveda are like increases like, and opposites create balance. In summer you want to limit Pitta foods/habits and increase Kapha and Vata characteristics by inviting coolness, relaxation and moisture our diet and lifestyle. Here are ways you can practice this:
Ayurvedic Sunbathing:
Not all sun exposure is bad. In fact sunlight is a very important way for the body to receive vitamin D and helps boost our mood. Instead of baking in the sun during the heat of the day for too long, try taking a 10-15 minute walk at sunrise or early morning to allow the early rays of the sun to gently wake and energize you!
Stay Hydrated:
Summer’s intense can heat deplete moisture from plants, the earth, and our bodies. So it's important to stay hydrated to keep our organs lubricated and our mind clear ~ we are made up of 60% water! Ayurveda recommends drinking at least six 8-ounce cups of water a day. Ayurveda also teaches that adding an extra pinch of salt in your food in the summer to compensate for sweating and to prevent fatigue.
Eat Cooling Foods
Another great way to help pacify the Pitta dosha and help beat the summer heat is so eat cooling foods. Some of the best pitta-pacifying foods are leafy greens, coconut, cucumber, cantaloupe, and watermelon. You can also garnish salads and other dishes with cooling cilantro, parsley, and alfalfa sprouts, and want avoid hot drinks, spicy food, alcohol, caffeine, and chilies.
Aromatherapy
According to Ayurveda, using essential oils can help soothe our auric field and effect subtle energies. Using cool sweet oils like sandalwood, rose, jasmine, lavender, eucalyptus, and peppermint and help cool the body and calm the mind.
It's also beneficial to take cool/cold showers to decrease inflammation and activate the vagus nerve, which helps calm the nervous system. Moisturizing with cooling oils like coconut oil or aloe vera can help sooth the skin after bathing or sun exposure.
Living in sync with nature reminds us that the only thing permanent in change! When we can flow with the changes in the seasons we can harness the new energy and learn to live in balance with the elements therefore finding holistic balance in our minds and bodies as well.
For more information on doshic balancing, see my offerings here or sign up for a free 15 minute call to discuss my offerings and how they could benefit you!
Love & Light,
Justine