A Guide to Summer Wellness
By Emma Dasco
One of the fundamental principles of Ayurveda is that our habits, routines, and dietary choices should ebb and flow with the seasons. We can support an improved state of balance throughout the year by making a conscious effort to live in harmony with the cycles of nature and by regularly adjusting our lifestyle and habits to accommodate the arrival of each new season. Summer is a time of light, fire, heat, and intensity. Depending on your constitution, summer may increase your internal sense of harmony or aggravate certain tendencies.By making conscious efforts to live in harmony with nature's cycles, we can support a balanced state of health throughout the year.
Understanding Your Summer Constitution
In Ayurveda, it's said that "like increases like" and "opposites balance." This means that the heat of summer can intensify internal heat (pitta) for those already prone to it, while others may find the season brings welcome warmth and energy. Your primary focus through the summer months will be to keep balanced by staying cool, mellowing intensity with relaxation, and grounding your energy. Signs of a pitta imbalance include irritability, overheating, skin rashes, and digestive issues. Let’s explore some recommendations to keep well in the peak of the heat!
Summer Dietary Recommendations
During summer, our bodies naturally crave light foods and small meals that are easy to digest. The agni (digestive fire) disperses to help keep us cool, so it's crucial to eat foods that won't overburden the digestive system.
Favor:
Fresh fruits, organic (or raw) dairy products like milk, butter, ghee, cottage cheese, and yogurt, leafy greens, and herbs.
Cooling Foods and Beverages:
- Enjoy cool or room temperature water infused with mint or lime.
- Drink cooling herbal teas such as hibiscus, peppermint, fennel, or rose.
Check out a cooling Hibiscus Mint Sun Tea recipe below !
- Occasionally indulge in some ice cream.
Avoid Heating Foods:
- Steer clear of sour or unripe fruits, aged cheeses, and extremely spicy foods like chilies or cayenne pepper.
Summer Lifestyle Tips
Morning Routine:
- Rise early with the sun and exercise during the cool morning hours. Gentle activities like yoga, walking, or swimming are ideal.
Rest and Relaxation:
- Balance activity with rest. Take a midday nap if needed and ensure you get plenty of sleep at night.
- Before bathing, massage your skin with a soothing oil like organic coconut or sunflower oil to cool the body and calm the nervous system.
Clothing and Environment:
- Dress in light, breathable clothing made of cotton or silk.
Hydration and Cooling:
- Stay hydrated with plenty of minerals, cool beverages, and hydrating fruits.
- Use essential oils like jasmine for its cooling properties or spritz rosewater for a refreshing effect.
Spending Time in Nature:
- Summer is perfect for outdoor activities. Spend time in nature and get plenty of Vitamin D.
Summer wellness is about celebrating the season's abundance while honoring yourself and creating habits that enhance your quality of life. Embrace the vibrant energy of summer with these holistic wellness tips to maintain balance, health, and vitality. Let this be the summer when you fully enjoy the season with vibrant health and joyful living. By integrating these Ayurvedic principles into your summer routine, you can harmonize your body with the season and enjoy its unique gifts to the fullest.
Hibiscus Sun Mint Tea
1 tablespoon mint
2 teaspoons raw sugar
2 teaspoons dried hibiscus or hibiscus tea packets
Fill a 32 ounce jar or glass pitcher with filtered water, add hibiscus and mint. Seal the jar and place in the sunshine for 2 to 4 hours. You will know it is ready when the water becomes a vibrant pink. Add sugar to taste.
Strain and serve at room temperature, chilled or on ice. For extra flare, add a mint garnish.
Keeps well in the fridge.
Benefits
Hibiscus with mint is particularly refreshing on a hot summer's day, with cooling properties that pacify pitta-kapha. Hibiscus flower improves liver function and restores your liver, which may be taxed by the heat.
Mint restores your spark, while opening up blood flow to the skin, helping you cool down.Mint assists hibiscus by dilating capillary beds and opening pores, which allow you to release heat more efficiently. This dilatory effect also disperses fluids creating a sense of opening and relief, which reduces reactive emotions and tension common to Pitta body type.
Hibiscus is a traditional remedy for high blood pressure due to its diuretic action and blood thinning properties. This traditional use of hibiscus is backed up by a 2008 USDA study. High In vitamin c and supports female reproductive health.
Image by Leandro Crespi on Unsplash
