We're starting to get the first tastes of summer as we find ourselves more than halfway through June. For those who love the balmy, sunny weather it's a warm welcome. As the weather starts to become warmer (and in some places, hotter than ever!), it's important to stay mindful of the effect it has on our physical health, including our state of mind. Taking care to stay cool as temperatures rise will ensure that we avoid some common summer symptoms and stay off the path of burnout, a potential occurrence whenever we're living in hot weather.
The summer months (at least in the Northern Hemisphere) are ruled by Pitta dosha, which consists of fire and warm water. This means that there is a higher tendency for excess Pitta since it's Pitta season - Ayurveda teaches us that like increases like. Physical symptoms of high Pitta include heartburn, looser stools or diarrhea, skin rashes or redness, dryness or redness in the eyes, and even fever. Mentally or emotionally, we may experience high anger or frustration, feeling easily triggered or agitated, judgement (of self and of others), over competitiveness, jealousy, and general feelings of intensity. Those who have high amounts of Pitta in their constitutions naturally should take additional care, as these individuals have a natural higher tendency to experience these types of symptoms, especially during Pitta season. So, let's learn about some cooling Ayurvedic habits to beat the summer heat!
5 Cooling Habits for the Summer
Everything we take in through the five senses (taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing) affects us and can either bring us closer to balance or tip the scales off further, so it's important to focus on each sense when we are attempting to balance any dosha. Here are 5 cooling habits you can implement to address each sense as we venture deeper into the summer months!
TASTE - Reduce spicy, sour, and salty food. Looking at our diets is always the first rule of thumb in Ayurveda because all imbalance starts in the gut. The tastes which increase Pitta and will throw it out of balance include pungent/spicy, sour, and salty foods. When we eat meals which are high in these qualities, we are more likely to experience Pitta-like disturbances in the digestive system such as heartburn and even diarrhea. Pitta decreases when we eat sweet, bitter, and astringent (or drying) foods. Naturally sweet foods like root vegetables, grains, dairy, and natural sweeteners like maple syrup are great. Bitter foods like leafy greens (kale, collard greens, Swiss chard) should be embraced. The astringent or dry taste includes most legumes; pomegranate seeds are another example of the astringent taste. Remember that taking in the opposite qualities of any dosha will decrease it. So, because Pitta in its nature is hot and wet, we want to cool it down and dry it out a bit (it makes sense - fire and water!).
SMELL - Favor floral, sweet, and woodsy scents. "Smell is emotion" in the wise words of one of my teachers. Each time we introduce an aroma to our senses (and in some cases the senses of others), it has the ability to powerfully affect our emotions. This makes sense from an anatomical perspective as the nasal passages are the quickest way to access the olfactory nerve, the nerve responsible for our sense of smell. Its close proximity to the brain and more specifically the limbic system, the region of the brain responsible for regulating emotion, is an indicator of that connection. All sweet, floral, and woodsy smells will serve you best will this summer. Embrace scents like rose, lavender, jasmine, ylang ylang, orange blossom, chamomile, vanilla, sandalwood, patchouli, and cedarwood in your oil diffuser, especially in the evenings when you are winding down. Use an individual essential oil or experiment by mixing scents. Some of my favorite combinations are rose and sandalwood, jasmine and Roman chamomile, and vanilla and orange blossom.
TOUCH - Practice self-massage with coconut oil. The practice of abhyanga, self-massage with warm oil, is a favorite of mine and many of my clients. In fact, many say that it's their favorite and it's the one I hear many adopt most seamlessly into their self-care routines. It is a lovely way to nourish dehydrated skin and it's also a wonderful way to reconnect with yourself, especially if you've been experiencing a mind-body disconnect. This can manifest in a number of ways including body dysmorphia, emotional eating, or a lack of motivation to move the body, just to name a few. In the simplest terms, abhyanga is a lovely act of self-love and self-care. Coconut oil is extremely cooling and is especially great for Pitta folks. However, tread with caution if you have a lot of Kapha in your constitution, as coconut oil has a tendency to react with the natural yeast found in some people's skin and may cause redness or irritation. It is also comedogenic which means its molecules are too large to absorb into the skin, therefore it can cause blocked pores in some people (mainly those with high Kapha). There's many other options to enjoy when massaging the skin. Another great oil mixture to reduce Pitta is sesame oil (considered the "King of Oils" in Ayurveda) and sunflower oil. The sesame oil you use for massage is different than the one we cook with so don't worry about smelling like a side of delicious stir fry :). Here's a great video on how to perform abhyanga:
If you need some direction on massage oils, Banyan Botanicals offers a nice selection at a reasonable price. They have their own Ayurvedic farm in New Mexico and they grow their own herbs, so it's a company I recommend buying from often.
HEARING - Embrace sweet, calming music. Sound is powerful. We know that music has the power to affect our mood. It's common when we feel happy to want to listen to music that makes us want to dance and when we feel sad we might enjoy listening to slower, more melancholic music. We even use the common phrase "setting the mood" when we turn on music at a party or event. Vibrations have the power to heal us in ways that modern science is finally beginning to catch up on. In yoga, we listen to specific mantras to achieve specific goals. Even in the Western world, it is a universal practice to soothe your baby to sleep to the sound of your signing voice. Since Pitta dosha in its nature is hot and intense because of fire, aim to soothe Pitta in the mind by listening to slower, calmer music. Music without lyrics is a great option as it reduces movement in the mind when listening to it. If you enjoy mantras, the simple OM Shanti OM, the mantra for peace, is perfect for this season. I love the beautiful version by Deva Premal:
SIGHT - Embrace cool colors, especially blue. Color therapy is a common healing modality in Ayurveda. There's a deep history of color in its history, for example the denotations of color for each chakra. Each color vibrates at a different frequency which affects the doshas. To balance Pitta, blue is the most healing color. Other good options are white, violet or purple, silver, and tridoshic (meaning it is balancing to all the doshas) colors of green and gold. There's many ways to immerse yourself in color therapy: wearing clothing or jewelry in your color of choice, wearing colored lenses in your color of choice (this is an intense one, don't do for more than 30 minutes at a time), drinking liquids out of a colored glass, or redecorating your home and incorporating more of the color you need through painting or accents. Another option is to get a colored lightbulb and sit in a room with that light for a few minutes (or if you have an oil diffuser or noise machine which emits light, you can enjoy the color that way). Another simple option is to have a crystal or two in your favored color in your pockets, purse, and on your nightstand.
Some Additional Cooling Tips
Cook with Cooling Herbs - Spices and herbs are the heart of Ayurveda. Always, always embrace them in your cooking! They can only benefit you. Not only do they improve the flavor of your meals, they improve the strength of your digestion as well. In order to continue cooling things down this summer, embrace cooling herbs and spices including mint, cilantro, dill, turmeric, cumin, saffron, and ground coriander.
Avoid Ice - I know some of us love ice in our drinks, especially in the hottest months of the year! But try and train yourself to enjoy beverages without ice. Ice and extremely cold foods like ice cream or frozen yogurt can extinguish your digestive fire. In Ayurveda, the analogy of a camp fire is used to explain the stomach and its digestive processes - when the fire is strong, it's able to process wood (or in other words, digest food) efficiently. When the fire is weak, adding more wood (once again, the analogy for food) will weaken the flames further. In the same light, throwing ice or cold water on the fire will cause it to extinguish. Over time, you get used to drinking liquids without ice and you might even begin to favor warmer drinks.
Take Extra Care of the Eyes and Feet - Just as certain seasons and times of day are ruled by Pitta, there are certain parts of the body where the doshas reside. The eyes and the feet are two important examples! Summer is a time where these areas may become particularly sore, red, and/or dry, so staying mindful of them will help us avoid that. Eye washing (using glass eye cups) with rosewater is a great practice, especially if you have a tendency for eye redness and dryness throughout the year. If it's accessible to you, regular pedicures are a lovely way to maintain the health of the feet (you don't always need to apply nail polish!). If you prefer to do foot care at home, indulge in a nice lukewarm foot soak with Epsom salts and a bit of rose, geranium, or lavender essential oil. Follow with a cream. Also, when you don't have time to do a full body abhyanga session, oiling the feet right before bed is a great compromise. Keep a small bottle of your favorite massage oil on your nightstand so that once you're in bed, you can gently oil the feet (use slow, loving motions toward the heart) and then put on a pair of socks (to help the oil absorb into your feet, not your sheets).
Summer is a high energy time where manifestation can be at its highest capacity. Creativity is high! For some of us, it is a time of rest, for others, a time of travel and ample movement! When things get hot, it's safe to say they also usually get intense. When we stay mindful of the effects that the seasons can have on us, we can stay balanced amidst it all.
Please comment below if you have any favorite cooling habits you like to incorporate in the summers or if there are any recipes you love to make during this season!
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