Ayurvedic Guide for Summer
One of the fundamental principles of Ayurveda is that our habits, routines and dietary choices should ebb and flow with the seasons.
“Ayurveda teaches us that we are part of nature, and what manifests in the macrocosm of life is reflected in the microcosm of life.” – Ayurvedic doctor Ram Mani Bhandari
Welcome to summer!
Summer is a time when you can enjoy extended hours of daylight, warmth and sunshine. In Australia, from December to February, for many people it is a season for holidays, visiting the beach, festive celebrations and heralding in the New Year.
Like each of the seasons, summer arrives with its own distinct personality and affects your moods, energy levels and state of wellbeing. Depending on your constitution, summer may increase your internal sense of harmony or it may aggravate and imbalance you. In order to continue to function healthily and pursue your life and spiritual goals it is important for you to be mindful of how these external changes are affecting you.
Your body has a built-in natural tendency to maintain internal balance and there are many things that you can do to support it in this process, including through seasonally adjusting your diet and lifestyle choices.
As summer is characterised by increased heat (pitta dosha) in the environment, your body instinctively responds by reducing its own inner fire (agni). This may include reduced production of heat, lower metabolism and somewhat weaker digestive power as your body tries to accommodate and cope with the hotter weather. While these are natural and normal reactions, you may nevertheless experience some uncomfortable shifts during the summer season and you may even develop symptoms of excessive pitta.
Signs of excess pitta in the body
If your body develops excess pitta, it can lead to inflammation, skin rashes, pyrexia (fever), swelling of the tissues, excess perspiration, acne, premature greying/balding, heartburn, red eyes, acid stomach, loss of appetite, lethargy and diarrhoea.
Signs of excess pitta in the mind
Excess pitta in the mind can make you more irritable (particularly after being exposed to heat or pitta-provoking circumstances), competitive, egoistical, envious, hot tempered and quick-to anger.
Adapting to Summer
When you choose to live by ayurvedic principles in summer, you can balance the pitta energy within you and live harmoniously according to the season. To find the perfect balance of pitta for your unique constitution, you need to choose the right diet, exercise regime and activities to pacify and moderate the fire energy within you.
Summer diet
When the fire element is dominant, it is wise to eat only when hungry and only in moderation. Also, by selecting foods with cooling and soothing qualities you can balance out the abundance of heat being stimulated by the outside environment. Drinking ice cold beverages, however, is not recommended as they can suppress your digestive fire which could already be weakened in summer.
Foods to enjoy in your summer diet
Here are some foods to include in your summer diet:
- Fresh and seasonal foods that are naturally sweet, bitter and astringent in taste.
- Fresh and cool salads as side dishes (but not cold foods which may have too much of a cooling effect on your digestive fire).
- Summer fruits such as mangoes, melons and stone fruit (like peaches and nectarines).
- Hydrating beverages such as water and other healthy fluids. Try some cool or room temperature water infused with mint or lime and a little raw sugar, or enjoy a sweet lassi, cooling herbal teas such as peppermint, licorice, fennel or rose, or an occasional beer to reduce pitta without weakening your body’s digestive fire.
- Sweet dairy products such as milk, butter, ghee, cottage cheese, fresh homemade yoghurt, and even an occasional ice cream.
- All unrefined sweeteners (except honey and molasses which are heating) can be enjoyed in moderation during the summer months.
Foods to limit in your summer diet
Pitta is increased when sour, salty, and pungent tasting foods are consumed, so it is best to avoid or minimise these. Here are some tips for what to avoid during summer:
- Nightshade vegetables such as potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, capsicums, chillies and other vegetables in the pepper family
- Sour or unripe fruits
- Heating vegetables such as radishes, onions, garlic, and fresh ginger and chillies
- Heating spices such as dry ginger, black pepper, mustard, cayenne pepper and chilli powder
- Fermented foods
- Spicy foods
- Aged cheeses
- Heavy animal proteins
- Molasses and honey
- Coffee
Summer lifestyle
- Spend time in nature. Be sure to protect yourself from the intense sun when you do go outside by wearing a hat and sunglasses.
- Go to bed by 10 p.m. to avoid an overly stimulating your mind.
- While sleeping, you can lie on our right side to activate the lunar pathway in the left nostril, which is calming and cooling.
- Be aware that excessive sexual activity can provoke pitta and deplete energy, and so moderation is a key principle to keep in mind.
- Dressing in light, breathable clothing made from natural fibres such as cotton or silk and favouring cooling colours like whites, greys, blues, purples and greens can help keep you feeling more comfortable in the heat.
- Essential oils of jasmine, rose, sandal, tulsi and khus are good fragrances to use in the summer. Equally, a rosewater mist can calm and refresh your mind.
- With long days and short nights during summer, night-time sleep may not be enough. If you feel tired take a short break during the day and seek refuge from the heat. A short siesta or guided yoga nidra can help you reduce overstimulation and have a calming, soothing effect.
Exercise for the summer
- Reduce the duration and intensity of exercise in the summer months (compared to winter and spring exercise routines).
- Avoid vigorous exercise in direct sunlight at peak times of the day (11am-3pm) as it can aggravate pitta. Undertake indoor or early morning and early evening activities instead.
- Choose a relaxing and cooling yoga practice and avoid heating yoga classes. Include forward bends which help balance the season’s expansive energy by bringing some energy back into the body. Spinal twists also help release excess fire energy and toxins.
- Avoid intense pranayama such as bhastrika, kapalabhati and strong ujjayi. Instead opt for cooling breathing exercises like nadi shodhana, gentle ujjayi, shitali and shitakari.
Summer self-care rituals
Self massage – Your skin needs extra attention in summer. A relaxing self-massage with oil before bed can help to bring balance and support to the nervous system when it has been overstimulated from long days and too much activity. Use a light, pitta-balancing oil like almond oil or coconut oil, or medicated ghee for summertime.
Eye care – Eyes can become red and irritated from extra sun exposure. Soak cotton make up pads or cotton balls in rosewater and place them over your eyes for five minutes while lying down. Wash your eyes with fresh water a few times throughout the day. You can also use ayurvedic eye drops as per your need.
Moon bath – Let nature nurture you. Summer is sun dominant and so you can use the moon’s energy to bring balance. The practice of lunar bathing has a cooling effect on the body and mind. Sleeping in moonlight and away from artificial light helps to regulate your endocrine system and synchronise your body’s rhythms with the moon’s cycle.
Ayurvedic therapy during summer
During the summer season extra care is needed to manage the pitta life force. Organs like the skin, eyes, liver, blood and stomach benefit from specific attention to keep them healthy and functioning well.
Ayurveda offers a holistic approach to balance pitta in your body. It recognisees that every person has a unique mind-body constitution and needs a personalised approach to maintain health and wellbeing.
At Sunshine Ayurveda, we offer a variety of traditional therapies to address your individual needs. Ayurvedic therapeutic massage, medicated ghee massage, head massage, foot massage, shirodhara (calming treatment for the nervous system), netra tarpana (eye therapy) and virechana (therapeutic purgation) are recommended during this season.
If you are in Pitta constitution or experiencing symptoms of pitta imbalance, you can book an appointment with an ayurvedic doctor to obtain guidance and therapies to rebalance and harmonise your constitution to suit your current needs. Even if you are in good health, you can also gain insights into maintaining your health and wellbeing from an ayurvedic consultation.