Light. Fire. Heat. Intensity. It’s summertime! Do you worship long days of bright
sunlight? Do you welcome a renewed
feeling of lightness and expansive consciousness? Maybe you just can’t get enough of the hot
summer temperatures. Or, do you dread
the heat and go out of your way to avoid the summer sun? Perhaps a dark, air-conditioned movie theater
is more your speed on a hot, summer day.
Summer, like each of the seasons, arrives with its own
distinct personality. Depending on your
constitution, summer may increase your internal sense of harmony, or it may
aggravate one of your innate tendencies.
For example, a hot-natured individual who prefers a cool climate may
love the winter, but will feel hotter than most – to the point of discomfort – as
the heat of summer intensifies. On the
other hand, someone with chronically cold hands and feet, who never seems to be
able to stay warm in the winter months, will experience exactly the opposite: long,
cold winters will be a challenge and s/he will relish the heat of summer. But the seasons need not be an intrinsic
source of fluctuating dread and euphoria.
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.
While this idea may at first seem daunting, many people find that the
recommended seasonal adjustments come quite naturally and that a few simple
changes can dramatically increase health and vitality.
In Ayurveda, it is said that like increases like and
that opposite’s balance; this helps to explain why summertime stirs something
different in each of us. If you know
your constitution, you can actually take even more personalized steps to
harmonize your internal landscape with the changing nature of the seasons.
Summer: The
Pitta Season
The most striking characteristics of summer – the
heat, the long days of bright sun, the sharp intensity, and the transformative
nature of the season – are directly in line with pitta, which is why summer is
considered a pitta season. And, despite
the fact that some climates are exceptionally humid this time of year, the
cumulative effect of intense heat is to dry things out, so summer is also
considered dry. On a more subtle level,
summer is a time of expansion and mobility – traits more characteristic of vata. While there is plenty to celebrate about
summer’s unique personality, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. A summer seasonal routine is aimed at
fostering diet and lifestyle habits that will help to prevent the over-accumulation
of summer qualities and allow you to enjoy the unique gifts that summertime has
to offer.
Negotiating a Blissful Summer: General Recommendations for the Pitta Season
Your primary focus through the summer months will be
to keep pitta balanced by staying cool, mellowing intensity with relaxation,
and grounding your energy. It may also
be helpful to learn to recognize early signs of pitta imbalance so that you can
take steps to address those quickly, if they arise. But summer has some distinctly vata
characteristics as well, so you’ll also want to stay hydrated, foster
stability, and balance vata’s natural expansiveness and mobility with quiet,
restful activities. The following
recommendations for pitta are appropriate for most people during the summer
Pitta Season Diet
During the summer, our bodies naturally crave light
foods and small meals that are easy to digest because the digestive fire – a
strong source of internal heat – disperses in order to help keep us cool (1). Being fully present with your meals while
savoring the flavor and texture of your food will help minimize the risk of
overeating. Summer is a time to favor
the sweet, bitter and astringent tastes and to relish in cool, liquid, even
slightly oily foods. This is the best
time of year to enjoy fresh fruits and salads.
It is also a great time to indulge in sweet dairy products such as milk,
butter, ghee, cottage cheese, fresh homemade yogurt, and even ice cream on
occasion. All unrefined sweeteners
except honey and molasses are cooling and can be enjoyed in moderation during
the summer months.
In the way of beverages to beat the heat, enjoy cool
or room temperature water infused with mint or lime and a little raw sugar, a
sweet lassi, cooling herbal teas such as peppermint, licorice, fennel or rose,
or an occasional beer. Iced drinks are
best avoided; they disturb the digestive fire and create toxins in the body.
Go easy on sour or unripe fruits, aged cheeses, and
heating vegetables and spices such as carrots, beets, radishes, onions, garlic,
ginger, and mustard seeds. Try to avoid
extremely spicy foods like chilies or cayenne pepper altogether. Also keep in mind that raw vegetables (as in
salads) will be better digested if they are eaten at lunch, rather than at
dinner. Below is a list of some ideal
summer foods:
Fruits to Favor
Apples
Avocados
Berries
Cherries
Coconut
Cranberries
Grapes
Limes
Mangoes
Melons
Pears
Pineapples
Plums
Pomegranates
Prunes
Vegetables to Favor
Artichokes
Asparagus
Beet Greens
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Collard
Greens
Cucumbers
Green Beans
Kale
Lettuce
Okra
Potatoes
Watercress
Zucchini
Grains to Favor
Barley
Rice, Basmati
Wheat
Legumes to Favor
Adzuki Beans
Black Beans
Garbanzo
Beans
Mung Beans
Split Peas
Soy Beans
& Products
Oils to Favor
Coconut Oil
Olive Oil
Sunflower Oil
Spices & Garnishes to Favor
Basil
Cardamom
Cilantro
Coriander
Dill
Fennel
Lime
Mint
Parsley
Meats to Favor (if you eat them)
Fish (freshwater)
Poultry (white)
Shrimp
Sweeteners
Maple syrup
Unrefined cane sugar
Turbinado
Pitta Season Lifestyle Choices
Summertime is bursting with vibrant energy and most
people find it easier to rise early in the morning at this time of year. This is a natural and beneficial rhythm to
embrace. Early morning is also the best
time for exercise. Before you bathe,
massage the skin with a light coating of a pitta soothing oil, like coconut or
sunflower oil, to calm the nervous system and cool the body. Essential oils of jasmine and khus are good
fragrances for the summer or you may enjoy a rose water spritz to calm, cool, and
refresh your mind.
Dressing in light, breathable clothing made of cotton
or silk and favoring cooling colors like whites, grays, blues, purples, and
greens will help you counter the intensity and heat. Summer is ideal for spending time in nature,
but when you do go outside, wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses to shelter
yourself from the intense sun. On
especially hot days, there is often an afternoon lull in energy and you may
find that a short nap is beneficial.
In the evening before bed, wash and dry the feet and
massage them with a light coating of brahmi oil to ground your energy and draw
the heat down. It is best to retire by 10
or 11pm to avoid an overly stimulated mind, and lying on your
right side will activate the lunar pathway in the left nostril, which is
calming and cooling. Also be aware that
sexual activity, in excess, can provoke pitta and deplete energy, so cultivate
moderation in this aspect of your life during the summer months.
Pitta Season Exercise
Summer can motivate improved physical fitness and it
is generally a great season to be active, provided you exercise at appropriate
times and at an appropriate intensity. Exercise
is very heating and, at this time of year, is best avoided during the heat of
the day, especially from 10am – 2pm. Instead, try exercising early
in the morning, when the atmosphere is crisp and cool. It’s also important not to push too hard. Ideally, exercise at about 50-70% of your
capacity, breathing through your nose the entire time, if you can. Follow your workout with a drop of rose oil
to the third eye, throat, and navel to help the body cool down.
Pitta Season Yoga
Take a pitta-soothing meditation break
Pitta is fiery and intense; you can balance the pitta
season by simply adjusting your yoga practice to calm pitta’s tendencies. Allow your routine to be guided by relaxed
effort: move gently, fluidly, and
gracefully, keeping the gaze soft and the breath stable. Cultivate a calm inner awareness rather than
pushing yourself to maximum capacity with precision and sharp muscular effort. Check yourself frequently to ensure that you’re
not straining in your practice. Focus on
creating a sense of groundedness and flow rather than becoming static in the
poses.
Since the solar plexus tends to hold heat, favor
asanas that massage, strengthen, and wring out the abdominal region such as cat/cow,
cobra, boat, side openers, and twists. Cooling,
self-referencing poses such as child’s pose and forward bends are also very
beneficial during the pitta season, as are gentle flows such as moon salutation. Always close your practice with a few minutes
in shavasana to ground your energy and integrate the benefits of practicing yoga.
Herbal Support for Pitta Season
There are numerous herbs that support the healthy
function of pitta that can be especially beneficial during the summer season. Among them are: Amalaki, Brahmi, Bhumyamalaki, Guduchi,
Kutki, Neem and Shatavari. For more
information on the unique role each of these herbs play, see Ayurvedic Herbs
for Balancing Pitta. Many of our herbal formulations also provide support for
pitta including Healthy Pitta, Liver Formula, Pitta Digest, Blood Cleanse,
Healthy Hair and Mental Clarity.
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