People have a love/hate relationship with summer. For some, just the word brings up thoughts of lounging on the beach and plunging into a cool ocean. For others, summer feels like melting sidewalks and never being able to find a shady spot.
Of course, both are true. But it’s really a matter of perspective. Our perspective is dictated by our temperament. And our temperament, according to the ancient healing practices of Ayurveda, is dictated by our balance of doshas.
There are 3 doshas (energies or bio-elements that govern all of existence. They are based on the 5 elements):
Vata (air and ether)
Pitta (fire and earth)
Kapha (earth and water).
***click here for a more detailed explanation: https://www.rsunmoves.com/post/finding-the-fire-in-med ***
Summer is hot. Even Alaskan summers are—relative to Alaska's standard temperature—hot. That makes it Pitta season.
If your own temperament runs hot—you get easily irritated, you are prone to acid reflux, you break a sweat even in a gentle yoga class—you are already predisposed to Pitta tendencies. Like increases like, so you may feel more imbalanced in the summer months than someone who’s prominent dosha is generally cooler in temper and temperature.
I’m writing this in the summer of 2020. Most of my friends have spent more of the year than not in quarantine and they’re a little…frustrated. Tempers are running high politically and socially too. Even the Vata and Kapha types are feeling the heat more intensely than they would otherwise.
Rebirth through fire.
Ayurveda believes digestion is the cornerstone to health. Digestion doesn’t just refer to food, but also ideas, emotions and experiences. And because Ayurveda also believes in the macrocosm in the microcosm, the health of a community affects our individual well-being.
A fire in your belly and/or a fire under your ass is where real change originates. In that way, the discomforts caused by these upheavals to our usual ways are very necessary. That doesn’t make summer any less hot though.
So here are my Ayurvedically-approved, Pitta-balancing summer tips for 2020:
Do what you believe is right action
Hydrate
Use sunscreen and wear light breathable fabric
Meditate on healing yourself and others
Take restorative postures, walks in the moonlight and other cooling activities
All love, Rachel
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