JUST BREATH, TRUST AND RIDE THE WAVE

So here we sit at the beginning of summer. The weather has been usual for the season with windy days and meteorological inconsistencies as we toggle back and forth between seasonal shifts. Much needed rain has blessed many parts of our country and a feeling of  a la nina summer lays ahead, with monsoonal storms bringing wet heat and humidity.

In Spring we felt the awakening. Trees have been blossoming, ideas flourishing. Tempered the season finds us inspired and clear. Unbalanced can see us rushing madly towards the end of the year like a bull in a china shop. All twists and turns and chaos inside a strained smile and gut- felt apprehension of the busyness of the silly season. Its important to temper the anxiety that can surface at this time, and remind ourselves… I have plenty of time, just breath, trust and ride the wave.

Read on to discover how we can manage and navigate the Summer ahead with calm, clarity and ease so as to enjoy the season’s many fruits.

Each season has its own unique personality, bringing with it certain moods or characteristics. The summer season represents that part of the cycle where everything ripens. The heat of fire can purify or burn away old habits, ‘cooking’ our new intentions until the transformation reaches maturity.

There is much here to look forward to and celebrate. It’s a high point in the wheel of the year when we enjoy long walks on the beach, languid baths in the sea, outdoor yoga, picnics in the park and time with our loved ones.

Holistic practices such as Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda teach us how to live in harmony with the Earth’s cycles. Summer is governed by the fire element, the nature of which is expansive and full.

So let’s consider summer from the holistic perspectives of Chinese medicine, yoga and Ayurveda and discover some easy-to-implement practical tips to stay cool, calm and nurtured all season long.

Summer Fire

The fire element is highly developed in humans and so has four corresponding meridians in the body: the heart, small intestine, heart constrictor and triple heater. A healthy fire element generously guides our inner strength and power leading to endless possibilities. Our hearts soften and open, we communicate clearly and express ourselves creatively to our fullest.

‘It is striking to note that, in traditional Chinese medical theory, the functions that are ascribed to the brain in the West are located in the heart,’ writes Nishanga Bliss, assistant professor at the Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley, in the US. So too Elson M Haas, MD, a long–term practitioner of integrative medicine, teaches that: ‘The heart has to do with the ability to rule, to understand and to see clearly, and to serve compassionately.’

The Emotion of Summer

Summer is a period of intensity and has a tendency towards triggering the body so that the mind can begin to boil over. Losing patience, becoming agitated, short-tempered and feeling exhausted or restless are common signs of imbalance in bodily fluids and energy. They indicate the need to implement some changes in our lifestyles as we transition into hotter days.

When a person’s fire element is healthy they are able to communicate with others, to give and receive. They will experience joy, sadness and other emotions in proper proportion.

Conversely when this element is unbalanced they may experience an inability to feel or connect with others.

At the other extreme life could be completely governed by emotion. Body and mind feel out of touch with the situation at hand. Extreme levels of stress are often associated with this imbalance.

The expansive energy of Fire encourages us to embrace life. Use your breath and movement to keep energy moving through your body and you will rise like a blooming flower in reverence to the summer’s vitality

Tips for keeping your cool

Making a commitment to live in harmony with the cycles of nature and adjusting your lifestyle, diet and yoga practices as the seasons change ensures physical, emotional and mental balance and increased vitality. It makes natural and perfect sense to take these considerations to navigate ourselves with health in a world where we have lost touch with this most basic human need.

Your summer diet

Eat fresh foods from the colourful abundance available in this season. Choose light and easy to digest meals that keep your body cool, providing fluids and antioxidants needed in summer.

Ayurveda and 5 Element suggest incorporating three cooling tastes into your summer diet: cleansing bitter taste, which is considered strengthening for the heart and small intestine, to cool and purify your blood; astringent taste to tone the tissues and enhance fluid absorption; and grounding, soothing sweet taste to balance out your energy and the fire in your digestive system.

Favour the following foods in the summer:

  • Bitter and astringent vegetables and fruits such as alfalfa sprouts, asparagus, kale, rocket, fennel, broccoli, green beans, lettuce, apples, cranberries and pomegranate
  • Sweet fruits such as grapes, melons, cherries, coconuts, plums and mangoes
  • Cooling fruits and vegetables like avocados, celery, cucumbers, lettuce, zucchini, limes, strawberries and watermelons
  • Cooling herbs and spices such as coriander, cumin, parsley, turmeric, mint, aniseed and fennel seeds
  • Refreshing teas like peppermint, licorice, rose, chamomile and fennel. Mint tea is said to relax the muscles of the heart ♥
  • Nutrient dense foods such as aloe vera, chlorella and spirulina
Hydration

Drink plenty of water. You may also want to add mint leaves or cucumber slices to your water, as they have a cooling effect on the body. Avoid drinking ice-cold drinks as it is suggested they inhibit your digestion and may create toxins in the body.

Exercise

While you might be motivated to increase activity levels and improve your fitness in the summer season, keep in mind that excessive activity is highly heating for the body. Hence, it’s better not to work out in the heat but rather exercise to 50–70 per cent of your capacity in the early mornings or later evenings when the temperatures are cooler.

Self-care

Begin your morning with abhyanga, an Ayurvedic oil massage. Use ⅓–½ cup of non-refined warmed coconut oil, which is good for sensitive skin and has calming, cooling properties needed in the summer.

Start by massaging the oil into your scalp and then into the entire body, including your hands and feet. Work into the middle of your body, using long strokes on your arms and legs and circular strokes on your chest, joints and abdomen, moving clockwise following the direction of the large intestine. Keep the oil on for at least five minutes to allow your skin to absorb it before showering.

Finish your day by rubbing coconut oil into your feet to soothe your nervous system for the night.

Well-renowned Ayurveda practitioners Dr Robert Svoboda, Dr Vasant Lad and Dr Claudia Welch suggest that abhyanga keeps skin smooth, increases blood circulation enhancing the functions of the internal organs, benefits sleep patterns and prevents hyper-vigilance of the nervous system by calming it down.

Yoga for Summer

According to Chinese Medicine, the Heart and Small Intestine Meridians are related to both circulation and digestion, as well as any inflammation in the body or excess heat (such as hot flashes). Anxiety, nervousness, and over stimulation can also reflect imbalance in these meridians, and in turn their symptoms include disruptions to digestion and heart rate.

Described in broad strokes, the Heart Meridian starts around the chest/armpit and runs down the inner arm, through the wrist and to the pinky finger. The Small Intestine Meridian – perhaps surprisingly – is also located in the upper body, running through the neck, upper back/shoulders, and down the back of the arm.

So these energy lines are primarily affected by backbends, forward bends, twists, and wrist / forearm stretches. You can choose poses that open the chest, upper back, neck, and shoulders, and the inner and outer arm from the pinky to the shoulder. Try a restful backbend on a bolster, or add wrist and shoulder stretches to Firelog Pose – https://nancynelsonyoga.com/2016/12/14/pose-breakdown-shoelace-pose/

Other Summer pose suggestions:

Melting Heart pose –  Anahatasana

 http://www.yinyoga.com/ys2_2.0_asanas_anahatasana.php

Sphinx or Seal pose – Salamba Bhujangasana

https://www.artofliving.org/in-en/yoga/yoga-poses/salamba-bhujangasana-sphinx

Thread-the-needle pose – Parsva balasana

https://www.gaia.com/article/thread-needle-pose-parsva-balasana

Reclining Twists – Supta Matsyendrasana

 https://www.yogaoutlet.com/guides/how-to-do-reclined-spinal-twist-in-yoga/

Fish Pose – Matsyasana

https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/fish-pose

Seated Forward Bend – Paschimottanasana

https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/seated-forward-bend

In one sense, Summer can be a good time to turn down the heat and intensity of your asana practice and spend extra time with slower yin style yoga and meditation, or simply opening to the emotional aspects of your time on the mat.

However Summer can also be a great time to turn up the heat and use this fire to create a stimulating and deeply clarifying practice. The word ‘tapas’ comes from the Sanskrit verb ‘tap’ which means ‘to burn.’ The traditional interpretation of tapas is ‘fiery discipline’, the fiercely focused, constant, intense commitment necessary to burn off the impediments that keep us from being in the true state of yoga (union with the universe).

A cooling pranayama practice

Yoga teaches that the left nostril corresponds to ida nadi, the energy channel that relates to the cooling energy of the moon. Breathing through the left nostril is believed to reduce the internal heat, provide refreshment to the body, calm the mind and elicit relaxation. Here’s how to practise:

  • Sit in a comfortable position in a chair with your feet flat on the floor, or on the floor or a cushion with your legs crossed.
  • Relax your shoulders and keep your spine straight.
  • Close your right nostril with your thumb or index finger and begin breathing slowly in and out through your left nostril, allowing a natural unforced pause to happen between the inhalation and exhalation.
  • Repeat for 10–18 cycles.

To further induce coolness into the body and beat the summer heat, try to sleep on your right side, which will assist you in generating the cooling energy by opening the left nostril as you rest.

Practising Metta (loving kindness) Meditation can be a beautiful way to cultivate the positive attributes of Fire Element – love and compassion – and to soothe your own heart.

Metta (or Maitri in Sanskrit), means “loving-kindness” or goodwill, and is a traditional Buddhist meditation practice. This form of meditation is usually taught with a set of four phrases that are repeated silently –May I/you be safe, May I/you be happy, May I/you be healthy, May I/you live with ease. Feel free to create your own variations of these well-wishes that resonate with you and know that you are planing the seeds of love and kindness into the world

 

Wishing you all a fruitful and inspiring Summer season. Go well ♥

 

Namaste
Tracy