Living Seasonally: Summer Edition

"She smelled of sun and daisies with a hint of river water." - Kate Daisy

Living Seasonally – Summer Edition

Hello natural lovers, it is summer and I am way behind on getting this post out to you. We may think summer ends when the kiddos go back to school, but according to the natural world it goes until almost the end of September. So I guess I am not too far behind <wink> Summer is a time for fun, movement, energy and life. I have been a very busy bee on my end – working on projects, going on trips, and enjoying as much sunshine as I can get (before we lose it during those long winter months). Living seasonally involves the foods we eat, how we move our bodies, socialize, and sleep and the daily routine we adopt during each season. In this edition I’ll discuss summer foods, herbs, movement, socializing, and sleep. Join me on this fun summer adventure, won’t you?

For me summer is all about outdoor activities, consuming cooling foods and herbs, and having fun! Summer is when most people take their vacations, spend more time outside, and indulging in good summer foods! Cookouts, beach days, water sports and outdoor concerts are just some of the things that come to mind when someone says summer! How have you been enjoying your summer?!

Summer is the “yang” energy in the seasonal cycle as opposed to the restful “yin” of winter. Life is more vibrant in summer with the longer periods of sunshine giving life to everything. Plants and animals are more energized and people too – I don’t know about you, but I have been non-stop busy since summer began. We are at the peak of energy and enthusiasm (the return of the sun gives us this energy and enthusiasm for life.) How are you using this energy in your daily life? Are you making time for rest as well as fun?

The science of Ayurveda is a great source for guidance and support, especially in the area of living seasonally. In Ayurveda there are three doshas – Kapha, Vata, and Pitta - and everything including us and the earth is made up of these doshas. One will be more dominate, but there are usually aspects of all three. Summer is dominated by Pitta, the dosha associated with the fire element. When out of balance this can cause us to feel overly critical, aggressive, frustrated and develop inflammatory issues like hay fever, prickly heat and digestive issues. To balance Pitta feed it the opposite, so cooling the mind and body – eat foods and herbs that are cooling in quality and easy to digest, take cool showers (these feel amazing after a long day working in the hot sun), and use coconut oil which has cooling properties. Since summer is typically very hot and for us here in the eastern part of the US, very humid! Be sure to consume those foods, herbs, and drinks that have cooling properties. What is your favorite cooling summer food?!

In summer the abundance of fruits, sweet vegetables, greens, and extended hours of day light give us exactly what we need in that moment. This is what living seasonally is all about, consuming what we need in the moment. Our mental, emotional, and social needs drastically shift throughout the year as well – in summer we tend to be more social attending cookouts, outdoor events, and family vacations to the beach. We adapt to our surroundings and learning to live seasonally will help us to adapt to those surroundings. So let’s dive in shall we…

 

Summer Foods

Summer is a great time for those leafy greens, vine ripe tomatoes, sweet vegetables, and cooling foods that are growing wildly in our gardens. With a lot more movement during the summer months we need foods high in carbohydrates. More movement leads to ‘oxidative stress’ as muscles and tissues are used and broken down means we need more antioxidants. Antioxidants help repair the body, renew the cells, and essentially aid in slowing the aging process.

Tomatoes, spinach, raspberries, rhubarb, plums, apricots, melon, strawberries, cherries, fennel, zucchini, cucumber, peas, lettuce, chard, peppers, and plenty more. Summer is a great season to go plant-based as there is an abundance of summer vegetables to be found at your local market or farmers market. Ask around and find out what produce is available in your area during summer. Spend more time in the produce section and indulge in all the colors you can find at your local market. Like the skittles commercial says – ‘taste the rainbow’!

You’ll want to reduce your alcohol, caffeine, yeast, chocolate, yogurt, and cheese intake as these will increase inflammation.

 Summer Herbs

I love summer herbs! They add a delightful smell to your garden, planters, and home! Summer is a great time to indulge in those herbs with cooling properties like fennel, nettle, elderflower, basil, mint, coriander (cilantro), peppermint and dill. These are ready to be picked at the height of summer. In Ayurvedic health, one of the most important principles is “like increases like; opposite brings balance.” This means that when the weather outside is hot, we benefit from consuming cooling foods and herbs – using the opposite quality to encourage a sense of balance.

Cooling herbal aromas such as lavender, peppermint, rose, and citrus can be used in a diffuser or as food. Top salads with parsley – it is good for liver health; cilantro for curries, rice and fresh salsa – it is good in aiding in detoxifying heavy metals, or add peppermint to your favorite tea for a delightful cooling effect! What herbs do you like to grow in your garden?

"Honor nature, she is the answer"

Summer Movement

Summer equals more time for movement! We all want to be more active during summer, soaking up all the outside time we can manage before those long winter months creep in when we spend most of our days inside. As for summer exercise low-impact, slower movement done over the course of the day is best – like swimming!

Long walks, beach time playing Frisbee or paddling, swimming, slow flow yoga, sun salutations, cooling breathing exercises, gardening, water sports, sunny restorative yoga sessions with back bends using a bolster and weighted eye pillow are all great options for getting an adequate amount of exercise. What summer movement activities do you enjoy?!

Summer Intentions

During summer I love to do yoga outside as much as possible. Something about being outside and connecting with nature brings me such peace. Make the most of the extended daylight hours; exposure to the natural light of the early sun has been proven to be beneficial for regulating our circadian rhythms. Get outside first thing after waking, enjoy a warm glass of lemon water and write down your intentions for the day, the week, the month, the whole of summer…

Writing down your summer intentions during the Summer Solstice is the perfect time to reflect on what you want to do during the summer – the goals you want to accomplish, the places you want to see and visit, and the family you want to gather around. These can then be used as a guide for the duration of the summer, include your goals and objectives to achieve those goals. Use nature, past experiences, schedule (calendar), and growth to form your intentions. Have openness in work and life, create more space and find adventure, creativity and balance in everyday life! What does summer feel like to you? How do you want to feel in your work and life during summer? How can you find balance with work, life, and fun?

Summer Sleep

With the longer hours of day light, in the past we would have naturally stayed up longer and gotten up earlier with the rising of the sun which makes for really long days. Begin your day with a few sun salutations to get energized for the day. Make sure to get enough adequate rest for your daily activity and listen to your body.

Drink a glass of warm lemon water in the morning and a cup of herbal tea in the evening, peppermint is a great option as it will give you both cooling and warming properties or drink it cool for those really hot nights. Shut down at night as you’ve probably been very busy during the day. Turn off the TV and electronics, set the cell phone to ‘do not disturb’, and get some good sleep!

Summer is such an active time of year that it can wear us out. Be sure to listen to your body, get plenty of cooling foods and herbs to help fight the fire of Pitta that summer brings, get plenty of rest, but ultimately have fun!

Summer Essentials

All Natural Bug Spray

All Natural Sunscreen

All Natural After Sun Spray

Beach Towels

Plenty of fluids – cantaloupe juice is great for those electrolytes lost due to sweating

Sunglasses

Cooling foods

Picnics

Beach time

Yoga – sun salutations, slow flow

Water

Sandals/flip flops

Hat

Sunglasses

Tunes

Norwex cloths

Reusable Silverware

 *check out my Pinterest board here for more summer living ideas!

Have a safe and happy summer everyone!

Namaste, my friends!

xo