MAINTAIN HEALTH DURING THE SUMMER AND FOR THE NEXT SEASON TOO!
/What we do today, affects tomorrow. What we experience this season could be because of what we did and didn’t do last season to maintain our health. What we do this season affects the next season and our health. What we do this season can change some of what happened last season. There is a principle, siddhanta (core teaching of Ayurveda) known as Karana-Karya which is the relationship between cause and effect. This direct observation can allow us to start tracking and monitoring what we are doing that either produces good health or ill health.
According to Ayurveda, there are two main divisions of the year that fall under the solstices known as the Summer Solstice (Uttarayana - Adana Kala) which pertains to Agni and Winter Solistice (Dakshinaya - Visarga Kala) which pertains to Saumya. This is generally understood that the sun continues to rise higher in the sky heading towards the Northernmost hemisphere as part of summer, with the qualities of the sun become depleting, and when the sun is at the southernmost hemisphere as part of winter we have more building and strengthening qualities. Agni is more present in the summer and Soma is present more in the winter.
TO DO:
1- Avoid mid-day (10-2) exercises, especially intense ones. This includes running.
2- Make sure any physical activities aren’t strenuous or depleting, or over-exerting.
3- Avoid overly sweating/sweating profusely.
2- Avoid skipping lunch (which is generally between 10-2), if lunch is part of your daily regimen.
3- Avoid skipping lunch to exercise, this time of year and any time of year.
4-Avoid staying up late. (Ayurveda says lights out and asleep by 10, ideally.)
5-Avoid drinking excessive alcohol.
6-Avoid eating a lot of fish, or much fish, and the combination with milk. Note: If you have very strong digestion, eating fish can be less of an issue.
7- Avoid drinking too much water.
8- Take naps during the day as needed, like a siesta. Not longer than 15-20 minutes. Not laying down but sitting upright, and/or semi-reclined. No sleeping during the day, otherwise, unless you’re ill.
9- Observe the night sky and its cooling and calming effects.
10- Ensure that your diet has the right amount of spices to support your digestion, even if that means using a little more black pepper, a smidgen more of salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ajwan, feungreek, and turmeric.
11- Avoid overeating especially knowing that digestion is weakest during the summertime.
12- Avoid eating heavy meals past 7/8:00 pm or late at night. (especially when you’re meant to be sleeping.)
13- Stay properly hydrated. Drink when thirsty. Drink throughout the day a combination of water and electrolyte-building beverages. Remember to sip versus guzzle large volumes.
14- Daily lighter gentler physical exercises are a good thing. Base some of this on your physical constitution and adjust accordingly.
15- Pace yourself. Be cool and “BE COOL."
16- Connect with nature. Do some hiking, camping, or anything that allows you to disconnect from your regular daily activities.
76- Properly regulate the temperatures in your home creating a sense of comfort. In dry climates should have humidifiers. Moister/humid climates should have dehumidifiers.
18- Keep the sinus’ moist properly to prevent depletion through dryness. This can best be accomplished by Nasya oils (medicated nasal oils as suggested per constitutional design, season, and per Ayurveda.)
19- Remember, what we do to maintain our health today will benefit us tomorrow. Anything we do that causes depletion today may not show up until tomorrow; tomorrow being weeks from now or even months from now.
20- If there are feelings of anger coming up, especially this time of year, find a constructive way to redirect and/or channel this anger so it helps to release it safely from your system.
21- Get a massage or bodywork. Some examples would be Marma Therapy, Swedish Massage, 5 Sense Therapy, Shiatsu, Thai Massage, Reiki, and even Cranial Sacral. This will help maintain health and regulate the body accordingly.
References:
Seasonal Transitions and Digestive Health
DISCLAIMER: This information is meant for educational purposes only. Any changes in lifestyle should be reviewed with a qualified practitioner and primary care physician if you are currently under their care for specific conditions.