It is Summer officially! Sunshine always cheers you up, brings a joyous feeling in the heart, enthusiasm with passion and aspiration, and a drive to go places!
Have you ever wondered which Dosha does Summer aggravate in your body?
You guessed right! It is the Pitta Dosha – the fiery energy which is aggravated by the heat in Summer! But it is not like the fire in its literal sense. It is a subtle energy that works in the body to give you the effects of heat.
Have you wondered how the two Solstices affect the body ?
The year is divided into six seasons according to Ayurveda. However, there may be overlap in the temperate countries. The Northward movement of the Sun (Adana kala) and its dehydrating effect bring about three seasons Late Winter, Spring, Summer. People feel weak during this time. The Summer solstice on 21st June heralds the beginning of summer and the heating effect in the Northern hemisphere when the sun is over the Tropic of Cancer.
The Southward movement of the sun (Visarga Kala) exerts a hydrating effect giving rise to the three seasons including rainy, autumn and winter. During this period people tend to grow in strength and vigour. The Winter Solstice is on 21st December when the sun is over the Southern Tropic of Cancer.
What is the Pitta Dosha?
The word Pitta comes from the Sanskrit root “Tapa” – to heat. Pitta in English means a colourful bird from the tropics which lives on land! And that’s what a Pitta personality is like - colourful in life, and they like land, mountains forests and water!
We will give a brief description of Pitta Dosha for you to relate to the Summer heat. Pitta is one of the three fundamental energies Vata-Pitta-Kapha according to Ayurveda, which make up our unique body type or constitution, and regulate all the functions of our mind and body.
Pitta It is the functional energy that regulates your metabolism. It regulates your temperature and heat in the body, is responsible for all the biochemical reactions in the body, for good digestion, secretions and action of hormones and enzymes, and a sharp intellect!
If you are new to Ayurveda, you are not alone. Many people round the world are getting to know about Ayurveda with Yoga in order to enhance their natural wellbeing. It is not difficult to learn the basics of Ayurveda and our body type as it is based on our natural characteristics we share with Nature around us, and how we interact with our environment.
Relevant to today’s blog is the seasonal routine – Ritucharya – that you should adopt during the hot summer months in order to balance your Pitta energy for your wellbeing. For a simple example, we all have experienced how we suffer from heat stroke if we expose ourselves to too much heat instead of seeking cool shelter on a hot day?
Pitta Body type makes you fiery, Type A personality, with a huge drive and sharp intellect and leadership qualities, sporty, muscular, strong medium weight, passionate and with a hot sexual drive! It also gives you good digestion when in balance.
The seven qualities of pitta are described in Ashtanga Hrdayam:
Pitta is sharp, hot, oily, light, liquid, transforming- destroying, spreading.
Compare it with a flame like in a camping fire. See how the flame dances, spreading in the air. Notice how you experience the warmth sitting around it, even when it is just smouldering. This means that a Pitta person is most likely to be intelligent, discerning and have a high level of concentration. Pitta minds tend to be sharp, passionate, keen, studious, focused and driven. They can equally be dominant and dictatorial!
What effects does high Pitta Dosha have on our body?
The obvious one is of course it increases body heat! Pitta Dosha causes sunburn, skin rashes, burning sensation, perspiration, headaches, migraines, gastric acid and heartburn, burning and red eyes, dizziness and giddiness, blurring of vision, increased thirst, allergies like hay fever and nose bleeds, piles and burning sensation on evacuation of bowel and urine, heat stroke and are all part of the pitta effect.
What does Ayurveda recommend?
Ayurveda lays great emphasis on following the right rituals according to each season. You need to follow the Summer rituals more particularly if you are a Pitta Constitution – body type or Prakriti, as the effect of heat will cause mare damage sooner in Pitta constitution.
Pace yourself and don’t over work. Just do the mental, intellectual and physical work that is essential and does not exhaust the brain, mind and body. It is time to go out more and enjoy yourself in cool natural environments. Going for long walks in nature are perfect to keep your Pitta balance in order and feel good inside!
Ayurveda recommends that we should not do heavy physical exercise that can pump up the heat in the body.
What to eat and drink in summer
Drinking plenty of water and liquids helps enormously to keep the body tissues cool and hydrated.
Ayurveda says you should eat foods with sweet, astringent , bitters. You should avoid excessive salt, sour and pungent (hot spicy sharp) foods. This includes spicy curries, sour chilli sauces, and radish, ginger, garlic and too much onion. Spices like turmeric, cumin, coriander, mango powder, liquorice, and mild seasoning like parsley and oregano are good for you.
Starchy foods like potatoes, sweet potatoes, butter squash, root vegetables, and courgettes, cucumber, carrots, lettuce, green vegetables are all said to be cooling.
Dishes prepared with Shali Rice (Oryza sativa) - or alternatively basmati rice – eaten with Ghee - clarified butter, and milk. Cheese and other protein sources are also very useful for your wellbeing. We advise you to avoid red meat and adopt a lactovegetarian diet.
You can enjoy your pastas, and pizzas but too much tomato and aubergine, onions and garlic, spicy curries and chillies cause burning on the body in summer.
We also recommend drinking our Pitta balancing tea which contains mint, cinnamon, lemon, chamomile and cardamom.
Which ayurvedic supplements are good in Summer?
Ayurveda recommends Amla – Indian goose berry and Brahmi supplements in Summer.
It is good to take Trifala – the three chebulic myrobalan fruit berries formula- in Summer to detox the body as high pitta encourages toxins to build up in the body, specially affecting the liver.
Avipattikar churna powder in cool infusion, made with digestive soothing herbs, is recommended after meals to relieve acidity and aid digestion during summer.
Should you have a massage in Summer?
In order to balance the fiery pitta, we recommend having a massage in the cool evening or early morning. Use cooling oils like pitta balance oil made from essentail oils like coconut, sesame, peach kernel, almond, sandal wood, rose, jasmine, mint, ylang, cedarwood and vetiver.
How should you sleep in Summer?
You must have plenty of restful sleep in Summer. Many of us find it difficult to go off to sleep in the Summer heat. We sleep under the fan or air conditioner. It is best to sleep in a well ventilated room, however if you can, the ultimate would be in the open air under the cooling effect of the moon!
You may find drinking milk with turmeric almond and cashew nut induces good sleep. Also drinking our 'Good Night' tea with chamomile, brahmi, holy basil – Tulsi and lemon verbena also aids in a deep sleep.
Which Yoga postures are helpful in summer?
Gentle stretching is good with the following yoga postures:
Shavasana
The corpse pose - is the best, where you lie comfortably on your back on a soft mat, breathing gently with your abdomen, with eyes closed and listening to soft, relaxing happy music.
Some other asana that are helpful are:
Child’s posture (Shishu asana)
Moon salutation (Chandra namaskar)
Cobra posture (Bhujangasana)
Half boat posture (Ardha naukasana)
Bridge posture (Setubandhasana).
Gentle Pranayam breathing in the cool evening and morning settles the excess pitta Dosha in the body. Breathe gently through both nostrils first then do alternate nostril breathing in cool air atmosphere so you are not breathing hot air.
Shitali
Breathing in and out through the mouth with a rolled protruded tongue relieves thirst and dryness of mouth and throat and cools you down. The Art of Living a very authentic source to learn yogic breathing and spiritual wellbeing methods.
Conclusion
If you follow our tips above, you will maintain your wellbeing in Summer, and enjoy a positive energy with a cool mind too, preventing the harmful effects of the Summer heat.