Summer routine

In summer the fire element is higher: there is more warmth, dryness and lightness. These qualities increase pitta and, as the summer progresses, begin to aggravate vata. The increase in external environmental heat can displace the digestive fire (agni), which is drawn to the surface in inflammatory symptoms such as hay fever and prickly heat. Hence, summer is naturally a time of calming and reducing pitta.

•  In summer we tend to waken earlier, so rise at the time you like with the morning sun.

•  Brush your teeth with a cooling toothpaste that includes neem or peppermint to clear pitta from the mouth.

• Have a light massage using virgin coconut oil at room temperature to nourish and gently cool the skin. Wash it off with lukewarm water.

• For a blissful start to your day, walk with bare feet on a cool dewy lawn.

• Begin your Yoga practice with a calming breathing practice. If the temperature is extremely hot then sheetali pranayama, the ‘cooling breath’, is most appropriate: roll your tongue into a tube and then draw the cool air in through this tube and out through your nostrils. 

• Because of the heat, pitta tends to build up in the digestive system in the summer. Yoga poses that feature abdominal stretches, twists and internal massage will help to clear pitta from its main site in the liver and small intestine; this will also help your eyes, which are energetically linked to the liver. Eye exercises relax the eyes and increase circulation, helping to carry away any irritating stress. 

• After Yoga, anoint yourself with fragrant rose oil. Place a drop on your ‘third eye’ (in between your eyebrows), throat and navel to keep these centres of awareness cool, calm and collected.

• Your diet should consist of sweet, bitter and astringent flavours, and be light and easy to digest. For breakfast include a nourishing drink, such as almond milk: soak ten almonds in water overnight; in the morning peel them, mix into warm milk (cow’s or rice), liquidise and add a pinch of saffron and a sweetener to taste. Try to eat lunch at around noon when the sun is at its zenith. And then for supper enjoy a light meal of basmati rice, sprouted mung beans and green leafy vegetables. If you are being strictly Ayurvedic, salad should be avoided at night so your vata is not upset.

•  It is best to avoid all dark meats – beef, lamb, pork – as well as citrus fruits, tomato, garlic, onion, pungent flavours, salt and sour dairy products, as these all increase pitta. 

•  It may be useful to take aloe vera juice throughout the summer to clear pitta from the digestive system and soothe and replenish a hot body.

• Supplements that are both cleansing and nourishing can be helpful in the Summer months to balance pitta; Clean Greens, Fibre Plus, Triphala, Weight Balance.

•  Drink energetically cooling herbal teas of peppermint, liquorice, fennel and roses. These have a soothing effect on your system; Three Mint, Three Fennel, Refresh, Love, Chamomile and Vanilla or Lemon Green Tea. Or try rose syrup elixir: collect fresh rose petals in a glass and cover them in sugar overnight (leave in the moonlight for extra cooling effect). In the morning mix the syrup in your almond milk or dilute with water.

• As the weather heats up it is very important to be on your guard for pitta emotions, such as irritation and anger. If you feel a bit ‘hot under the collar’, a good trick is to take a large sip of water and hold it in your mouth. The water cools your pitta and keeps you quiet. I can tell you, it works!

• Before bed, especially if it has been a hot day, rub the soles of your feet with coconut or castor oil to draw all the heat down to your feet.

• For pure indulgence, wash your face in organic rose water and spray it in your bedroom. In pursuit of the perfectly balanced pitta home, fill your house and bedroom with fragrant roses, honeysuckle and jasmine.

• As pitta peaks at around midnight, it is really helpful to get to bed before 11pm.