Recalibrate your Body & Mind ahead of the Summer Season

ESCAPADA E-MAGAZINE

SUMMER LOVIN’ AND NATURAL MEDICINE

Light. Fire. Heat. Intensity. It’s summertime! Do you worship long days of bright sunlight? Do you welcome a renewed feeling of lightness and expansive consciousness? Maybe you just can’t get enough of the hot summer temperatures. Or, do you dread the heat and go out of your way to avoid the summer sun? Perhaps a dark, air-conditioned cinema is more your place of choice on a hot summer day.

Summer, like each of the seasons, arrives with its own distinct personality. Depending on your constitution, summer may increase your internal sense of harmony, or it may aggravate one of your innate tendencies. For example, a hot-natured individual who prefers a cool climate may love the winter, but will feel hotter than most—to the point of discomfort—as the heat of summer intensifies. On the other hand, someone with chronically cold hands and feet, who never seems to be able to stay warm in the winter months, will experience exactly the opposite: long, cold winters will be a challenge and s/he will relish the heat of summer. But the seasons need not be an intrinsic source of fluctuating dread and euphoria.

With summer fast approaching, it’s time to start preparing your body for the summer season right now.

One of the fundamental principles of Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda is that our habits, routines, and dietary choices should ebb and flow with the seasons. We can support an improved state of balance throughout the year by making a conscious effort to live in harmony with the cycles of nature and by regularly adjusting our lifestyle and habits to accommodate the arrival of each new season. While this idea may at first seem daunting, many people find that the recommended seasonal adjustments come quite naturally and that a few simple changes can dramatically increase health and vitality.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine summer represents outward energy, expansion, movement, and activity. It is the best time to take all the energy we have been storing throughout the wintertime and express it outwardly!

OUR TOP TIPS TO STAY HEALTHY IN SUMMER TIME

• LIFESTYLE

In Western Medicine the heart is responsible for pumping oxygen rich blood around the body. In Chinese Medicine the heart/Fire element is associated with mental activity so therefore our memory, thought processes, emotional well-being. 

When the fire element is in balance, the heart is strong and healthy, the mind is calm and sleep is sound.

When the fire element is imbalanced, we may either lack joy (depression) or have an excess of joy (mania). Indicators of an imbalance in the fire element include agitation, nervousness, heartburn, and insomnia.

A summer seasonal routine is aimed at fostering diet and lifestyle habits that will help to prevent the over-accumulation of summer qualities and allow you to enjoy the unique gifts that summertime has to offer.

• Awaken earlier in the morning

• Go to bed later in the evening

• Rest at midday

• Drink plenty of fluids - enjoy cool or room temperature water infused with mint or lime and a little raw sugar, a sweet lassi, cooling herbal teas such as peppermint, liquorice, fennel or rose (Iced drinks are best avoided; they disturb the digestive fire and create toxins in the body)

• Eat light foods and smaller meals that are easy to digest (Keep in mind that raw vegetables (as in salads) will be better digested if they are eaten at lunch, rather than at dinner)

• Incorporate exrecise/movement into your routine (prefferably early in the morning, or afternoons, when the weather is cooler. This is a perfect time to exercise in nature, get in some fresh air and recharge.)

• Nutritional adjustments

•  NUTRITION

Summer is a time of abundant foods, being the best time to get as much variety into the diet a possible. Time to eat foods that promote energy and activity as well as use cooling foods to balance the summer heat. Summer is the perfect time for spices, flowers and leaves that have a floating or outward energy.

All food in Chinese Medicine have a temperature and energetic properties so in Summer we eat cool, yin foods that are moistening to balance the heat. By “cooling” we are not reffering to literal, cold-in-temperature foods, but rather the way these foods affects us when ingested. In fact, it is also recommended to avoid ice-cold water and beverages, as room temperatures is much better for our digestive system.

Being fully present with your meals while savouring the flavour and texture of your food will help minimise the risk of overeating. Summer is a time to favour the sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes and to relish in cool, liquid, even slightly oily foods. This is the best time of year to enjoy fresh fruits and salads. It is also a great time to indulge in sweet dairy products such as milk, butter, ghee, cottage cheese, fresh homemade yogurt, and even ice cream on occasion. All unrefined sweeteners except honey and molasses are cooling and can be enjoyed in moderation during the summer months.

Try to avoid extremely spicy foods like chilies or cayenne pepper altogether. Also keep in mind that raw vegetables (as in salads) will be better digested if they are eaten at lunch, rather than at dinner.

One thing that is important to note, is to avoid overeating. Even the recommended cooling foods, when over consumed, could lead to indigestion, sluggishness and possibly diarrhea.

Below is a list of some ideal summer foods:

• Fennel

• Lime 

• Mint

• Parsley

• Basil

• Cardamom

• Cilantro

• Dill

• Coriander

• White mushroom

• Snow peas

• Spinach

• Summer squash

• Watercress

• Seaweed

• Mung beans

• Cilantro

• Mint

• Dill

• Corn

• Cucumber

• Watermelon

• Cantaloupe

• Lemon

• Peach

• Orange

• Asparagus

• Sprouts

• Bamboo

• Bok choy

• Broccoli

• Chinese cabbage    

• EXERCISE

Summer can motivate improved physical fitness and it is generally a great season to be active, provided you exercise at appropriate times and at an appropriate intensity. Exercise is very heating and, at this time of year, is best avoided during the heat of the day, especially from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. 

Instead, try exercising early in the morning, when the atmosphere is crisp and cool. It’s also important not to push too hard. Ideally, exercise at about 50–70% of your capacity, breathing through your nose the entire time, if you can. Follow your workout with a drop of rose oil to the third eye, throat, and navel to help the body cool down

• ACUPUNCTURE

Whether you choose to invest in acupuncture sessions, or you prefer to spend some time in the day for a quick massage of the acupressure points using your hands, it can help clear heat and cool the body down. Doing so can help immensly with digestion, sleep and our overall mood.

Here’s some acupressure points to massage, if you need help with:

• Large Intestine 4 (the web between your pointer finger and thumb): cooling down, constipation (Note: not recommended to treat this point during pregnancy)

• Spleen 10 (located about an inch above your knee and diagonally toward the inner thigh): skin heat (sun burns, inflamation, redness)

• Liver 3 (the web between your big toe and second toe): our overall mood, feeling balanced

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