Managing Summer Heat in the Body

Jul 11

Summer is the time of light, fire, heat and intensity and as a result, some of us may be experiencing some excess heat in the body as a result. Depending on your You-nique doshic make-up, you might be experiencing some inner peace and calm and perhaps even increased energy while some of us are feeling a bit more hot and bothered. Since Pitta dosha is at play, and we know that like increases like, pitta can really ramp things up!

In order to keep the peace, enjoy the summer activities and experiences to the best of our ability, and to ensure we continue to thrive; it is important to adjust our lifestyle to live in harmony with the summer season.

First of all, be sure to stay cool. Nice outfits and cool sunglasses with good tunes are one way of staying cool, but in this case I’m talking about the actual COLD quality.

When it comes to food and drinks, we can do this by staying hydrated and eating lighter, smaller meals that are moist, oily and cool. Fresh fruits are your friend during summer! I love using “live water” during summer time. I infuse my water in a large mason jar (for simplicity sake and because it’s pretty and that makes it enticing for me) with mint, lime, watermelon, raw sugar, licorice root, fennel, and/or rose. Coconut water is such a lovely summer time drink. I also recommend adding a little inner filet aloe juice to your summer drinks to keep things cool. Chill your glass or keep a cold pitcher in the fridge but adding ice to your drinks isn’t encouraged. Avoid spicy and heavy foods. When choosing your fruits and vegetables, think about how far the part of the plant you are eating is from the ground. If it grows inside the ground (roots), then it might be too heavy for summer time. If it's at the top of the plant, the fruit or the leaf, it’s a bit more digestible and cool.
Avoid eating during the hottest time of day and only eat enough to satisfy your hunger. Large, heavy meals are heating for the body and, since the digestive fire is weaker right now, those big meals are really hard to digest! Below you will find lists of foods that are considered pitta-reducing. I suggest choosing from this list next time you head to the grocery store.

As for other lifestyle practices, keep thinking cool! First of all, avoid intensity when possible. For example, keep the intense (and possibly anger arousing) work meetings on the agenda for a cooler time of year.
Keep exercise a bit lighter and less intense (choose a yoga practice or swimming over a spin class) and during the cooler parts of the day (early mornings work nicely).
Be sure to protect yourself from the sun, wear loose breathable clothing, choose cool colored clothes (blues and whites are nice), and go underwear and bra-free, if possible. I highly recommend moon bathing to keep the body cool and to keep you connected to nature when it’s too hot to spend as much time outside. Sleeping under the moon is a super treat if you can swing it. It can be really useful to wake before the sun rises if you tend towards too much heat.

The heat can be really draining and so pitta season is one time of year when naps are given the A-okay. A short nap when exhaustion sets in can be rejuvenating. In my opinion, one thing better than a nap is a Non-Sleep Deep Rest, otherwise known as a Yoga Nidra session. If you want to learn more about Yoga Nidra, contact me for your first session. Yoga Nidra can be practiced at home and is very rejuvenating and refreshing. It is used in a wide range of circumstances and has something to offer everyone.

A light abhyanga using coconut oil or sunflower oil is incredible for calming a heated or burned out nervous system and, with the right oil, can cool the body.

Stay Cool!

As there is a tendency towards heat in the digestive system, many find an increase in heartburn, indigestion, and reflux during summer. One really powerful recipe for combatting heat in the upper digestive and to cool the lining of the digestive system overall is a Rose Lassi (recipe below). Lassi can be taken any time of day (although I recommend after your noon-time meal), is most beneficial for vata and pitta types, and should be used sparingly for people experiencing Kapha-type digestive issues. As always, if you are curious about which dosha is at play in your body, take this Dosha Questionnaire which will explore the imbalances in your body. We all have a mix of the three doshas and we all (almost) have some type of imbalance - depending on our diet, lifestyle and constitution.

Rose Lassi Recipe:

1/4 t high probiotic yogurt

3/4 cup room temperature water

1/4 cup Rose Water

Optional: 1/4 t cardamom

Mix in blender or shaker bottle and enjoy on its own or after a meal.

Pitta Reducing Foods:

Fruits

Acai, Apricot (dried), Apricot (fresh), Banana, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cantaloupe / Melons, Cherry, Cranberry, Cranberry Juice, Durian, Figs, Goji Berry, Grape, Grapefruit, Green Mango, Green Papaya, Green Plantain, Guava, Honey Dew, Jackfruit, June Berry, Kiwi, Lime, Mulberry, Orange, Papaya, Peaches, Pineapple, Plum, Pomegranate, Raspberry, Strawberries, Tamarind, Watermelon