How to Balance The Heat of Summer Using Ayurveda

“Summer has a flavor like no other.
Always fresh and simmered in sunshine.” ~ Oprah

Ah … Summer.  The days are long and the living is easy!  For kiddos, it’s a time when school ends, alarm clocks turn off and a sense of freedom is in the air.  Remember when you had all the time in the world to hang out with your friends and experience new adventures on your own terms?  Summer is a time for growth, for trying new things and for self-development.  And, summer can also mean sunburns, physically overheating, and more frequent feelings of anger and frustration when we find ourselves out of balance. 

If you hate the heat (like I do!), summer may not be the most relaxing time of year for you.  But the good news is that you can do something to manage it!  Ayurveda, considered the sister science of yoga, helps explain why you might feel discomfort in summer and what you can do to clear away any feelings of aggravation.  Here’s how to better manage your health during the heat of summer with clarity and ease by applying Ayurvedic principles to your daily life.  

What is Ayurveda? 

Ayurveda is a 5,000 year old holistic system of medicine from India that focuses on living in harmony with nature.  It teaches that the body, mind and spirit must exist in harmony for you to be truly healthy and happy.  The simple guidelines and practices of Ayurveda work to prevent disease and maintain health, and are available to every human being, no matter your beliefs, faith, practices, etc.  

Ayurveda says that everything on the planet is composed of five elements, or basic principles, that represent the primary components of all living things.  These five elements are ether (or space), air, fire, water and earth.  Each of the elements then has its own set of qualities that help describe the energies of the element, and Ayurveda teaches 20 qualities listed as 10 pairs of opposites.   

It’s important to know the opposite quality because Ayurveda is based on the principles of like increases like and opposites balance.  These two Ayurvedic laws have you first identify which quality is causing you to feel agitated.  Then, choose the opposite quality in order to bring your entire system back into balance.  

These elements are then woven together in different proportions to create three energies, or doshas.  The three doshas are: 

• Vata Dosha (Ether + Air)

• Pitta Dosha (Fire + Water)

• Kapha Dosha (Water + Earth)

The doshas have particular functions in nature (e.g., the weather, seasons, etc.) and for each person they play very important functions in the body and mind.        

The Qualities of Summer 

In Ayurveda, summer is considered the Pitta time of year, which is made up of the fire and water elements.  You can see this during hot and humid days. Internally, everyone has Pitta dosha governing digestion and transformation in both your body and mind.  Physically, think of Pitta dosha as your digestive system - stomach, small intestine, large intestine, enzymes that break down the nutrients in the food, etc.  It is also responsible for regulating the temperature in your body by governing the skin.  It  opens and closes the pores based on what your body needs for heat and moisture.    

Mentally, think of Pitta dosha as digesting, organizing and making sense of the information you take in through the five senses.  For example, Pitta is helping you understand the information you are reading right now.  It is also responsible for digesting and transforming your emotional well-being. It helps you make sense of the past and learn from your mistakes in order to move forward.  

So, as summer arrives with its heat and humidity, your body and mind start to hold on to these same qualities as well since your body is exposed to the fire and water elements.  In your body you might get sweaty, hot and feel overheated.  You might also notice rashes or acne as your body tries to release excess heat and moisture through your skin. You could also have a hard time digesting meals or notice acid reflux.  In your mind, you might feel emotional heat such as anger, frustration or impatience. You could feel more judgmental, critical, gossipy, and manipulative.  You might end up yelling at someone or having a “short fuse” because you feel agitated, frustrated and annoyed.  This is why it can be hard to “go with the flow” and relax during these easy and peaceful days of summer.    

Here’s How to Balance Your Mind and Body In Summer

The good news is you can do something about it now that you know opposite qualities will help balance your body! 

Here are the Ayurvedic qualities of summer: 

• Oily

• Sharp

• Hot

• Light

• Fleshy Smelling (think passionate body odor that’s not offensive)

• Spreading

• Liquid 

So, in order to balance those out, you want to bring more of the opposite qualities into your daily routine.  These include: 

• Dry

• Soft

• Cool

• Heavy

• Slow/Dull

• Static

• Dense

Here are some common ways to balance excess Pitta during summer:

• Have a daily morning routine. Ideally, wake up before sunrise and drink a glass of room temperature water to properly hydrate your body. Cleanse your senses - brush your teeth, scrap your tongue, wash your face and hands, etc. - to help cultivate clarity in your day.  Use rose water to spritz on your face and in your eyes to cool the senses.  Use cooling and refreshing soaps such as vanilla, mint, lavender, or rose to clean your skin.      

• Rest and enjoy fun activities to balance out the intensity of summer.  Slowing down to breathe, relax and rejuvenate will decrease the sharpness and overheating qualities of summer.  Go swimming in a lake, end your workday at a reasonable time, take a vacation, try new adventures, hang out in a hammock, etc.

• Exercise in moderation.  Plan to exercise moderately during cooler times of the time and consider moves that are challenging but done in a relaxed manner.  You can challenge yourself physically, but make sure that your mind and emotions are more relaxed and softer in order to counteract the sharpness of working out “hard”.  Practice grounding and fluid movements and remember to rest when you are complete.    

• Eat a supportive summer diet.  You probably notice that your cravings shift in summer. You might want lighter, cooler foods like fresh vegetables and fruits.  This is your body’s way of saying, “cool me down please!” during the heat of summer. What’s really amazing is that nature gives us exactly what we need to counterbalance the heat of the summer!  If you eat mostly local foods, you will most likely be eating a well-balanced Pitta diet. 

Think about adding foods to your diet such as:

• Cherries, Plums, Peaches, Watermelon. These keep you cool and hydrated. 

• Yellow and green squashes, cucumbers, lettuces, and other leafy greens to cool and calm the body and mind

• Drier grains such as corn on the cob, quinoa, white basmati rice

Try avoiding foods that increase the heat and sharpness of the season, such as:

• Spicy, greasy and oily foods

• Anything fermented like yogurt or kombucha

• Coffee (too acidic)

• Sour foods

• Spicy herbs and peppers

To learn more about what you should eat in summer, check out John Doulliard’s Summer Grocery List.    

So there you have it! You now know exactly why summer may not be your favorite season and what you can do to optimize your health! As someone who shares in the struggles that summer can create, I know that these Ayurvedic principles listed above will help to bring coolness, softness, and ease into your daily life during the summer season. Please share this post by clicking on a link below with anyone who struggles to cool down in the summer and wants to better manage their own health! I know they will thank you for it!