Ayurvedic tips for the summer
Melissa Pfyl
July 27, 2023
6 min
One reason for this could be your own body heat (not to be confused with body temperature). While the typical Pitta person is generally very warm, the Kapha type is rather cool. A hot summer can therefore overtax a person's organism. So what do we do to keep our body and mind fresh and cool?
The early bird catches the worm
Getting up early is particularly useful on really hot days if you want to keep your body cool. As the metabolism is more active in summer, we also need less sleep and the early light makes it particularly easy to get active earlier. How about a jog first thing in the morning when the temperatures are still pleasant?
How you can control your sensitivity to heat with nutrition
When eating, make sure that the foods you eat are sweet, moisturising, bitter, tart and cool. This refers not only to the external coldness, but also to the thermal properties of the food after digestion. In summer, more raw food can also be integrated into the diet. Especially at lunchtime, we digest fresh salads much better than in other seasons. Food in summer should contain a lot of liquid, such as watermelon or cucumber. The liquid will keep your body cool and hydrated. It should also be noted that acid has a heating effect on the body. Therefore, all acidic fruits and drinks as well as alcohol are not very favourable during this time. Favour cooling drinks such as lukewarm peppermint tea, pomegranate juice or rice milk. Even if the evenings are longer, we recommend not eating too late. Despite the heat, our body likes warm meals in the evening as they do not extinguish our digestive fire. The large selection of sun-ripened vegetables, briefly tossed in cooling oils such as ghee, coconut oil or olive oil and finished with cooling herbs, is therefore the perfect stomach-warming treat for the summer. As an alternative to such a delicious cold gelati, you could bring a portion of homemade, cooling lassi made from a wonderfully sweet mango for your next trip to the lake. Ayurveda favours the gentle way and does not like drastic thermal differences. Ice cold on a warmed body is not ideal from an Ayurvedic point of view. It can reduce digestive capacity and put our body under stress. Stress is known to create a lot of heat and prevent you from keeping your body cool.
What we can do after careless sunbathing
Pay attention to direct, intense sunlight, especially with a fiery Pitta, the midday sun should be avoided. If you do get sunburnt, we recommend applying a fresh aloe vera gel to the affected area. The gel will keep your entire body cool.
End the day with a cool head
For a cool head, place a cotton pad soaked in distilled rose water on your eyes in the evening. This refreshes your head and smells enchanting. Thanks to its cooling properties, rose is perfect for summer. It balances pitta and helps with excessive heat. It also strengthens the heart and memory and purifies the blood. Rosa centivolia was also highly valued in ancient India for its dosha-balancing effect and rejuvenating power.
Your contact person
Are you curious about how you can find more balance and well-being in your life with Ayurveda? The JIVITA team offers soothing full-body, partial-body and pregnancy massages as well as lifestyle consultations in our Centre for Integrative, Complementary Medicine & TCM (ZIMT).
Melissa Pfyl
Head of inpatient and outpatient team, Ayurveda therapies and pregnancy massage, Centre for Integrative, Complementary Medicine & TCM (ZIMT)
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