Tame Your Flame
Happy Summer!
Summer has always been one of my favorite times of year, despite the fact that it doesn’t necessarily agree with my dosha. While I spend most of the rest of the year working to balance vata dosha, pitta has a tendency to come in HOT! As always, though, I know I can count on nature to provide exactly what I need for best results.
Below I’ve shared a list of foods that nature delivers to help us keep the heat in check and to be easily digested by the low agni that is expected this time of year. As the summer goes on, we can anticipate more heat accumulating in the system and therefore, find balance in cooling the body from the inside out.
Summer delivers extra pitta dosha and the qualities of pitta are hot, oily, unstable and sharp! The foods and tips below create balance with their stable and soft qualities that hydrate and cool from the inside.
Try adding a few of the these tips to your summer routine:
Let your food cook on the vine. Choose local, vine-ripened produce whenever possible.
Put 50% vegetables, 25% protein and 25% grain on your plate.
Eat your fruit separate from other foods most of the time.
Enjoy just a little bit of fermentation to create balance but keep it light.
Practice cooling pranayama (tips below) for 5 or so minutes daily.
Take Omega 3’s.
Keep meals light and don’t overeat.
Spend time in nature, especially where its cooling, green and watery!
Get 10-15 minutes of sunshine on your skin. Take advantage of natures gift of Vitamin D.
Practice cooling abhyanga by using coconut oil in place of sesame.
Avoid mid-day exercise. Use the cool mornings or wait til evening when things start to cool off to avoid over-exertion.
Too tired? Take a nap! It takes a lot of energy for the body to sustain in summer and we tend to get less sleep with late sunset and early sunrise. Make up your lost sleep with short naps when necessary or by implementing a Yoga Nidra practice into your afternoon routine.
SITALI PRANAYAMA
Sitali has a cooling effect on the body. It actually helps lower body temperature and is great for hot days and beneficial after a heating exercise. Sitali calms the mind and reduces nervous tension, stress and anxiety. Sitali benefits the digestive system by reducing heat and fire and reducing inflammation. It is best to avoid sitali if you have a cold or during cold weather. Because of its effects on pitta dosha, it is helpful for an angry, judgmental, critical or otherwise heated or sharp mind. This breath can alleviate hot flashes
1. Find a comfortable, seated position with the spine straight.
2. Curl your tongue in a U shape, with the sides coming together.
3. Inhale through the tongue, slowly. You should feel a cooling sensation in your mouth and throat. Focus on the coolness moving throughout the body.
4. Close your mouth and exhale through the nose.
5. Repeat as long as comfortable (typically 8-10 rounds feels just right.)
Cant roll your tongue? Try sitkari breathing by pressing top and bottom teeth together and exposing them during inhalation. Close your mouth and exhale through the nose.
Taco Breath:
Using sitali with children? Invite them to imagine they are rolling their tongue into a taco shell and feel the cool air move through different areas of the body, including the chest, the mind, the stomach and to each extremity.
