Beat The Heat With Ayurveda This Summer
We haven’t experienced such high temperatures across the globe for a very long time. The excess heat is not only impacting the environment but also slowly bringing changes from within the body.
In this blog I would like to go through some simple remedies one could follow to help get rid of that excess heat from the body, hence helping to bring back that cool balance.
Summer is known as a typical Pitta season. But it’s not only excess heat, there is Vata dryness hence resulting in dry heat changes. The aim is to get rid of this dry heat (Vata-Pitta excess) to help bring back balance.
Cooling Fluids:
Just simple fluids like water may not help to reduce the heat. But specific fluids like coconut water, buttermilk, aloe vera juice are more effective.
All these fluids don’t just contain water but those extra minerals and electrolytes that the body loses when it is sweating.
In Ayurveda Coconut Water is quite essential as it helps to get rid of dry heat or excess of Vata and Pitta from the body. Not only that, coconut water also has very good anti inflammatory properties.
Aloe Vera is classically called Kumari in Ayurveda, and Kumari literally means a young beautiful individual. During the summer season, Kumari or Aloe Vera juice helps to remove that excess heat from the skin which in turn helps to prevent rashes, redness, allergies etc during summer.
Buttermilk, otherwise called Lassi or Chanch in Ayurvedic terminologies is a combination of fresh yoghurt (1/4th proportion) and water (3/4th proportion) blended together to form a very thin diluted drink. One could add cumin powder to it to make it even more effective. Consuming this drink in summer helps to reduce any inflammatory changes in the digestive tract hence preventing acidity, ulcers and aggravated Pitta in the body. This drink also helps to prevent any inflammations in the urinary tract.
Re-Fresh Herbal Tea which contains herbs like saffron and cumin is a very good warm drink during summer for a cooling effect.
Cooling Herbs:
The best herbs during summer to help reduce that excess heat are Brahmi, Shatavari, turmeric, Neem.
Brahmi is known to help reduce excess heat in the nervous system therefore helping with good sleep, preventing summer migraines and irritability.
Shatavari helps to nourish the body and also helps towards increased absorption of water during summer.
Neem is also known as the cooling herb for the skin. Anyone who may have tendency towards skin ailments in summer, the Neem is the herb for you.
Turmeric helps to cleanse the liver, skin and blood by removing excess Pitta from these organs.
Cooling Therapies
One of the best treatments during summer time is the Ayurvedic Foot Massage with clarified butter or Ghee.
This massage helps to draw out all the excess heat or Pitta from the body. It would be even more effective when done with Ghee or Re-Fresh Massage Oil.
Rose Water application to facial skin also helps to remove excess heat from the head and neck region. This is best done before going to sleep as it will also ensures a good nights sleep.
Cooling Yoga
Plenty of moon salutations! As the word goes – moon salutations, this sequence helps to nourish the moon or cooling energy in the body. When regularly done in the evening, it ensures a good night’s sleep and clear skin.
All spinal twist poses are very good to squeeze out excess heat or Pitta that may be blocked in the spinal cord/vertebral column. Imagine squeezing out that extra hot water from a damp soaked towel, when you twist or squeeze it. It’s the same exact principle.
Breathing exercises like alternate nostril breathing helps to balance out the heat in the right and left side of the body.
Along with Sheetali or cooling breath exercise, very quickly reduces heat in the body.
Cooling Daily Routine
Makes sure to avoid excess heat exposure. If at all there has been excess sun or heat exposure, make sure that you have applied aloe vera gel to the exposed parts of the skin as it helps to prevent sun burn or heat rashes.
Plenty of Green Plants around the house, both inside and outside will help to bring in more oxygen and cool air. Plants outside the house cool down the environment, hence the wind that blows into the house will be cool and not hot.
At night make sure that all electronics including phones, laptops etc go away in a room where there are plenty of plants. Plants help to absorb out all radiations and help to cool down the environment.
Also sleeping in a room with no electronics near you will help to prevent any interruption with your natural sleep waves and also importantly to reduce any radiation exposure to the body.
I would hope the above simple remedies are helpful the beat the heat this summer!
nice tips , purely indian desi