The transition into the summer brings a sense of high energy. Kids home from school certainly brings all sorts of energy as do all of the outdoor fun-filled festivities! Many sources contribute to this feeling of high energy, but where does this high energy stem from really? In the summer, nature is growing, blossoming, and radiating energy. Think about the seeds you plant in your garden during the spring and how they look now! The high energy of our external environment invites us to also grow and blossom in the summer months!
So how do we respond to this high energy?
Can we embrace it and let it flow through us?
Or does it make us feel a bit out of balance during the summer season?
….are we resisting the energy or getting consumed by it….not staying balanced?
The way we move, breathe, and eat can help us embrace the summer season and find our balance. The combination of healthy, fresh, balanced eating along with yoga and meditation will enable you to flow with the energy of the summer season. It will help you to maintain a nice internal balance by embracing the energy and letting it flow through you. Soaking up exactly what you need and letting go of what does not support harmony within.
10 Tips to Embrace the Summer Harmonizing Your Body with the High Summer Energy
Nutrition-Style
- Focus on the Bright Colors! Take advantage of the plentiful, brightly colored fresh produce. Enjoy creating beautiful eye-catching meals!
Curious what’s in season? Click Here to get the list I curated emailed to your inbox
- Be Experimental! With the bounty of fruits and veggies Summer’s growth brings us, step outside your comfort zone of the same ole fruits and veggies. If you’re eating the same every day or every week that means your body is getting the same nutrients time and again. Adding in new fruits and veggies will get you MORE and NEW nutrients for a more well-rounded diet.
Let your diet reflect the growth and abundance of summer!
- Summer Cooking! Having fresh food that requires minimal cooking is the way to go during summer months! Choose veggies that you don’t need to cook very long.
Sauté: at a high temperature for a very short time.
Steaming/Simmering: as lightly and quickly as possible (e.g., this leaves fruits and veggies with a little crunch).
NOTE: When preparing use very little salt and focus on the water.
- For Cooking or Fresh Salad… spice things up! Really? But doesn’t it seem like you should do the opposite in the summertime? Including spicy ingredients in your cooking, in moderation, does increase the warmth of your body internally, but this ultimately helps the body mirror the summer climate. Think of this as a way to help your body adjust and be less affected by the hot summer days. With that said, do this on days that are NOT the hottest of summer days. On truly hot summer days we want to choose foods that have a cooling affect so we don’t overheat… more on that below.
- Red & Green Hot Peppers
- Cayenne Pepper
- Fresh Ginger
- Horseradish
- Black Pepper
- Serve Cooling Fresh, High Water Content Foods on those truly hot summer days! We are not talking foods that are cold in temperature like ice cream or slushies, but rather those that have a higher water content and have cooling properties.
- Salads
- Sprouts
- Fruit, specifically apples, melons, lemons and limes
- Cucumber
- To Prevent Sluggishness! Decrease dense, heavy meals and foods. On those hot, hot, hot days consider eating less at a meal than you typically do and keep it light. With that, you may plan for a snack to ensure adequate fuel.
- Drink Up! It’s easier to get dehydrated in the summer months. If you don’t have a water bottle yet then get yourself a go-to, eco-friendly one. If you’re not a huge fan of water, add watermelon, cucumber and/or mint to add some fresh summertime flavor! Staying hydrated can help prevent sluggishness too!
Life-Style
- Tend to Your Garden (a.k.a. revisit the new habits you started in the Spring)! During the Spring season we (hopefully) planted seeds of healthy living! Summer is a great time of year to revisit the seeds you planted in the spring, which would hopefully be growing, blossoming, and producing fruit, but we must tend to them. Let’s start by pruning!
- Are any habits no longer a focus?
- Do any feel as though they no longer support your healthy living intentions?
- Do you need to redefine an intention?
- Are any of them distracting or hindering you from what you truly seek?
- Did any old habits stick around that you intended to get rid of, but they grew anyway!
We start with pruning so we can nurture the intentions that best support our health and happiness. We don’t want to be scattered and let too much grow as that will crowd things out or prevent the right things from growing causing us to lose focus. We want to prune our garden so we have a clear focus, which will help us in this time of the year so we end of the year feeling successful and at our best. We don’t want to end the year with the dreaded thought, “I’ll get myself refocused and healthy next year”.
Take a moment and truly revisit the healthy living seeds you planted in the Spring. Prune away my friend!
- Perfect Time of Year to Embrace a Morning Ritual
- Waking up with the rising sun.
- Tending to your body and mind with a morning practice giving yourself exactly what you need for an amazing day ahead.
- Take time to create a new summer schedule and be sure to leave time for variables. During the summer, days and nights will inevitably get thrown off with unexpected plans so this is a good time to consider how you will stay connected with your healthy living habits while still allowing for spontaneity.
Body-Style
As the seasons change, shifting the focus of your yoga practice to match the season can help align body and mind, especially with the high energy of the summer season! Your body may already be telling you what it needs from your practice… are you by chance desiring a more yin style?! With the high energy and warmth of the summer season being so strong and present, a more restorative, yin style yoga practice can help our body and mind stay balanced and in harmony.
We have you covered with Summer Yoga Calendars:
- Click here for Spring to Summer transition Yoga Calendar
- Click here for Summer Grow & Glow Yoga Calendar
- Click here for Summer Balance & Stability Yoga Calendar
- Click here for Summer to Autumn transition Yoga Calendar
Summer is also a great time of year to embrace the playful energy by inviting in more intuitive, creative movement as you flow. Consider a self-guided, at-home yoga practice once a week. If it’s your first time, just set aside 5-10 minutes, turn on some music, light a candle or incense and flow with your body. Think of it as a yoga dance with yourself!
Maintain harmony mentally, physically, and emotionally.
With all of this said, your body will instinctively crave balance. Trust your instincts on the recommendations provided and always do what feels right for you!
Alright my friends, now go savor the day, take a stroll, enjoy the fresh warm summer air!
B R E A T H E
Recent Comments