The Heat is On

It’s officially summer here in Canada and you know what that means - beach, patio season, outdoor hikes and long sultry days. As the temperature begins to escalate, it’s important to be mindful of the heat so as not to get dehydrated or agitated. Here are a few helpful tips to consider.

Get to Know Your Dosha

A “Dosha” is a constitution within the Indian system of medicine known as Ayurveda. Each constitution has its own elemental properties which show up in the outer world as well as within each of us. Without overloading you with too much information, there are three Doshas we typically look at in Ayurveda: Pitta (fire), Kapha (earth & water), and Vata (air). For anyone who has a Pitta constitution, summer can be a little overheating so it’s best to eat more cooling foods, avoid heavy oils, be mindful with how much hot/spicy food you consume and take time to meditate in the mornings.

If you’d like to discover your Dosha type, there is a great tool provided by Deepak Chopra on this website.

Hydration

Our bodies are 50-60% water and in the summer, we are losing that water through our sweat, increased heat and physical activity. Because of this, be sure to monitor your water intake every day and if your physical activity increases, adjust accordingly so that you are consuming enough. It can also be helpful to add a bit of sea salt to your water so that the water you consume saturates your cells and you are not losing it through your urine. And if you don’t like the salty taste, try adding some lemon, cucumber, or frozen fruit. And if you still don’t dig the salt….well, I got nothin. I’m just offering the information. It’s not a ton of salt, just a pinch :)

Yoga Postures

There’s a number of yoga postures that can be beneficial in cooling the system on those hot summer days. Here are a few of my favourites:

• Shavasana (Corpse Pose)

  

  Shavasana

  This posture is incredibly grounding since most of the body is resting passively on the floor or yoga mat. And if your low back is sore, try placing a bolster under your knees for additional comfort. Another idea would be to place an eye pillow which you've cooled in the fridge over your eyes for a soothing effect.

• Balasana (Childs Pose)

Balasana

Balasana is one of my favourite yoga postures to practice if I am feeling particularly tired, overwhelmed (or overheated) and need to calm the frig down. For additional comfort, thread a bolster in between the knees so that you can rest your torso and head.

• Viparita Karani (Legs Up the Wall)

Viparita Karani

Calm the central nervous system and cool your head with this gentle inversion. It's not pictured here but you can place a bolster under your hips for additional support. This is a great posture to do if you are having a hard time settling down at night or if you have restless leg syndrome. For more of a stretch, bring the hips closer to the wall. If you want to make the pose more restorative and less of a stretch, hips come further from the wall.

Pranayama (Breathing practice)

There is a great breathing practice to try to help cool the body. It's called Sitali (pronounced Sit-all-ee) Pranayama. In addition to cooling the body, it also helps to calm the mind. To begin, curl your tongue into the shape of a taco.

Sitali Pranayama

No? Don't worry, I can't do it either though I've made many attempts, my tongue just doesn't want to curl that way. It's all in the intention. Open your mouth, close your eyes and attempt to make the shape. Once your tongue is positioned, begin to breath in through the mouth, then close your mouth and exhale through the nose. The air feels very cooling as it crosses the tongue and then when you exhale, you release heat from the body with the breath. Try this for a few minutes and just see how you feel.

I'd love to hear how any or all of these yoga postures go for you. Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have. And if you'd like to go deeper with your personal practice, I also offer private one-on-one yoga sessions. For more information on that offering, please review my Embodied Life Coaching page.

As always, thank you so much for reading. I wish you all a glorious and abundant summer. Take good care.

Warmly,

Tim