Summer’s Calling! Get Ready With Ayurveda
Summer might always get you your leisure days. This must be a season for your lake side
brunch picnic or a pool party! You might be busy spending your summer vacations enjoying
sunset on the beach, having fun in the sand and munching chilled snacks. Also, summer time
is the time for cool colorful drinks or ice-creams. This might be the season which makes you
feel like you are getting energy drained as well, so you might find relief in short naps in
between your work or keeping yourself cool and refreshed by binging on cold water. But, are
you doing it right? Does your routine compliment your health? Or sudden habits have put
your health in trouble even before you realized? Well, Ayurveda is just where you should
peep into! Let’s make your health game up in the summer.
According to Ayurveda, the science of life, one can enhance his/her strength if they follow
seasonal regimens well. This practice has always helped to keep up the body equilibrium to
normal levels since very ancient times; After all Ayurveda is praised as the ancient medical
science and so it has gained many derogatory followers as well.
तस्याशिताद्यादाहाराद्वलं वर्णश्च वर्धते । यस्यर्तुसात्म्यं विदितं चेष्टाहारव्यपाश्रयम् ॥ ३ ॥
(Charaka.Sutra. sth)
It says that the strength and gloss of a person is always maintained and enhanced when diet
and regimen for every season is practiced accordingly. Here, the gloss includes your peaceful
mind and happiness; Who doesn’t want that, right? So, stop by and read through your path to
good health.
Why Do We Need To Be Careful in The Summer?
तत्र रविर्भाभिराददानो जगतः स्नेहं वायवस्तीव्ररूक्षाश्चोपशोषयन्तः शिशिरवसन्तग्रीष्मेषु यथाक्रमं
रौक्ष्यमुत्पादयन्तो रूक्षान् रसांस्तिक्तकषाय कटुकांश्चाभिवर्धयन्तो नृणां दौर्बल्यमावहन्ति ॥ ६ ॥
(Charaka.Sutra.sth)
Summer season is included in the period of dehydration i.e., Adana kaala. Your body gets
dehydrated by many factors other than the sun rays and it surprisingly includes the sharp
velocity of wind that results in the dryness in the atmosphere and also the drying effects on
the body by the three Rasas (tastes)- bitter, astringent and pungent. During Grishma
ritu(summer season), the enhancement of these tastes shares qualities of Vayu and Agni
mahabhutas. This is the season wherein Kapha weakens while Vata strengthens day-by-day.
For at least some of us, it’s the time to vent on skin diseases including acne issues and
sunburns to your physician. Severe diseases like jaundice and chicken pox are also trended in
the summer season. All these are accounted to the reasons of the hot climate and lack of
moisture content in the atmosphere during this season.
What Are The Regimes Included To Cope Up With Summer?
Seasonal regimes often lead us to the thought of food first. A food talk in Ayurveda without
addressing Agni would be meaningless. Agni, the bodily fire has so many functions in the
body which makes it the metaphor for body metabolism. One among the most important
forms of Agni in the body is the Jatharagni or the digestive fire, which is said to be the root
of all the other fires in the body. Ancient science holds Agni in high regard that it is
considered as the essential element for mind and body equilibrium. Though Agni is of 13
types, the Jataragni (digestive fire) is mainly classified into 4 types; A.Vishamam- irregular.
B. Tikshana- intense C. Manda- sluggish D. Sama- balanced. Now, on knowing the nature of
one’s Agni during the summer season, the diets can be monitored and performed accordingly.
Jataragni during summer season is actually Manda or sluggish in nature.
What causes Agni to be Manda or minimum during the Grisma (summer) ritu? There can be
two different practical reasons for this. Firstly, summer season is preceded by the Vasanta
ritu (Spring) by the end of which the Kapha will undergo vitiation and results in clogging of
the Sthrothas and as a result Agni can get hampered. Another outlook is that the summer
season being the energy draining season, is also the time during which the whole body
undergoes a sense of weakness which can also affect the Agni to make it sluggish.
So, it is very important that as archived in Ayurveda, your diet should be formulated in such a
way that it is ideal for the Manda Agni to tolerate and at the same time to correct it to normal
functioning.
मयूखैर्जगतः स्नेहं ग्रीष्मे पेपीयते रविः । स्वादु शीतं द्रवं स्त्रिग्धमन्नपानं तदा हितम् ॥ २७ ॥
(Charaka.Sutra.sth)
Sweet, cold liquids and unctuous diets are best for this season. The diet which frees you from
any seasonal diseases during this season includes- cold groat along with sugar, meat of
animals or birds from arid lands, ghee and milk along with rice like white rice. Also, at night,
try to avoid vegetable salads and replace them with steamed vegetables. Buffalo milk mixed
with sugar is ideal to be served as a dessert after cooling. Avoid consumption of red meat.
Alcohol consumption should be either limited (with addition of lots of water) or avoided
completely. Or else, it will lead to health conditions like oedema, burning sensations or even
fainting.
Foods to be avoided include- Salty, sour, pungent or hot foods.
लवणाम्लकटूष्णानि व्यायामं च विवर्जयेत् ॥ २९
(Charaka.Sutra.sth)
According to Ayurveda if you are someone who follows its seasonal regimes regularly, then
you need not do physical exercise for the time being or limit it to minimal exercises. It is
advised to bathe in refreshingly cool water during summers.
During the day, one should take a nap in an air-conditioned room or in a cool room. Again,
for night sleep it is preferred to sleep in cool rooms, possibly cooled naturally by the rays of
the moon if you have access to outside. For Vata and Pita dominant persons, it would be
ideal to take an afternoon nap during summers as well.
Wearing loose clothes of thin material would always favor you in keeping your body cool.
When going out, don’t forget to carry a pair of sunglasses or an umbrella to protect yourself
from the sun’s radiance.
Ayurveda also says that summer is a period which gives you the scenic beauty of nature. It
asks you to enjoy the presence of flowers, fruits, birds, gardens and cool streams to keep
yourself calm and at peace. Moreover, it might help you get over fatigue due to intense heat.
Abstaining oneself from frequent sex is also advised to practice during this season.
Sun is said to be the precursor of life and so summer gives you a good time to take an early
morning walk to sponge up the sun rays. Similarly, adapting the ways of Ayurvedic routine
will offer you a good and disease free time by following the summer diet, eating cool foods
and keeping yourself hydrated. Healthy summer to you!
