"When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use.
When diet is correct, medicine is of no need."
-Ancient Ayurvedic Proverb"
Do you have a happy tummy?
We are in the height of Pitta (fire&water) season. Pitta regulates our digestion, metabolism, appetite, and works our brain, and intellect. As the season heats up, do you notice yourself "cooking" more as well? What I mean is perhaps you find yourself becoming impatient, angry, intolerant or arguing more. Those feelings can also be happening inside your stomach, causing it to become easily irritated and inflamed.
What is a Pitta to do you ask? First, find your breath. Allow some of your exhales to release through your mouth to release excess heat. If you have not been practicing your Nadi Shodhana now is a perfect time to begin again as this breath balances the nervous system.
Find yoga poses that create and instill coolness and a sense of calming in the body and mind. Strike a forward folding asana such as uttanasana to come into yourself. These forward folds can be standing or sitting. Bring in more gentle twists to release heat in the abdomen and the liver. Try a few cobra poses too. Think of the moon and the calming affects that it brings to the earth. Remember that the five elements that are in nature (ether, air, fire, water, earth) are in each and every one of us.
Most importantly pay attention to the signals your body is giving you. Are you having problems with your digestion and elimination because you are eating too many spicy foods and at the same time attending more hot yoga classes? Come back to the basic Ayurvedic principle that "like increases like". To find balance think cooling and slowing down. This would be a great time to add some restorative classes and/or slow flow practices. As always look to your local farmer's market for the fruits and veggies growing in the Pitta season. Nature is beautiful and smart and provides us with what we need, we just need to pay attention. Besides who doesn't like watermelon - even the word is cooling :)
City Watermelon on a stick! Genius!