It's Texas, it's Summer and it's dang HOT! Ayurveda gives us the tips to surf through the end of the season with a healthy glisten rather than an angry sweat!

Ayurveda gives us the handbook for living. This verbal tradition was finally written down over 5,000 years ago. It tells us how we got here, what we’re made of, why each of us acts so differently, and how to live a more balanced life. It teaches us to understand our unique character (and that of others) so we can customize our diet and lifestyle based on the time of day, season and stage in life. Some of our modern medical / surgical techniques are based on this ancient wisdom.

This science tells us that each season has its own Dosha, or set of qualities, which drives its ‘behavior’. The Dosha are Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

Summer marks the time of Pitta, which is the principle of Fire, transformation, heat, digestion, metabolism, and chemical energy.

The Pitta time of day is the hottest - between 10am-2pm when digestion is greatest in our bellies, and its opposite; between 10pm-2am when we ‘digest’ our daily experiences into knowledge and knowledge into wisdom (hopefully…)– This is when your brain enjoys its naptime.

The qualities of Pitta and Pitta individuals are:
Hot, Sharp, Light, Oily, Liquid, Spreading, Sour, Bitter, Pungent, Smelly, Red, and Yellow. Hmmm…sounds a lot like July in Texas…

When Pitta is gets too high, the fiery emotions arise, such as anger, frustration, hatred, criticism (of ourselves and others) and jealousy. This contributes to road rage, ulcers, inflammation, rashes and loose stools. No thank you! We get hot blooded and develop a rash or eczema; we get a headache and experience burning in urination, elimination and in our eyes. We can’t seem to cool off. It’s a recipe for Bad News.

So how do we manage in these conditions, especially in the Texas heat and especially for the folks who are already firecrackers set to explode?

Here are some tips from Dr. Vasant Lad, one of the primary leading authorities in the original and ancient science of wellbeing:

• Add coconut to our daily routine this season – in the mornings, rub 5-6 ounces of coconut or sunflower oil to your body before bathing. At night rub some coconut oil on your scalp and the soles of your feet to stay cool. Coconut is cooling and calming to the skin.
• Wear loose cotton or silk clothing that protects your skin from direct sunlight – this type of clothing allows the air to pass through and cool your body.
• Wear white, gray, blue, purple and green in the hotter months, avoid red, orange, dark yellow and black, as these colors absorb and retain heat.
• Eat a Pitta-Pacifying Diet - avoid sour, salty and spicy foods.
• Try including apples, pears, melons, sweet plums, and prunes.
• Drink a natural lime-aid (not lemon-aid) and add more watermelon / watermelon juice to your diet. Try a Vedic Lime-aid: ¼ fresh lime juice in a cup of cool water, with a pinch of cumin powder – yum.
• Steam asparagus, broccoli and brussell sprouts this season and add more basmati rice to your diet.
• Eat some cooling cucumber raita and add kitchari (mung beans, basmati rice, veggies) with coconut flakes to your weekly routine for a soothing and healthy option at least once a week.
• Avoid sour fruits such as citrus, as well as beets and carrots which are heating after digestion.
• Avoid garlic, raw onions, chilis, tomatoes (they are acidic and acid is heating).
• Avoid salty cheeses and sour cream (this one is especially hard for me…).
• Eat more salads at lunch.
• Select white meat over dark (dark meat is more heating).
• Drink room temperature and cool drinks this season and regardless of the season avoid ice and iced drinks...yes, I know…I’ll say it again, avoid ice and iced drinks as this shocks your system, inhibits digestion and leads to ama (toxin) build up. Ice and iced drinks turn your diet into goo and glue more quickly than you can imagine…
• Drink Lassi, which is 1 part fresh, plain, organic yogurt with 4 parts water. Add ¼ t. roasted cumin seed before blending. For a sweeter lassi add 2 T. sucanat (natural cane sugar) and a drop of rose water – this is a lovely treat. 
• Avoid the hot kitchen! This is difficult with one of the first commitments of Yogic Living is ‘Yogi, feed thyself’, so try to cook in the early morning or evening to avoid the heat of the kitchen and by all means, if someone in your household cooks 3 days in a row, take them out to a clean, cool, quiet restaurant on day 4…this will help avoid conflict in the relationship and allow for a cooler and happier partnership!
• Avoid dark booze such as whiskey, brandy, rum and red wine as these are heating. If you’re a drinker, this is the season to enjoy that cold beer on a hot day! (Ayurveda doesn’t say ‘no’, it says ‘how’ and ‘when’!).
• Wear sunglasses with smoky gray or green lenses, NOT red or yellow and especially not blue or purple, which can be damaging to the eyes.
• Avoid direct sunlight – well, of course, right? For people who seek the light to feel more energized, get your dose of Vitamin Sun before 8am for 15-20 minutes. People with multiple moles and freckles should avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, as you are more prone to Pitta aggravation that leads to skin cancer.
• Your best exercise is done in the early morning and should be less strenuous in the summer months. Consider swimming and follow it with a lime-aid!
• Keep your meditation practice consistent, with twice daily sit-times. Good asana postures for summer are Fish, Camel, Boat, Cobra, Cow and Palm Tree. Avoid inversions which can send hot blood to your head and provoke your Pitta. Try Moon Salutes this season instead of Sun Salutes and see if they make a difference for you!
• Your pranayama prescription is shitali.
• Cooling gems include a necklace of sandalwood, jade or cooling pearl. Wear amethyst, moonstone, malachite and silver this season.
• After dinner, wear white clothes and take a walk after dinner in the moonlight – it’s cooling and does wonders for your daily dose of Mother Nature.
• Your essential oils this season are sandalwood, jasmine, and khus (vertiver)
• Don’t let those sexy hot summer nights get you too steamy…sex is heating and can provoke Pitta, so keep it cool, reduce the amount of sex you have (quality over quantity folks) and enjoy it between 9-10pm when the day has cooled off, and before the Pitta time of day sets in again.

When the Sun evaporates the earth’s moisture and causes us to be sharp, dry, hot and even rough at times! Favor sweet, cool foods this season, add more cilantro to everything, enjoy spearmint in your water, avoid salty, spicy, pungent meals. Reduce alcohol, exercise and spend more time in the shade of a nature hike, smell the flowers and spend more time in the water. Be groovy in loose fitting clothes and flowy yoga pants.

If the heat gets to you or you’re ready to learn more about how to balance your life with these ancient secrets, attend one of the workshops listed in Living Yoga Dallas Events and call me for a full work up and lifestyle recommendation series.