Summer Practices

Grishma Ritucharya

Summer is the season of heat - the sun dominates, days stretch long, and the fire element prevails. In Ayurveda, this is pitta season, when the qualities of heat, sharpness, and intensity reach their peak. The wise practitioner adapts to cool, calm, and balance the fire within and without.

The Nature of Summer

Seasonal Qualities

Summer brings:

• Hot (ushna): The dominant quality
• Sharp (tikshna): Intensity of sun and energy
• Light (laghu): Long days, extended activity
• Dry (ruksha): Despite humidity in some places, the heat has a drying quality
• Penetrating (sukshma): Heat enters deeply

These qualities increase pitta. What heats can also inflame.

What Happens to the Body

In summer:

• Agni (digestive fire) decreases as heat disperses
• Appetite naturally diminishes
• The body seeks cooling
• Energy expenditure increases while digestion decreases
• Pitta can accumulate, leading to irritability, skin issues, inflammation
• Sleep may become lighter and shorter

Summer Diet

Eat Less, Lighter

Summer appetite naturally decreases:

• Honor the lighter hunger
• Smaller meals
• Don’t force heavy eating
• The body cannot digest as much in heat

Cooling Foods

Favor:

• Cool (not ice-cold) foods and drinks
• Sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Light proteins
• Coconut in all forms
• Fresh dairy (if tolerated)
• Cooling herbs (mint, cilantro, fennel)
• Adequate hydration

Reduce:

• Heating foods and spices
• Sour and salty tastes
• Fermented foods
• Fried and oily foods
• Heavy proteins (especially red meat)
• Alcohol
• Coffee (heating)

Summer Foods

• Grains: Basmati rice, wheat, oats, barley
• Legumes: Mung beans, tofu (cooling proteins)
• Vegetables: Cucumber, zucchini, summer squash, asparagus, leafy greens, sweet potato
• Fruits: Watermelon, melon, grapes, mangoes, sweet berries, coconut, sweet cherries
• Dairy: Milk, ghee, fresh cheese (paneer), sweet lassi
• Oils: Coconut oil, ghee, olive oil
• Sweeteners: Natural sweeteners in moderation

Cooling Spices

• Coriander: Cooling, digestive
• Fennel: Cooling, sweet
• Cardamom: Cooling, aromatic
• Mint: Very cooling
• Dill: Cooling, digestive
• Turmeric: Cooling (despite being yellow)

Reduce or avoid: chili, cayenne, garlic, excessive ginger, mustard

Hydration

Summer demands attention to fluids:

• Room temperature or cool (not iced) water
• Coconut water (nature’s electrolyte drink)
• Mint or cucumber water
• Sweet lassi (yogurt drink)
• Cooling herbal teas (peppermint, hibiscus, rose)
• Aloe vera juice

Avoid: iced drinks (impair digestion), alcohol, excessive caffeine

Summer Routine

Sleep

Summer nights are shorter:

• Later bedtime acceptable (9:30-10:00 PM)
• Earlier rising natural
• 6-7 hours may be sufficient
• Napping in early afternoon is traditional in hot climates

Keep Cool

Practical measures:

• Light, loose, natural-fiber clothing
• White and pastels (reflect heat)
• Stay indoors during peak heat (10 AM - 4 PM)
• Use fans, air conditioning moderately
• Cold water on wrists and neck
• Cool the home in morning, close it up by midday

Exercise Adjustment

Modify for heat:

• Exercise early morning or evening only
• Reduce intensity
• Avoid overheating
• Swimming is ideal
• Walking in nature (shaded)
• Save vigorous exercise for cooler months
• Don’t push through heat exhaustion

Cooling Practices

• Coconut oil massage: Before bathing, instead of sesame
• Moon bathing: Time outdoors in moonlight (cooling, calming)
• Water: Swimming, time near water
• Gardens: Nature, especially green and watered
• Sandal paste: Traditional cooling application

Summer Practices

Yoga

Adjust practice for summer:

Asana:

• Practice in morning or evening, not midday
• Slower, more gentle practice
• Moon salutations instead of sun
• Forward folds (cooling)
• Twists (for liver, which holds heat)
• Avoid excessive backbends (heating)
• Longer shavasana
• Cool, ventilated space

Pranayama:

• Sitali (cooling breath through curled tongue)
• Sitkari (cooling breath through teeth)
• Left nostril breathing (chandra bhedana)
• Avoid kapalabhati and bhastrika
• Slow, cooling, gentle breath

Meditation:

• Visualization of cool environments (moonlight, snow, water)
• Cultivating equanimity
• Cooling mantras (Om Shanti, Om Chandraya Namaha)
• Practice in coolest part of day

Daily Practices

• Rose water: Spray on face, apply to eyes
• Sandalwood: Cooling paste or oil
• Coconut oil: For massage, cooking, and hair
• Aloe vera: Cooling, soothing for skin
• Evening walks: When temperature drops

Constitutional Adjustments

Vata in Summer

Vata types may enjoy summer’s warmth:

• Heat can be grounding
• But don’t overheat
• Maintain hydration (dryness increases)
• Routine may slip in summer’s looseness - maintain it
• Avoid excessive travel and stimulation

Pitta in Summer

Pitta types are most challenged:

• All summer recommendations apply fully
• Strictly avoid overheating
• Watch for irritability, skin issues, inflammation
• Very careful with spicy food, alcohol, intensity
• Need more cooling, calming measures than others
• Take extra care to rest and not overwork

Kapha in Summer

Kapha generally handles summer well:

• Heat balances kapha’s cold
• Light eating is appropriate
• Can handle more activity than pitta
• Watch for late summer humidity increasing kapha
• Don’t become too sedentary despite heat

Summer Challenges

Pitta Aggravation

Signs of excess pitta:

• Irritability, anger, criticism
• Skin rashes, acne, inflammation
• Heartburn, acid reflux
• Hot flashes
• Eye irritation
• Loose stools

Address through:

• Cooling diet (strict)
• Cooling practices
• Reduce intensity in all areas
• Aloe vera internally and externally
• Bitter herbs
• Rest more

Dehydration

Watch for signs:

• Dark urine
• Dry skin and lips
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Dizziness

Prevent and treat:

• Drink before thirsty
• Include electrolytes
• Eat water-rich foods
• Reduce salt (increases need for water)
• Monitor output

Heat Exhaustion

More serious:

• Weakness, nausea
• Excessive sweating or inability to sweat
• Rapid heartbeat
• Confusion

Get out of heat immediately, cool the body, seek medical attention if severe.

Sleep Disturbance

Heat and light can disturb sleep:

• Dark curtains
• Cooling the bedroom
• Light, cooling dinner
• Moon milk (warm milk with cooling spices)
• Earlier rising, slightly later bed

The Wisdom of Summer

Summer teaches:

Cooling: Not everything should burn hot. Balance requires the opposite.

Moderation: The heat teaches us to temper intensity, to not always push.

Pleasure: Summer’s sweetness invites enjoyment - cooling waters, ripe fruits, long evenings.

Ease: The living is meant to be easier. Don’t fight the season’s invitation to slow down.

Let the fire burn steady, not wild. Cool when needed. Rest in the heat. Summer is not for conquest but for savoring the warmth while wisely protecting the flame within.