Ayurda's Summer Wellness Recommendations

By Rippan Sandhu

According to Ayurveda, summer is a season of pitta. Qualities of pitta are hot, sharp, intense and penetrating. Optimize your summer wellness with these well-being tips...

Wakey wakey
According to Ayurveda, the ideal wake time is before sunrise. Utilize the cool summer morning and you will be amazed how fresh and recharged you feel. Soon after waking, sprinkle some organic rose water on your eyes to invigorate your senses.

Tongue scraping
Daily elimination of toxins is the most important morning routine for any season. Tongue scraping is scientifically proven to be the first line of defence and will keep internal organs disease-free. It will also save you from false cravings.We recommend to conduct tongue scraping every day after evacuating bowels and bladder.

Yoga workout
Surya Namaskar This is the best workout you could possibly have in summer.  It is done early morning with an empty stomach.A one-stop solution to kick-start your summer morning.

Evening special
If time doesn’t allow for an early morning workout, we recommend saving it for evening with Pranayama breathing practice, which soothes and revitalized a tired body like no other.

Self-massage
We highly recommend practicing self-Abhyanga massage with an organic oil of your choice. Our favourite is Oliana Oil, a wonderful combination of sesame and almond oil to improve skin texture.

Meals
Eat breakfast once you complete the self-massage and shower.  Never skip breakfast and keep it light by choosing oats or cooling fruits like melons, plums and pears. During summer, have a relaxing lunch between 12pm-1pm. Avoid hot and spicy food, and go slow on sour creams, cheeses and spicy sauces and seasoning. It’s also recommended to take a light walk after lunch. Dinner should be finished before the sun goes down, ideally around 7pm-7.30pm. Again, take a short walk after dinner to boost digestion.

Foods to favor / avoid this summer:

Favor 
Broccoli, cucumber, asparagus, lettuce, sprouts, zucchini, sweet-potatoes, watercress, green beans, mushrooms, brussels sprouts, avocados, cherries, coconut, melons, mangoes, oranges, plums, pineapples, and raisins.

Reduce or Avoid
Red meat, pork, garlic, onions, spinach, tomatoes, apricots, grapefruit, peaches, sour cream, cheese, salt, sour salad dressings, vinegar, pickles, mustard and packaged meals.

Beauty Routine
Introduce a weekly face mask to your beauty routine.  During summer, you might experience skin irritation, rashes or allergies on delicate facial skin. Take the natural path to cure these impurities and try a deeply hydrating Mud mask to flush out toxins.

Self indulgence
Balance your work with leisure. Plan ahead to avoid last minute deadlines and avoid over-committing or you are likely to become irritated or impatient. Take plenty of time to replenish yourself after long periods of work. Pause and enjoy some self-indulgence.

Exercise
Enjoy outdoor activities while the sun is rising or setting.  Avoid exercise during midday.  Enjoy cooling baths and choose water-based sports like swimming or ice skating.

Down time
Go to bed between 9.30pm-10 pm. Don’t overstretch yourself, and take enough rest.

Feel Good. Age Well. Live Better.

Take care,
Rippan and the Ayurda team.