Most individuals don’t consume sufficient fluids each day, and end up being dehydrated, stiff and constipated. Even your social circumstance can become ‘dry’ and don’t have that juiciness and excitement that we all wish for. Melina Meza shares with us the significance of water from an Ayurvedic point of view.
The water (jala) element plays a significant role in the Ayurvedic system throughout the summer period to balance the intensity of fire (agni) which can be transformative or strong. Water is considered a balancing, cooling, relaxing force, vital to maintain our wellness, longevity, and juicy tissues.
If you get overexposed to the fire aspect in nature, or end up being dehydrated, over-exercise during the best time of day, lose sleep, or travel too often, your luscious water body and inner tank of life-sustaining fluids will certainly start to evaporate into area and leave you feeling irritated, exhausted, and unfocused. Without sufficient water and hydration, your inner ecosystem will certainly be in the red-alert, ‘high threat category’ for running too hot and dry in the Pitta time of year, which takes place throughout June-August in North America.
Water is essential for life as we understand it to exist. It’s in every plant and food that we eat, in every cell in our body, and within everything in nature, yet it’s simple to forget how valuable water is, where it comes from, and what it looks like in nature. One means to get re-connected to the water element and the water you consume is to go and discover your regional watershed! Do you understand where your drinking water comes from? Do you know the name of your regional watershed? Exactly what’s its environment looks like? What creatures and plants drink from the very same source as you?
Once you show up in nature, see how it feels in your body to be near the source of water that sustains your life. Do you feel a connection with water? Can you see how water belongs to a vibrant environment, a part of you? I have had the good fortune of checking out and meditating by numerous rivers and a couple of watersheds this summer and have actually pertained to the conclusion that each body of water has its own character and provides its own medicine. The sounds and rhythms in water do their part to call us into balance, back to our real self, and into our most elemental state. All we need to do is stop and listen.
Without adequate water each day, you’ll likely experience dehydration, dry skin, tight fascia, stiffness, and constipation on a physical level. In life, you might experience a version of this ‘dryness’ -lack of juiciness, when you over commit in work or social situations, eat a lot of spicy meals, drink excessive amounts of alcohol or coffee, or location yourself in extreme situations, like competing for first place in every sport without correct water and electrolyte balancing. A couple of easy activities such as consuming cooling foods and spices, focusing on leisure time, napping, preparing a trip, or scheduling leisure time every day to be creative can take you from the dry side of life back into the flow. Summertime is preferably the time to chill and be outdoors as often as possible. Offer yourself a break, you deserve it!
One simple mindfulness practice I encourage individuals to think about in the summertime is to become more conscious and knowledgeable about their water consumption and the temperature level of the water they drink. Notice how it feels in your body (hot or cold) after drinking beverages that are room temperature level, warm, or iced cold. If it’s hot out and you want to cool down, consider drinking a glass of space temperature level water with cucumber and/or mint, including a squeeze of lime to your beverage, or making a cup of peppermint or rose tea to cool down rather of drinking iced cold beverages that may really have the opposite result of cooling you down. When you become of aware of what water temperature level works best for you, experiment and location sliced cucumbers or mint leaves in your water to keep you mellow and your water consumption stable.
If you’re looking for some foods to help you stay cool and calm, here are a couple of suggestions for your next see to the market:
- Fats: Coconut or sunflower oil
- Dairy (if you eat dairy)
- Mung beans & lentils
- Vegetables: Celery, cucumbers, spinach, sprouts, zucchini
- Grapes, melons, lime, pomegranate, figs
- Grains: Barley, basmati, white rice
- Spices: Saffron, cumin, fennel
Aromatherapy: Lavender, chamomile, clary sage, vetiver, pepper mint, rose.
Skin Care: Aloe vera put on burnt skin or try a honey facial to hydrate your skin.
Summer Yin Yoga Practice
This sequence I’m recommending is a balancing, yin practice in that it promotes easy, sluggish, peaceful, cooling activity. Discover a comfy place to rest on your back before drawing your knees close to your belly. Take a few moments to close your eyes, unwind and relax, before beginning the summertime yin/restorative practice.
- Pranayama with a reinforce under your spine: time out and unwind after each exhale
- Supine twist with bent knees
- Balasana (child’s posture) with forehead resting on hands
- ‘Reaching under the bed’ pose
- Mandukasana (large knee kid’s present with chest on the floor or strengthen)
- Sphinx
- Virasana
- Ardha Matsyendrasana (mellow version)
- Sukhasana (meditation seat)
Additional asana sequences, details and products consisting of Melina’s DVD, Yoga for the Seasons, Fall Vinyasa and book, Art of Sequencing can be found at www.melinameza.com.
