The water (
jala) element plays a significant role in Ayurveda during the summer season to balance the intensity of fire (
agni) which can be transformation or fierce. Water is considered a balancing, cooling, calming force, essential to maintain our health, longevity, and juicy tissues. If you get overexposed to the fire element in nature, or become dehydrated, over-exercise during the hottest time of day, lose sleep, or travel too often, your luscious water body and inner reservoir of life sustaining fluids will begin to evaporate into space and leave you feeling irritated, tired, and unfocused. Without sufficient water and hydration, your inner ecosystem will be in the red-alert, “high risk category” for running too hot and dry in the Pitta time of year, which occurs during June-August in North America.
Water is essential for life as we know it to exist. It is in every plant and food that we eat, in every cell in our body, and within everything in nature, yet it’s easy to forget how precious water is, where it comes from, and what it looks like in nature. One way to get re-connected to the water element and the water you drink is to take a hike and discover your local watershed! Do you know where your drinking water comes from? Do you know the name of your local watershed? What’s its ecosystem looks like? What creatures and plants drink from the same source as you?
Once you arrive in nature, notice 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 is part of a dynamic ecosystem, a part of you? I’ve had the good fortune of visiting and meditating by many rivers and a few watersheds this summer and have come to the conclusion that each body of water has its own personality and offers its own medicine. The sounds and rhythms in water do their part to call us into balance, back to our true self, and into our most elemental state. All we have to do is stop and listen.
Without sufficient water on a daily basis, you will 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 overcommit in work or social situations, eat too many spicy meals, drink excessive amounts of alcohol or coffee, or place yourself in intense situations, like competing for first place in every sport without proper water and electrolyte balancing. A few simple activities such as eating cooling foods and spices, prioritizing leisure time, napping, planning a vacation, or scheduling free time each day to be creative can take you from the dry side of life back into the flow. Summer is ideally
the time to chill and be outdoors as often as possible. Give yourself a break, you deserve it!
One simple mindfulness practice I encourage people to consider in the summer is to become more conscious and aware of their water consumption
and the temperature of the water they drink. Notice how it feels in your body (hot or cold) after drinking beverages that are room temperature, warm, or iced cold. If it’s hot out and you want to cool down, consider drinking a glass of room temperature water with cucumber and/or mint, adding a squeeze of lime to your drink, or making a cup of peppermint or rose tea to cool down instead of drinking iced cold beverages that may actually have the opposite effect of cooling you down. Once you become aware of what water temperature works best for you, experiment and place sliced cucumbers or mint leaves in your water to keep you mellow and your water consumption steady.
Lenser will ensure that your drinking water meets the quality standards.
If you are looking for some foods to help you stay cool and calm, here are a few suggestions for your next visit 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, peppermint, rose
Skin Care: Aloe vera applied to burnt skin or try a honey facial to hydrate your skin
