As we approach the summer solstice, we can expect hotter days. Below is information about the Fire Element to help you find balance and stay jovial this summer.

In Ayurveda, health is the state of complete harmony: balance of function, principles, digestion, metabolism, tissue, and elimination of waste. Health affords us a pleasant and vibrant soul.

Are you unsure which constitution you are, or which elements dominate you personally? Increase your quality of life by calling 530.517.0637 for a tailored Holistic Health and Ayurvedic program so you can stay cool this summer.

The Fire Element

~Is used for the successful germination of seeds (plants, mind or seed desires).

~Is felt immediately and can transform, metabolize and breakdown substances, nature and thoughts.

~Burns, consumes, cooks, sheds, brings light, purifies, drives out negativity and brings fertility and prosperity.

When fire is balanced

~The heart properly governs and circulates the blood, ensuring the proper assimilation of nutrients.

~It breaks down (cooks) food in the small intestines, leading to properly-digested food and ideas.

~We can express ourselves freely, having compassion and sensitivity towards others.

~We behave with true fulfillment, creating an equilibrium between heart and mind.

~We embody physical strength, courage, desire, initiative, fertility, passion, purification, and rejuvenation.

~We are positive, strong, courageous, bold, dramatic and passionate about ourselves, others and life.

When fire is unbalanced

~It can move upwards (heat rises), creating agitation, nervousness, exhaustion, heartburn, indigestion, headache, insomnia, sweating, anger, skin irritation and unhappiness.

~Our emotions are one-sided and closed minded, making us judgmental, jealous, blaming, martyrs and victims.

~We may also experience inflammation, irritability, intensity, oiliness, blisters, acne, infection, and/or fever.

Paying attention to what we introduce through the three input channels (air, food/water, and perception), we can work to maintain balance, even with the increased heat and intensity following the solstice.

Regulating our breath by practicing Pranayama, which translates as mind control, is an excellent way to regulate the heat produced this season. Remember, when our breath is still, our mind is still. When our mind is still, we are more aware of the subtle information coming from our five sense organs so that we can adjust accordingly. The three breath practices appropriate during the intense summer months are Nadi shodana, Shitali, or Sitkari.

Choose foods that are sweet, bitter, astringent, cooling, and in season like cucumbers, mangos, watermelon, coconut, leafy greens, asparagus, aloe, and green mung beans. (Remember to eat melons by themselves!) Add Garnishes like cilantro, fennel, edible flowers and lime and special treats like lassis, creamy rice puddings, and fruit popsicles can also be included.

Hydration is extremely important in this pitta season (summer), as it is for pitta constitution in general. Mix 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds in a quart of water and leave it to steep overnight. Then mix 1 teaspoon of rock sugar and sip during the day. This is a sure way to cool the fires of the body and mind. If you find yourself dehydrated, if you’ve been in the sun, or if you have been too hot for too long, add 2 teaspoons of dried peppermint(Mentha x piperita), 1 teaspoon of dried Gota Kola(Centella asiatica), an additional 1⁄2 teaspoon rock sugar, a squeeze of lime, and pinch of pink salt to rehydrate yourself and balance your electrolytes. The goal is to stay cool, calm, and sweet with all of your loved ones and your community this season.

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Do you need Peppermint or Gota Kola? Come pick some up from our Studio Apothecary (530.517.0637).

Your connection to nature

Specialized Movement

Ayurveda and the West

People are becoming more proactive with their healthcare and wellbeing. Demand for knowledge about self-care to prevent disease and enhance our quality of life has instigated an increase in modern scientific research about ancient practices like Ayurveda, which translates as the “science of life.” Ayurveda is a science-based healthcare system with practical therapies and techniques such as breathing exercises, meditation, massage, mantra, diet, nutrition, Yoga, a sister science to Ayurveda, and the use of natural herbs. Based in Vedic philosophy's timeless wisdom that reconnects people with their environment and true nature. Ayurveda focuses on how we live in a system of interdependent life cycles. Its relevance today is our desire to maintain health and balance in our fast-paced, high-stress world full of emotional upsets, job changes, ever-growing environmental fluctuations and sedentary, technological lifestyles.

To identify, facilitate and guide a personalized protocol an Ayurvedic Practitioner or Vidya (doctor) studies a client’s inherent nature, or constitution. There are three major constitutional types, Vata, Pitta and Kapha, which are based on the five elements: ether, air, fire, water, and earth. We are all composed of all five elements. Vata, Pitta and Kapha move in the whole system producing good or ill effects upon the entire system the same way that they affect natural ecosystems in nature. Constitution identification, normal or aggravated states of the elements and the natural makeup of the mind determine how individuals react to their environment, lifestyle, food, diet, herbs and how they display susceptibility to different diseases. Ayurveda is complementary to, not competitive with, Western healthcare and disease management approaches. An Ayurvedic Practitioner is trained to recognize and teach the client about these elemental imbalances in the body/mind before they become pathological, proving to be an asset for self-care, mindfulness and enhanced communication to our health care providers.

The aim of Ayurveda is to focus on correcting the root cause of disharmony and disease by emphasizing the importance of perception during the diagnostic processes, both constitutional and disease-specific, rather than just alleviating symptoms or complaints. While many of our personal attributes are genetic, others are acquired from our diet, climate, living conditions and perceptions. People eat, live and act according to their mental states, their emotions and with unawareness of their environments. These undesirable habits and lifestyles can create conditions which are out of balance with our original constitutions and, as a result, manifest in physical, physiological and emotional disharmonies and disorders. Recognizing to what extent we have deviated from our own personal essential nature and seeing the root cause of unbalance is a key point in how we can increase our self-awareness. We take responsibility for our health and create positive actions for our healing. If we, as individuals, are not aware of our connection to the interdependent cycles and rhythms we see in Nature, we are not able to identify our own nature, or be responsible for ourselves, communicate with our providers, or choose lifestyles that promote our longevity. Therefore, mind/body medicine like Ayurveda and Ayurvedic lifestyle therapies are important, and a foundation for all other healing modalities.

Ayurvedic practices, such as being mindful to our sensory perceptions and experiences, are gifts from Nature to mankind. Sensory information passes from our minds through our intellects and finally to our souls. When all five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch/skin) are healthy, balanced, and cared for properly, our perception is enhanced. According to Ayurveda, health is the state of complete harmony and balance of functional principles, digestive, metabolic, tissues and elimination of wastes with pleasant and vibrant soul, mind and senses. To stay balanced, healthy and happy, the goals of Ayurveda, it is important to recognize our innate intelligence and to recalibrate our bodies, minds and lifestyle in every season and life change.

See a qualified Ayurvedic Practitioner or Vidya (doctor) to learn more about yourself and how you can increase your quality of life, heal the nature, and have more mindful conversations when remotely communicating with your health care providers. Voice your true wants about your personal health needs and help promote more research in this Science of life called Ayurveda, allowing for more recognition of its benefits and acceptance in the modern world.