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Happy September!

Can you believe it? September is upon us! Such a funny time of year; it’s no longer summer, but not quite pumpkin spice time yet, full of smoke still, and Bend-ites ask: “should I wear a tank top or a sweater today?”.

How do we embrace and become present in this awkward time of the year?

Let’s look at what’s happening from an Ayurvedic standpoint…

The late summer is when dryness is at its seasonal pique, and heat is starting to accumulate (which piques in autumn, oddly enough).

While dryness and heat is UP, digestion is operating LESS because it is balancing with the heat outside so as not to overheat on the inside. — I’ve always noticed I prefer fruits and herbal teas in the summertime, but I didn’t realize how it is still in effect even nearing pumpkin time.

Here’s how to support the natural process of this season:

Internal—

Dietary adjustments:

Avoid anything that adds more dryness and heat. Such as...

- crackers

- dry toast

- granola

- chili

- peppers

- peanuts

- eggs

Include foods that stimulate and cool the digestion. Such as…

• coconut water

• coconut flakes

• raisins

• beets

• asparagus

• butternut squash

• cumin

• fennel

• coriander

• foods with high water content

This doesn’t mean avoid cooked foods. In fact, cooked foods are easier to digest and we want to aid the digestion process. This also does not mean to eat cold foods, of which slow the digestion process and makes it difficult to break foods down.

External—

Behavioral adjustments:

With the thought of dryness, mentally and emotionally we have weakness in the body, low energy, fatigue, insomnia perhaps, and more than likely a scattered mind like the wind.

Let’s slow down the pace as the sun shines less outside. Think: restorative.

Avoid overexertion. Such as…

- Avoid major effort in physical activity (ex: substitute the gym for yoga this season).

- Practice saying “no” to activities and use the time to rest.

- Cut back on using beauty and hair products that dry such as shampoo.

Include activities that are grounding and slow your pace. Such as...

• Do forward folds daily, for grounding from that windy mind.

• Keep to a regular schedule (recommend: bedtime by 10pm, awake by 6am).

• Daily meditation visualizing “cooling”.

• Practice abhyanga (aka: self-massage) daily - which moisturizes the muscles and bones with oils and bring strength back into the body.

Namaste,

Heal Grow Thrive Medicine