Now that it is summer...
Jun 27, 2021
I hope you enjoyed the Summer Solstice this past Monday and that you are inspired by the abundance of light that currently fills our days. As I deepen my studies of Yoga and Ayurveda, I am continually brought back to how the elements play such an important role, not just in what we eat but also in how we feel emotionally.
Summer is the season of fire (Pitta).
Fire is the element of transformation and action. If directed well, the fire element can fuel taking productive risks, being willing to be more visible in the world, and turning dreams into realities. If undirected and unattended, the fire element can lead to saying things we later regret, making rash decisions, or literally burning out from pushing ourselves too hard. Knowing how to keep your cool is your superpower this season, especially if you have a lot of Pitta in your constitution. For instance, connecting with nature, swimming in cold water, eating cooling foods, getting enough rest, and using meditation and breathing techniques are all helpful cooling activities. If you choose to harness this fire energy and focus it on the desired outcome, what are you ready to transform in your life this summer? What is your life energy calling you to express or create?
Here is one of my favorite Mary Oliver poems to inspire you on your summertime exploration:
The Summer Day
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper,
I mean - the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down -
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention,
how to fall down into the grass,
how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed,
how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
~ Mary Oliver
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