Methods for Naturally Reducing Internal Heat in the Body During the Summer Based on Ayurvedic Practices
Staying cool and balanced during the summer months can be a challenge, but Ayurveda, an ancient Indian system of medicine, offers a wealth of wisdom to help us navigate the heat.
The summer season, known as Grishma Ritu, is characterized by intense heat and dryness, which can lead to an increase in Pitta, the dosha that represents heat, transformation, and fire. To maintain internal cooling and Pitta balance, Ayurveda emphasizes cool, sweet, and hydrating elements—foods, herbs, and habits that soothe the body and mind.
Ayurveda classifies the year into three dosha-dominant seasons. In summer, the sun's intensity increases, leading to an accumulation of heat in the body. To combat this, adopting a meticulous selection of foods, herbs, and daily routines that are inherently cooling, hydrating, bitter, sweet, and astringent in taste can be beneficial.
Cooling foods like watermelon, cucumber, coconut water, mint, and buttermilk can naturally lower body heat. In addition, herbs such as sandalwood, vetiver, rose, and cumin, coriander, fennel, and cardamom, found in various dishes and treatments, help cool the body internally.
One such treatment is the Ksheeradhara therapy, a gentle treatment where medicated milk infused with cooling herbs is poured over the body or forehead. This reduces internal heat, calms the nervous system, relieves headaches, and soothes sunburns.
Consuming cooling, bitter, and hydrating foods like leafy greens, cucumbers, courgettes, melon, and mung bean sprout salad also help balance Pitta dosha and keep the body cool internally. Herbal supplements with bitter and cleansing properties, such as Ayurvedic blends containing herbs that detoxify and pacify liver and Pitta build-up, promote cooling internally and aid digestion.
Cooling oil massages, using coconut or sunflower oil, help reduce stress, relax muscles, and lower body heat. Bathing with cool water and adding sandalwood or rose water can also help keep the body cool and support emotional calmness.
Breathing techniques like Sitkari and Sitali pranayama, which involve inhaling through the mouth with a curled tongue or through gritted teeth and exhaling through the nose, effectively lower internal heat. These pranayamas are especially useful during the summer months.
Gentle yoga, meditation, and calming routines encourage emotional balance and reduce Pitta-related fiery emotions such as anger, thereby cooling the body internally. Moon Salutation (Chandra Namaskar), Child's Pose (Balasana), Forward Bends, and Reclined Twists are yoga asanas for summer that help cool the body.
Lifestyle adjustments include taking cool showers or baths, wearing light-colored, loose-fitting cotton clothing, performing oil massages, ensuring adequate sleep, practicing cooling pranayama techniques, avoiding sun exposure during peak hours, managing emotions, and practicing gentle yoga postures.
Hydration is paramount in Ayurvedic summer cooling, extending beyond plain water to include infused waters and traditional cooling beverages. Aloe vera gel mixed with cucumber juice can help reduce inflammation and cool sunburns or rashes when applied on the skin.
Avoiding fasting in extreme heat can weaken digestion and cause dizziness. Hibiscus hair rinse can prevent summer dandruff and scalp heat by boiling hibiscus flowers, cooling the water, and rinsing after shampooing.
To balance excess Pitta, Ayurveda emphasizes cool, sweet, and hydrating elements—foods, herbs, and habits that soothe the body and mind. Limiting screen time at night to avoid heat from gadgets and late-night scrolling that can disturb sleep and raise Pitta is also important.
In Ayurveda, moonlight is cooling and sitting under the moonlight for 15-30 minutes can calm Pitta and improve sleep. Storing drinking water in clay or copper vessels can naturally cool and purify water.
The essence of the Ayurvedic approach is to work with the body's natural intelligence, providing it with the right inputs to maintain its thermal equilibrium. Wearing light and natural fabrics like cotton and linen can allow your skin to breathe and reduce internal heat.
By adopting these Ayurvedic remedies and lifestyle adjustments, we can not only survive but thrive during the summer season.
- To combat the intense heat and dryness during summer, Ayurveda suggests cool, sweet, and hydrating foods, herbs, and habits, which soothe the body and mind.
- Eating cooling foods like watermelon, cucumber, coconut water, and buttermilk helps naturally lower body heat.
- Incorporating herbs such as sandalwood, rose, and fennel, found in various dishes and treatments, aids in body cooling.
- The Ksheeradhara therapy, using medicated milk infused with cooling herbs, reduces internal heat and calms the nervous system.
- Consuming cooling, bitter, and hydrating foods like leafy greens, cucumbers, melon, and mung bean sprouts also balances the Pitta dosha.
- Cooling oil massages using coconut or sunflower oil reduce stress, relax muscles, and lower body heat.
- Breathing techniques like Sitkari and Sitali pranayama effectively lower internal heat, making them particularly useful during the summer months.
- Gentle yoga, meditation, and calming routines encourage emotional balance and reduce Pitta-related fiery emotions, helping cool the body internally.
