Please welcome Cambio Teacher Kris Quinones to the Yoga Living Project! Kris has been a steadfast teacher for a few years, subbing classes and offering workshops, and is a Ayurvedic Health Coach specializing in soft tissue, pain relief, and regenerative medicine. Ayurveda is the sibling science to yoga and Kris has curated a list of helpful tips for summer for you. Read below and enjoy!
COOL AS A CUCUMBER – AYURVEDIC TIPS FOR SUMMER
The art of living requires observation skills. If you've been feeling irritable or hyper critical, acid reflux, or rashes are flaring up on your skin, it's time to take a deeper look into your habits. Try these simple Ayurvedic tips for keeping the mind-body calm, cool, and collected.
June 1st marks the start of a new seasonal cycle in Ayurveda. We’re transitioning out of the thaw of spring and lightening the load, but we should also be preparing for nature’s warmer months and its more sharp and penetrating qualities. According to Ayurveda’s elemental theory, Fire and Water are most at play during the summer months.
It’s the time of year when the energy of the Pitta Dosha reigns – providing a strong fire to fuel the many purification and transformation processes it’s so well recognized for. Responsible for all metabolism, cognition, and understanding, the Pitta dosha brings about the qualities of light, heat, and oiliness to name a few. It represents transformation itself.
When in balance, people with a Pitta constitution have a strong power of comprehension and charisma. When imbalanced, feelings of jealousy or hate can arise – as do fire-related physical ailments in the body like arthritis, bursitis, acid reflux, psoriasis, hives, or conjunctivitis. So try these Ayurvedic tips for summer and keep Pitta’s flame from burning your whole house down.
"Whether you're wading in the sea or just watching it, water activities are excellent for balancing the intensity of Pitta dosha and help keep the mind-body cool and supple."
- Keep your food clean. Limit spicy, fried, or greasy foods or they'll knock you out faster than Muhammad Ali. Chlorophyll is your friend and life blood. Go GREEN with smoothies, salads, soups. Beans are cooling, meat is heating. Choose white meats over dark or red. Choose savory over spicy with: cilantro, basil, mint, lemon balm, rose, lemongrass, coconut, dill, fennel, cardamom, coriander over the pepper family. Add more cooling, bitter, or astringent foods like pears, coconuts, cherries, cukes, beans, quinoa, and cranberries to your diet. Use smart sweets like maple syrup or dates over honey. Eat juicy fruits and sweet grains like wheat, rice and oats. Flush with aloe juice if you overheat.
- Give yourself a daily massage with coconut or sunflower oil before getting in the shower (15) fifteen minutes later to rinse. This is best done in the morning. For pitta imbalances, finish your shower with 30 sec. of cold water on the top of your head. Dance & shout if you've got to.
- Avoid prolonged sun or steam exposure – wear a hat, find some shade, limit your time in the steam room or shower to no more than (5) five minutes. Schedule your exercise for early morning when it’s cooler. Moonbathe in the PM for better sleep.
- Wear light natural fibre clothing that is loose fitting. Cotton, linen, hemp, silk are your threads. Cooler colors & hues too: pastels, blues, greens, silvers. Favor solids over wild patterns
- Experience the traditional rejuvenation therapy, Shirodhara, for balancing high blood pressure, endocrine function, and mental health.
- Vigorously scrub your scalp for 60 seconds when shampooing for lymph dumping & brain health
- Practice temperance & play nice. Alcohol, tobacco, and vaping are lighter fluid for your blood. If you tend to be too sharp you won't have many friends. Chillax with walking, exercise and deeper connection. Not exciting, but effective.
Stay cool my friends! -Kris Quinones, LMT, AHC, EYT500
Bio: Kris is a licensed muscular therapist, competitive athlete, yoga teacher and Ayurvedic Health Coach specializing in soft tissue, pain relief, and regenerative medicine. She is the leader of Club Alchemy and the Mind Body Book Club based out of Colorado Springs, and offers traditional wisdom with a practical approach to vitality and longevity - with over 20 years of clinical experience. Check out her upcoming Cambio Yoga workshop "MyoRoll & Release" in August. www.rasa-yana.com
