How to Attune to the Season of Summer

Summer is about the Fire Element and all about being light hearted, expressive, creative and fun. When the Fire element is in balance a person will be joyful, full of energy, have clear speech and heartfelt communication with others.

Too Little Fire

In life like in nature there is always a flip side and imbalances do exist. A lack of Fire can be expressed as an inability to speak, lethargy, lack of joy, depression and an inability to love or feel love.

If you feel that you may have a lack of fire doing an energizing Fire Sequence in the morning can help to get you out of your funk :)

Try out Christian's Fire Sun Salutation below.

For a more complete practice do the following:

1. 5 rounds of Sun Salutation A

2. 5 rounds of Christian's Fire Sun Salutation

3. 10-15 Breaths in Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)

4. 10-15 Breaths in Matsyasana (Fish Pose)

5. 2-5 Minutes in Savasana (Relaxation)

Too Much Fire

During summer it is more often possible to experience an excess of fire energy which can express itself with compulsive behavior, a desire for permanent joy, aggression, impatience, going too far and inappropriate laughter.

If you have had some of these tendencies lately doing Chloe's Fire Moon Salutation below will help to cool your body down and rebalance you.

This sequence brings some of the water element into the practice to balance the fire.

For a more complete practice do the following:

1. 5 rounds of Sun Salutation A

2. 5 rounds of Chloe's Fire Moon Salutation

3. 10-15 Breaths in Paschimottanasana (Sitting Forward Fold)

4. 10-15 Breaths in Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose)

5. 2-5 Minutes in Savasana (Relaxation)

Diet for Summer

The important thing here is to stay hydrated especially if you are in a warm area drinking water regularly and promote hydrating foods. Adopting an anti-inflammatory diet is also fantastic to keep slim and energized in the summer.

1. Fruits are perfect for summer as they are light, fresh and sweet. Hydrating fruits such as watermelon, cucumber, pomegranate, kiwi and berries are great options. You can also choose to cut up some fruit and put it in your water to flavor it (avoid drinking ice cold water).

2. Use mint, basil, rosemary, lavender, parsley, oregano and/or lemon to flavor your foods. Stay away from overly fiery or spicy foods in summer as they can raise the heat in the body.

3. Prioritize an anti-inflammatory diet eating lots of veggies such as green leafy vegetables, bok choy, celery, beats and broccoli and limit your intake of sugar, vegetable oils (extra virgin olive oil is ok), additives, trans fats, refined carbohydrates and any foods you may be allergic to (e.g. gluten or lactose).

4. You may find your body likes to eat lighter during the hotter hours. You may also want to attune your body with a 1-Week Summer Cleanse.

Understanding how natures energies affect your wellbeing and having tools to balance it is key to your personal health.

Remember that summer is all about fun, passion and love so make sure you let yourself experience all of that.

Go on a nice date, do a fun art class, eat some good food, let your self relax, go on holiday or just dance in your underwear to some amazing music in your room!