'August, die she must' - the end of summer

Wild brambles, squash and sunflowers - for me the essence of late summer

On this last day of August, on what has been an extraordinary summer by British standards, I pause to reflect on the changing seasons.

This is quite possibly my favourite time of year. I fall so readily into autumn and appreciate the softening, receptive energy as the earth gets quieter and more still. I am feeling and anticipating that right now.

These late days of summer are so lovely.  I am quite giddy on the soft-toned mellow sunshine, that continues to bless us steadily, gently, constantly, streaming warm love and light through still blue skies.

Because of the continued dry weather, our sacred landscape of Avalon is evermore accessible, my favourite walking paths are uncorrupted by mud and rain, so much so that barefoot walking becomes possible, an imperative even: tender feet are safe on fat cushions of green grass and broad ribbed plantain leaves.

Flowers have bloomed, seeds have set, yet the hedgerows are still vibrant, green, punctuated with sudden bursts of bright berries.

Good foraging is possible: the brambles fruited early in the season and it's now time to look for the much smaller dark purple elderberry, often found higher up in the tree line; one has to be quick as they are much favoured by birds.

Cow parsley produces skeletal mandalas of burnt brown seeds and above them green acorns are swelling in size. Not yet ready to fall. But the cob nuts have and litter urban pavements around Glastonbury, crunching satisfyingly under foot, and are mostly taken by squirrels.

I have not yet seen conkers, horse chestnut fruit, in their spiky punk rocker casing coming down from the trees. Two large empresses on Bulwarks Lane, off Wick Hollow are consistently abundant and I am waiting for them. Their falling usually coincides with one of society's great autumnal markers: 'back to school'.

Yes, so summer is still here, yet on her way out, 'August, die she must'. 

This is a time of fading, of passing, of ever increasing stillness, of quiet returning to the land and our hearts too. We do well to remember that we too are natural beings, as much as any tree, flower or blade of grass. We are subject to the earth's rythm; our bodies know it and are synchronised to this rythm even though we might seek to override Nature by eating out of season food shipped from far away, by using electric light to lengthen the day.

Such a sweet peace is on its way, which would benefit us to attune to. Here's some help from ayurveda.

- Stay connected to the sun at the joints of the day: observe sunset and sunrise to support circadian rythms and promote restful sleep

- Eat seasonal food: cooked with gentle spices that that boost digestive fire as the weakening sun weakens our digestion accordingly.

- Introduce oils to bodycare: warmed sesame to feet and wrists will help pacify vata aggravation that is around the corner at autumn equinox.

- Slow down, or build pauses for rest and contemplation into your day, again harmonising with the slowing of growth in the natural world.

-As we prepare for harvest time, harvest the good that we have received this summer; reflect upon and store happy memories and give thanks!

-Prepare yourself psychologically for a change, the loss of summer for many feels like a death, but we can look ahead to rich texture of autumn with its possibilities for increased comfort, warm, and nurture.

Be well
Jennifer

Summer yoga: creating a balanced practice with ayurveda

Peaceful, easy twist

I love, love, love the summer; the bright, early mornings are a perfect call to practice. Holding the sun in my heart I begin my sun salutations with a joyful spirit. The body is warmer and looser in the summer and it should be possible to sustain a vigorous asana practice. 

Here are some suggestions: 

 - Surya namaskara; between three to five each of type 'A' and 'B' from the classic astanga vinyasa practice. Or vary the classic hatha sequence; introduce a standing twist following warrior. 

 - Use the power and energy of a strong inhalation to sustain standing poses such as garudasana and utkatasana, holding each for five slow breaths, maintain drishti!

 - Explore backbends and twists more deeply; the exhilaration and freedom of urdhva dhanurasana is hard to beat! 

Now for balance: let us not be tempted to create a one-sided yang practice; imbalance is the cause of stress and ultimately injury and illness in the body and mind. Ayurveda advises us to temper the pitta or fire element of summer with measures that cool the constitution. We wish to avoid overheating the body and the emotions! 

Meditative shoreline practice at dusk

 - Favour the cool early morning or dusk. Refrain from practising between midday and three pm when the sun's energy is most powerful.

- Enjoy strong poses, but release any forcefulness or competitive thoughts. Don't be tempted to push yourself  further or deeper; cultivate a relaxed attitude of lightness and playful enquiry.

 - Counterpose strong asana with restorative poses: forward bends and supine twists. Lengthen your exhalation in these poses and surrender deeply, allowing the body to fully relax.

 - Practice in loose clothing made from natural fibres, light colours if possible: pale blue, green and white evoke the cooling tones of  nature. 


 - During meditation, focus on heart centred loving thoughts; releasing irritations and frustrations towards oneself or others.  Metta meditation is great and so is the Buddhist mantra: Lokah samasta sukhino bhavantu May all beings be happy and well.

 - Visualisation: walking along a shoreline at dawn or dusk, feeling the cooling breeze upon your skin, soothed by the calming flow of the waves. 

 - Post-practice: drink plenty of water. For extra benefit add a 30ml shot of pure aloe vera juice.
 
Enjoy your yoga and stay well!

Recommended reading : Yoga and Ayurveda by David Frawley
View additional photos from my visit to Goa, March 2009  on facebook

Summer sprouting, foraging and juicing tips

Vigorous young dandelions, Chalice Hill

Summer is a great time for juicing. Ayurveda instructs us that summer is the season of pitta, fire.  Thus to maintain health through natural balance we need to cool ourselves. Juices are ideal in this regard and can be taken in lieu of meals.

Nature provides: in tropical climates, coconuts grow abundantly and provide excellent nutrition as well as a sweet and delicious drink.

Here in the UK, with a decidedly cooler climate we can make the best of what is offered to us. There are some marvellous water rich lettuces growing well, romaine or cos has the highest nutrient density and juices nicely as part of a light and refreshing green lemonade. I picked up some squat, knobbly cucumbers grown at a local farm, a welcome change from their sleek, smooth skinned cousins.

If you can make peace with the food miles and include European produce, then melons are a good buy at the moment and juice well on their own. The holy grail of melons for me is the dark skinned, red fleshed watermelon; if organic I will juice the rind, where 90% of nutrients are to be found. And then munch down on the slippery dark seeds, nothing gets wasted! The resultant juice is a murky brown; don't be put off; it tastes wonderful!

Fresh new nettle growth, Wick Hollow

The recent contrasting weather of heavy rain and blasting sunshine has reinvigorated the hedgerows of Glastonbury. I have renewed my foraging for wild greens, which adds robustness to summer juices.  My favourite leaves right now are dandelion and nettle. I am looking for new growth as this is where the vitality and vigour of the plant is to be found.

Dandelion leaves should be young: bright green, erect and bursting with life. Older leaves are darker, tired looking and with the classic toothed appearance. Leave behind any nettles that have flowered, their life force is now in the reproductive parts of the plant. Live and let live, let the plant complete its cycle. Look instead for fresh new growth, low to the ground. I pick off the tips, the first few centimeters only.

Sun scorched wheatgrass in recovery!

At home, I have had to modify my sprouting methods. I am finding that everything I plant wants to bolt towards the light. The perspex covered annex which perfectly supports my mini plant kingdom during spring and autumn in summer is conducive to yellowed wheat grass tips and leggy baby sunflower greens.

I  moved operations to a cooler, darker spot and mist more frequently, this seems to do the trick.

Recipe for green summer lemonade:

Whole cucumber, skin on 

Head of romaine lettuce

Melon of choice

Handful of fresh mint

Juice all ingredients, adjusting quantities to taste.  Drink as soon as possible after juicing, ideally immediately. Share with friends and bless Mother Earth for her gifts!

Summer solstice living foods salad

Living mandala of Gaia's gifts

Wow, commented my neighbour, You should take a photo of that!  She had dropped by as I was  preparing lunch - a huge salad.

Making salad has become a ritual, absorbing and gratifying. I include significant amounts of raw plant foods which are alkalising, water rich and high in enzymes, anti-oxidants, phytonutrients. Living foods look and taste amazing, containing prana, chi, essential life force and subtle divine energies.

Now we are at midsummer, the sun energies are their most powerful. Ayurveda tells us this is the time of pitta, fire. Raw foods are recommended to cool any overheating and maintain seasonal balance. Noon, being the pitta time of day when our internal digestive fire agni is highest is the optimum time to eat raw foods. We pretty much know intuitively to eat salads for our summer lunches.

Early morning harvest

I am into rainbow colours, I love my food to look joyful and uplifting. I've been enjoying high levels of physical energy and vitality this solstice time and the exuberance of this fruity, alive food seem to be reflecting my happiness and vitality back to me.

Very little planning is required with salads, one simply selects what looks good and super fresh. I grow a variety of sprouts, herbs and edible flowers. I hunt around the garden for any unexpected goodies and am an avid forager. Sometimes I am gifted produce grown by friends, which seems to taste best of all!

Summer solstice living foods salad contains:

Nasturtiums are easy to grow from seed

Selection of leaves  
Baby sunflower greens
Alfafa sprouts 
Sprouted mung beans 
Sugar snap peas 
Cherry tomatoes
Chestnut mushrooms
Garden peas from pod
Nasturtium flowers
Fennel fronds
Raspberries 
Blueberries
Apple
Orange and yellow bell pepper
Soaked nuts and seeds : almond, pumpkin, sunflower, hazelnut

Dressing: pure fresh lemon juice, unpasteurised apple cider vinegar, flax oil, dried sea vegetables, ground black pepper and cinnamon

Tip : Soak nuts and seeds overnight in a small bowl filled with cold, pure water, rinse and drain before serving. This improves nutritional value and digestibility.

Selected living food links:

Read my about raw food journey on my (archived) blog
Ecstatic Raw

A great book, thorough discussion of the rainbow plant diet with many awesome recipes:
Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine

Adjusting to Springtime, an ayurvedic perspective

We celebrated the Spring Equinox joyfully in Glastonbury last weekend, with ceremony, music, song and dance, marking the point in the annual cycle at which the day and night are of equal length. From now, days are getting longer and next weekend here in the UK we receive a glorious boost of daylight as we turn the clocks back on Sunday morning and officially enter British Summer Time.

You may have felt the renewal of energy that Spring brings, a sense of re-awakening and re-vitalisation. Quite naturally we find ourselves spring cleaning our homes, clearing old growth from the garden, shedding layers of winter clothing, wanting to lose weight, thinking ahead to summer.

We can support the body too at this time of year, through harmonising with seasonal change. From an ayurvedic perspective, spring is associated with kapha dosha, water held in earth. To skilfully adjust, we must stimulate kapha, and counteract the qualities of cold, damp, stillness, accumulation and heaviness. Quite simply we need to warm up, become lighter and more mobile!

Nutritionally, it is all about moving away from rich and heavy foods, reducing oil and adding gentle spices, and bitter, pungent flavours to stimulate digestion. Nature provides: you can find wild spring greens emerging in hedgerows and verges, which tend to be strong and bitter in taste, this reduces kapha. Add to soups, juices and salads. It is important to take expert advice on what to pick, look out for led foraging or hedgerow walks advertised locally.

Movement is the real key to stimulating kapha, vigorous activity of all kinds, energetic bouts of gardening, decluttering and spring cleaning all count! For our yoga, increase the number of sun salutations and up the pace a little. Include more standing poses, twists and inversions and hold these for longer. Prepare for your practice with ujjayi pranayama, which increases inner fire.

The body naturally wants to detoxify at this time of year. Support this with daily dry skin brushing. Using a palm sized natural bristle brush, make light long strokes towards the heart. Any heating essential oils are great to add to your bathing rituals. Try black pepper and ginger. Now is a good time to move from baths (passive, slow, relaxing) to showering (brisk, active). A weekly sauna would be great too for adding heat to the body and releasing waste through the skin.

I also recommend massage at this time of year. Massage will assist the natural detoxification undertaken by the circulatory and lymphatic systems and also helps tone the muscles. Ask your therapist for an energising treatment. This will include percussive movements such as clapping, cupping and drumming, and will leave you feeling alive and awake! Ideally, you would book a series of three to four full body treatments to be taken within a two week period.

Wishing you a vibrant, healthy and happy Spring time!

Cracking joints – an ayurvedic perspective

The sound of cracking joints, perhaps when rotating wrists or ankles is a clear signal that something is not quite right. It is the audible expression of vata dosha, the air aspect of our constitution. The popping sound accompanies the release of gas in the joints.

Usually, this comes about as a result of overexertion, a period of increased activity or movement creates an excess of vata in our system. This effect may be more strongly felt during autumn which is the season of vata: it is a time of change characterised by wind and falling leaves, a drying out as the life force of the natural world is withdrawn as we move towards winter.

If unattended to, vata will accumulate in the tissues of the body and overtime may manifest in degenerative conditions such as arthritis.

To restore balance firstly it is a matter of slowing down and resting. This brings a halt the generation of vata and allows us to harmonise with the seasonal cycle. Joint health is restored through lubrication. Warming, nourishing, heavy oil counters the qualities of vata (light, dry, mobile, rough, erratic). If possible take a professional massage treatment on a weekly or fortnightly basis throughout the colder months. As part of your evening routine, apply lightly warmed sesame oil to the body in light strokes in the direction of the heart. Pay special attention to hands and feet, ankles and wrists.

You may like to use mahanarayan ayurvedic oil, an ancient traditional formula prepared with medicinal herbs that restore and maintain the health of your joints, available widely on the internet, I have found a good brand reasonably priced here.

Wishing you good joint health!

October arrives!

October brings the first frosts, vivid autumnal foliage, the clocks are adjusted hastening darkened evenings and celebration: Hallowe’en, Samhain, Diwali. We bring fire into our lives through lighting and heating our homes, warming food and burning candles.

I enjoy the subtle changes that can be noticed on a daily basis at this time of year: a few final warm, sunny afternoons, the turning of a leaf, horse chestnuts, acorns and beechnuts strewn in abundance in country lanes. The enchanting morning mists, the sharp chill in the air and glorious melting sunsets.

In terms of our yoga, we can respect Nature’s rhythm by slowing our practice and taking a longer savasana so as to harmonise with the resting phase of the annual cycle. We can add heat to counteract the chilly, damp mornings with heating pranayama and meditation on the sun, fire or our own solar centre.

Ayurveda would further suggest the use of warming colours for our clothes and in our homes and taking brisk exercise outdoors at midday whilst the sun is at maximum strength. We might consider supplements to increase the digestive fire such as black pepper and ginger powder, or ashwaghanda to maintain a strong immune system.

I have started using the sauna once or twice weekly to detoxify and add heat and am favouring gently warmed soup over juices. My essential oils have become less floral and more woody and spicy: using rosemary and black pepper in footbaths and for massage.

Enjoy October!

Treatment review: Ayurvedic massage

Here in India, Ayurveda, the Science of Life, represents an unbroken tradition of knowledge and practical application, transmitted by teachers and gurus, often throughout several generations. To take an ayurvedic massage is to receive the benefit of ancient wisdom, so perfectly suited to the most modern of ailments: stress.

I took my massage at a walk-in centre on the main road in Arambol, a thriving yet laid back beach resort in North Goa. These days Goa is peppered with Ayurvedic Centres which have sprung up to serve the tourist economy, staffed largely by Keralans whose home state can quite legitimately be called 'the home of Ayurveda'.
I requested abhyanga sweda, a treatment I have happily recieved many times on previous trips. Essentially, this consists of a thorough oil massage followed by a steam.

Following tradition I was assigned a female therapist, a young, slender Keralan, Sandhya who would shortly be returning south to continue university studies. This was not a spa experience, I was led to a solid wooden couch in a bare room and invited to undress to my briefs. Seated on a plastic chair, I received a thorough head, neck and scalp massage with a heavy application of medicated oil. The same oil was used throughout the treatment, which is characterised by long, flowing repetitive strokes and lashings of oil. This treatment is designed to reduce excess vata, a symptom of overexertion and stress. I should mention that our western sensibilites and etiquette do not apply; the therapist will leave you uncovered throughout the treatment and massage the whole of the bust.

Post-massage I was lead into an adjacent room where the steam unit was being prepared. I can only describe it as something like a quilted jacket crossed with a tent! That is to say one sits inside a structure, often a wooden box where steam is introduced. One is sealed in up to the neck, the head is never steamed as it is undesirable to increase pitta to the head. I stayed here quite contentedly chatting to Sandhya for ten minutes or so until sweat was truly pouring.
I left feeling deeply relaxed and satisfied and will probably take one treatment a week while I am out here.

The treatment lasted about 90 minutes in total and cost Rs 600 (a little under nine pounds sterling).

Adjusting to winter

With the cold weather upon us, it is time to adjust our routine to maintain health. With shorter, colder days advancing we may be prone to feelings of sluggishness, cold, stiffness and the low mood.

To maintain seasonal balance, ayurveda tells us our priority is to stay warm. We can achieve this by wrapping up well, avoiding draughts and taking hot baths. Spending an hour or two gardening or taking a brisk walk provides the benefits of fresh air and daylight, which helps to regulate our circadian rhythms, promoting sleep and keeping the winter blues at bay.

Nutritionally, one should avoid heavy, fatty and greasy food, opting for lightly spiced dishes and warm herbal teas. I personally recommend the Yogi Tea brand which has been developed in accordance with ayurvedic principles, is organically produced and widely available.

Consider taking a massage. At this time of year the benefits are considerable: alleviating stiffness, assisting digestion, circulation and lymphatic drainage, boosting one’s mood and generally leading to a feeling of increased well-being.