Welcome Summer

“Summertime, and the living is easy.” – Ella Fitzgerald

On June 20th, 2024, we experienced the summer solstice. This day marked a transition between the end of the Spring season and the welcome of Summer. The Summer solstice is when the sun, as our fiery orb, takes over the sky, giving us longer days with robust warmth and light. At the Solstice, we experience the longest daylight of the year.  The sun now gives us more energy, which gives us feelings of outward movement, motivation, and action. We notice that we are adjusting our bodies to live in a more hot, humid, and dry climate throughout the summer months.

Each season carries with it an energy, a sense of time and place that resonates within us. When we take inspiration from the changing seasons and adapt our self-care routine to match, we feel relaxed, empowered, and in tune with the natural world.

Summer is nature’s season of growth and maturation. Flowers and fruits are blossoming all around us, and our gardens are sharing their abundance. Both in nature and in our bodies, we are designed to mirror each other. We feel a sense of peace when we connect with this force and engage with our surroundings.  We flourish when we flow as nature does by adapting to the energy of summer.

Emotionally, summer is the season to sit back and admire and appreciate all we have been creating in life. It is the season to take time to reflect on what we have achieved so far this year. It is the season to sit in gratitude and recognize the beauty that is in every moment and in everything. Summer seems to be playing a confident melody that sings, “I am happy, I am here, I am loved.”

Below are ways to connect deeper to this summer season and to embrace well-being.

Summer Self-Care Suggestions

Diet: Summer is a time of intense heat, and we are more active. We need a diet that keeps us cool and light. An ideal diet consists primarily of raw fruits and vegetables, organically grown. This will help us feel lighter, aid in weight loss, and keep our energy strong.

Balance: Take time to enjoy the abundant flowers as the bees do. Deeply inhale and exhale the scents of all that is blooming. Then, sit quietly for a few minutes before you resume your day.

Fresh Water: Water is the elixir of life. It sustains and supports us, so it’s no surprise that being near fresh water has many healing benefits. These include lowering the heart and breathing rate, soothing anxiety, and promoting a general sense of well-being. Find a body of water and enjoy its beauty—a river, lake, or stream. Close your eyes and dip your hands in the water. Tap into the healing energy of water and go with the flow.

• Make it a daily requirement to drink ½ your body in ounces of water. Your body will feel rejuvenated, and hydrated, it will help with weight loss, and your complexion will glow.

Healing: The color of blue is healing. Blue comes in many different shades. Struggling to de-stress? Take your mind into a world of blue for a few minutes. If you cannot lie beneath a blue sky, simply take a sheet of blue paper and gaze at it or close your eyes and let the color fill your mind. Stay. Let the blue color fill your body and your vision. Stay with this feeling until you feel your shoulders drop and your breathing calm.

Scent: Add zest with a tangy lemon. Lemons are refreshing in a glass of chilled water and a treat when juiced into homemade lemonade. Their aroma is cleansing, so it is no surprise that lemons are used in cleaning products.

• Daily cleansing: Add the freshly squeezed juice of a lemon to a glass of water in the morning to cleanse the digestive system and put you in a positive mindset for the day ahead.

Summer Affirmations:  Affirmations are designed to encourage an optimistic mindset. They help to focus on and improve personal values. They help the brain adapt to new situations. There is strength in the repetition of Affirmations.

• “I am energized, engaged, and excited about the future.”

• “I radiate sunshine wherever I go.

• “Warmth lives in my heart.”

• “Every day is a new adventure.”

Forest Bathing: Tune into this season by attending our next Forest Bathing event on Saturday, July 13: Healing with Nature. We’ll explore the reciprocal relationship we share and the benefits of increased relaxation and mental clarity when spending time in nature. We'll also learn basic Tai Chi and create smudge bundles.

Take time for easy living,

Jenny

 “If you are not barefoot, then you are overdressed.” – Unknown