Summer is the season for floating in water, eating too many cherries, reading under a tree, taking evening walks, counting fire flies, and bathing under the moonlight.
Or is it the season for sticking to your seat, forgetting the SPF, getting another burn, sweating through your clothes, and swatting mosquitos?
In Texas, it depends on who you ask.
This is the duality of summer.
The challenge and the medicine of the season is allowing ourselves to be transformed by the exquisite beauty and excruciating pain — of being alive, right here, right now. Like the pupa in its chrysalis we are invited to be soft and still during the transformation. Maybe this is why summer begins with the Solstice. The word solstice derives from the Latin word "solstitium," which combines "sol" meaning "sun" and "sistere" meaning "to stand still". On the summer solstice the sun appears to pause or stand still, at its northernmost or southernmost point in the sky, before reversing its apparent seasonal movement.
It is a time to bear witness,
To see how far we’ve come,
And illuminate where change is necessary.
Be present, be soft, be still — a simple, not easy, assignment. Especially when we have so much to worry about. Especially, when there is so much happening in the world that can harden our hearts. Especially, when the world is screaming for our attention and everything is so very URGENT!
But this is exactly what our Yoga practice is for — to come home to ourselves, to let our hearts break open, and to let the light in. What would it be like to carve out 5, 10, 15 minutes a day to rest in a relaxing shape, breathe, and just be?
In my yoga therapy practice the answer I often hear is some variation of, “If I stop, I’m afraid I’ll never get up again” or “If I let myself feel it, I am scared it will consume me.” To that, I refer to the late Andrea Gibson…
“Good grief,
Let your heart break,
So your spirit doesn't."
- Andrea Gibson, You Better Be Lightening
It is not heart break we should fear, but the hardening of our hearts. Let your heart break. At some point, we all have to feel it to heal it.
Yoga provides us with the codes for stilling the mind and opening our hearts, while Ayurveda offers tools to balance the body. Summer (in the Western hemisphere) is governed by Pitta dosha, the primordial energy of transformation, digestion, and integration. Dominated by the elements fire and water, Its qualities are: flowing, pungent, sour, sharp, liquid, oily, and hot.
When the qualities of a Dosha accumulate in the environment we are more susceptible to imbalance. Out of balance Pitta can lead to overworking, perfectionism, agitation, irritability, anger, and burn out. In the body, this may manifest as inflammation, aggravated digestion, skin rashes, or issues with the eyes. Since our minds and body are interconnected, adopting a Pitta pacifying diet and lifestyle can promote holistic harmony during the summer season (or half of the year, if you’re a fellow Texan!).
To Pacify Pitta:
🧊Work with its opposite qualities: steady, dense, sweet, dull, soft, dry, and cool.
🧊Favor slow and grounding practices like yin yoga, sitalii pranayama, and meditation.
🧊 Cool off and avoid the sun during the hottest part of the day.
🧊 Favor sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes.
🧊Enjoy seasonal fruits and veg like watermelon, coconut, summer squash, cucumber, greens, and corn.
🧊 Add cooling teas to your diet like hibiscus, rose, mint, and lemon balm.
🧊Favor cooling and anti-inflammatory herbs and spices like mint, turmeric, cilantro, and aloe vera.
🧊 Soften by making time for play, laughter, and fun!
The challenge and the medicine of the season is allowing ourselves to be transformed by the exquisite beauty and excruciating pain — of being alive, right here, right now.
It is a time to bear witness,
To see how far we’ve come,
And illuminate where change is necessary.
To support you in this work….
Karma Yoga: Opportunities for Collective Transformation
✨Aid to Gaza:
✨ Melt the ICE:
Yin Yoga Summer Sploot Practice
✨Click here to download your free PDF guide to chill your mind, body and spirit.
New In Person Offering: Group Yoga Therapy for Anxiety
✨Experience the healing system of Yoga Therapy. Learn therapeutic practices you can integrate into your daily life to help you relieve anxiety and stress. Sessions may include movement and breathing exercises, self-reflection, and opportunities to connect with other participants. Come as you are. Leave a little bit lighter.
✨Thursdays in August at My Vinyasa Practice from 6-7pm
✨Click here to sign up on Sweat Pals
It is an honor to walk this path with you sweet friends. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if I can support you this summer — whether through Yoga Therapy, Ayurveda, or planning your 2026 retreat!
From my heart to yours,
Kaytee