SUMMER IS HERE !! Season changes have a huge affect on us and it’s so important to work *with* them to feel our best. Summer correlates to a time of outward extroverted energy - movement, action, play, expansion, light, abundance, bringing ideas to fruition and experiencing life whole heartedly. In Chinese Medicine summer is ruled by the FIRE element and during this time of year our own internal fire moves more to our extremities to express energy - even more reason to stay away of overexerting ourselves during the silly season. The organs related to summer are the *heart* and *small intestine*. The heart is the emperor that rules over the whole kingdom (our body) while the small intestine is responsible for the separation of pure and turbid - basically the things that serves us and those which don’t and become waste. These tips are not your ordinary health tips instead they’re approaching things from a holistic view to feel balanced during this high energy time of year.
1. Relax outdoors Grab a throw or blanket and ground down on mama earth with your favourite book, journal, podcast or music and soak up some summer rays.
2. Take a ‘present’ walk Take a regular walk to the next level by being aware of your surroundings – feel all the feels – the way the warmth of the sun and light breeze feels on your skin, the way your clothes move against your body, the sounds you can hear the far distance, the sounds you can hear close to you like your own breath, the colours and textures you come across on your way. 3. Create a summer playlist Music can change our mood and outlook in an instant! Use apps like shazam and spotify to find new tunes that make you smile. 4. Discover a new local market or store.
Finding new places, chatting with locals and supporting your community is a great way to build connection, find beautiful treasures and share the love.
5. Get up with the sun
Mornings are so peaceful, clear and calm and waking with natural light is so invigorating and helps recalibrate our circadian rhythm which helps balance our immunity, mood and hormones. Upload a happy song as your alarm if you use one – this is a serious game changer!
6. Have a picnic
My girlfriends and I are picnic pros! We each bring a plant-based organic dish and throw head into nature or create a makeshift camp setup at one of our homes. Sharing the load of creating delicious food is so beautiful and means all dishes are covered (we usually have a dahl, roast veggies, dips, warm salad, some other warm dish and something sweet!) and is a fun way to get a little food inspo too! Gather your besties, your family or some friends you are overdo to catch up with.
7. Refine your skincare routine
Check in to see if you dedicate time for you and your body – less is more and choosing high quality products is key. Include regular home spa treatments : check out my ‘Radiance Face Polish’ and ‘Radiance Body Polish’ for baby smooth skin and perfect summer glow and the ‘Jade Beauty Tools’ – these are easy additions that have a great impact on our skin.
8. Boost your green thumb
Get a new indoor plant, spruce up your existing ones by giving some extra love with fertiliser, good water and new pot or create a mini herb garden with your favourites. Plants are so calming and always create a peaceful and positive vibe.
9. Get organised
Life is so much better when we have structure and feel like everything is in it’s place. A little area here and there can get us on a roll and have our space supporting us. It’s always great to check in with what we actually have in our home and let go of anything that no longer serves, or as Marie Kondo says, no longer ‘brings us joy’!
10. Fine tune your morning routine
Mornings and how we choose to start them determines everything that will follow for our whole day. Some of my non-negotiables are wake with gratitude, cuddles, feel good music on, brush my teeth, warm lemon water, light an incense and follow my gratitude offering, yoga or other exercise, Zahli walk.
11. Have a ‘self meeting’
Check in with YOU and see where you can add a little love – some of my main categories I tune into regularly are : relationships (friends, colleagues, family, pets, romantic), self (self care, clothes, skincare routine, health and natural treatments), business, adventure and learning (something to look forward to, exploring new places, weekends away, planning bigger trips, learning something new : online courses, hobbies, instrument, language), spiritual (strengthening or learning a new practice, reading inspiring books or listening to podcasts / you tube / documentaries, yoga, meditation, natural holistic treatments).
Enjoy this sun, Miriam x