Entering Summer, the rhythm of agni (digestive fire) through the seasons is worth appreciating. Appetite and agni are connected. If our digestive fire is strong, our appetite usually is, too.
The three doshas of Ayurveda dance through the seasons; they are not in a steady state. The same is true for agni. It shifts and changes over the course of a year. Ayurveda engages change in a pro-active manner. Here we’ll see how these changes relate to the summer season we are in now.
Moving into Summer
In early summer, we begin with a clear sense that we need to keep cool in the face of Pitta heat. This can be pretty straightforward; drinking more cooling (not icy) fluids, using soothing mists, having a determination to not overwork (if at all possible), resting in shady places when we can, walking and playing in the cool of the day. We take in enough hydration in the face of increased perspiration. The theme is all about keeping cool, while balancing our own, unique blend of the doshas. Since sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes calm Pitta best, It is easy to gravitate toward these. Pomegranate, cucumber, hibiscus, and agua frescas all make good sense.
More fresh, ripe, sweet fruits are available to enjoy in the summer and make easy drinks (see Easy Healing Drinks). Cooling coconut is here to help us in its myriad forms; there’s a range of healthy isotonic solutions for sports.
Pitta-calming, bitter and astringent foods take the form of soothing mint, fresh cilantro, lettuce, Asian greens, and raw spinach. Even in summer Ayurveda uses digestive spices in foods and drinks to support our ability to assimilate nutrients. These spices tend to be milder ones, used in smaller proportions.
With regards to the temperature of summer fluids, Ayurveda takes it easy on extremes. Iced drinks are passed up as they can inhibit hydrochloric acid in the stomach and repress production of digestive enzymes. (Western research on the digestive system substantiates this ancient view). Yet, we also take it easy on hot water at this point in the year because it can bring up Pitta, as many menopausal women can attest.
Pungent, sharply-spiced foods are used in far smaller quantities than in a cooler season. The fewer onions, garlic and chili we consume, the calmer our Pitta is likely to be. (Darn. I made a tasty tofu, Swiss chard, zucchini stir fry last night with generous amounts of red onion. The smell of sauteeing onion can be so inviting.) it’s recommended to take it easy on the hot sun, too, enjoying nature on the cooler edges of the day. We address the doshas of our individual constitutions while simultaneously balancing the Pitta of the season.
Adapting for individual differences
If we have more Pitta or Kapha in our make-up, we can eat more raw foods in summer, including a salad at lunch when agni is strongest. (FYI: Ayurveda considers many raw foods heavy and more difficult to digest. This is particularly true for some of us Vata people, yet not always true for everyone). If we are working with Vata conditions, we trust ourselves and continue to eat more cooked than raw foods, even in warm weather. Our digestive systems can be relied upon to give us the feedback we need, that is, if we’re willing to listen to them. If our stomach’s rumbly-grumbly with salad, we can listen. If it sings with interest, we take that in, too. In general, people with Vata constitution are happiest with the hot humid weather of summer. Pitta can get cranky or droop. Kapha, unless it’s dry heat, may feel oppressed. Humidity is not Kapha’s favorite.
The Unexpected Rhythms of Agni
While many of us approach summer with enthusiasm, it’s actually one of the trickier of seasons to navigate in its duration. At certain points during the summer, we can feel flat-out exhausted. What’s going on? Are we just working too much? Or playing too hard? Part of the issue is excess Pitta, which can produce summer fatigue. Agni is the other factor.
Agni is the creative flame of transformation behind all life, as well as the acidic substance that breaks down food and stimulates digestion, Candis Cantin Packard writes in Pocket Guide to Ayurvedic Healing. When agni, our digestive fire, is balanced and vital, our health is good, digestion, absorption and elimination are smooth; brain fog is non-existent; our senses and consciousness are clear. Our appetite is good. We’re basically happy.
Given the current stresses of life on the planet, such a state of balanced agni, sama agni, sounds like some kind of a fairy tale. Yet this description reminds us that this fire is essential to our well-being and can be part of the solution to some of our difficulties (including supporting healthy blood sugar). With balanced agni, we can take in what we need to nourish ourselves and burn up many toxins before they create problems. Without agni, toxic undigested waste in the form of ama can and does build, ferment, and percolate into our tissues. With low agni, we can feel sluggish, foggy, stagnant, bloated. As a result, our appetite is low and elimination can be slow.
Appetite is an indicator of agni. The better it is, the stronger our digestive fire is, in most cases. Looking at the graph below, where the gold stars track digestive fire strength, you can see agni is actually strongest in winter. As humans, we tend to have the best appetite and the greatest ability to digest food in cool weather. It is at its low point in summer. We need to keep cool, sweat, and drink enough fluids to calm Pitta dosha.
All three doshas can become rather uneasy with one another. How do we respond? How do we eat for this season?
Supports for Agni
How can we positively harmonize all three doshas? Here are some suggestions:
With lower agni, we can eat more lightly.
With lower agni, we can sip rather than gulp fluids.
Choosing clear beverages promotes agni more than opaque creamy ones.
A small amount of bitter taste prior to a meal, whether it be aloe vera juice, gentian or Swedish bitters, can revive dulled agni and calm Pitta and Kapha. (Not necessarily the useful choice for Vata though.)
Small amounts of tasty spices in drinks and foods support agni.
Sky gazing and a clear view can improve agni.
Agni is light and clear; do not impede it. Follow your appetite, do not push it. To work with appetite in summer an Ayurveda perspective is to honor diminished digestive fire, agni, skillfully and practically.
Excerpted with permission from Easy Healing Drinks from the Wisdom of Ayurveda, Morningstar and Lynn, Summer season. Note: Summer and Autumn sections of Easy Healing Drinks are available only in the four-season print book. The eBooks cover winter and spring. The print book has all four seasons.
Summer Rainbow Image thanks to Renee Lynn and Easy Healing Drinks
The Rhythm of Agni Through the Seasons graph thanks to Elizabeth Carovillano and Easy Healing Drinks
Amadea Morningstar is a writer and health educator working in the US. Her latest book is Easy Healing Drinks from the Wisdom of Ayurveda.