Hi all!
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend celebrating the art of nurture, and those who continue to hold and guide us as we grow. My family gathered at my brother’s house for a cookout and Greek pastries. Here’s a great PHOTO of my Mom and us.
I’m excited to announce something that I’ve been growing and nurturing…my new website! Check it out!
Preparing for Pitta
It’s starting to get pretty warm here in the Southern Appalachians. The sun shines longer everyday, climbing higher and higher in the sky. We have long since passed the “sprouts” phase, and are well into “flowers”. Even though we are more than a month away from the peak of Summer Solstice, I think this is an ideal to time to start prepping for Pitta.
Pitta is an Ayurvedic dosha. You may remember in the Fall I talked about another dosha, Vata. Summer is Pitta season, as Pitta is ruled by fire and all things bright, hot and dry.
During Pitta season we must be mindful of over heating, dehydration, hot tempers, inflammation and burns of any kind. We want to harness the wonderful, fiery energy of Pitta without succumbing to it.
Pitta season is a great time to grow, to grasp new concepts, and to follow passions. This is the time of year when we sense fresh, fertile ground, and feel the urge to plant like crazy. We do this literally and metaphorically.
The Zucchini Trap
How many of us begin the summer season with about 100 books to read, 10 home projects to finish, a foreign language to learn, 25 pounds to loose, and at least 32 creative projects to begin?
I call this “planting too much zucchini”.
You know that predicament, don’t you. There’s all of this spring excitement, and we feel like we have 100% unlimited, boundless energy to do whatever we want. So, we “plant too much zucchini”. Then harvest time comes, and we’re up to our ears in way too much. We come up with crazy recipes to try and use it all. You’ve seen that cartoon of people stuffing extra zucchini into their neighbor’s mailbox in the middle of the night. We are exhausted, overwhelmed, guilt-ridden that we’re wasting it, and wondering what the hell we were thinking planting it all in the first place.
The trick is to pause right about now. As you stand there, looking at all of your fertile ground, check in with yourself. Determine just exactly how much “zucchini” you have the time and energy for.
This exact pause has been a crucial part of my Summer Self Care Practice. I harness this fiery, passionate Pitta time of year rather than letting it burn me. I don’t spend the summer trying to keep up with all of the damn “zucchini” I planted. I plant just enough, and use the long days to inspire me instead of exhaust me.
And when harvest comes, I can actually celebrate things that I saw to completion, instead of a bunch of half finished projects that leave me feeling disappointed.