GrishmaRitucharya
In summer season Grishma Ritu lasts from mid-May to mid-July. The Fire and Air energies dominate this season drying things out whilst increasing both the Pitta and Vata energies in the body. Your Agni is an all-time low hence keeping things at an all-time low or keeping them light is important. Grishma Ritu , the last season of Aadaan kaala lasting from May to July foresees the sun robbing the earth and people of their strength along with penetrating rays with dry winds leading to weakening of the earth’s cooling properties. Amidst this period the Pitta dosha increases immensely and excessive heat in the environment leads to lowering of the digestive fire, hence we must eat moderately.
Ayurveda, the age-old science of life has always focused on the maintenance of health and preventing diseases following proper diet and lifestyle regimen rather than treating and curing the disease. The ultimate principle followed in the Ayurvedic system of medicine is SwasthyashaSwasthyaRakshanam aiming to maintain the health of the healthy ones rather than AturashyaVikaraPrashamanancha, yielding to cure the diseases of the diseased. For this purpose a seasonal regimen, Ritucharya has been mentioned in our classics of Ayurveda.
Seasonal regimens (Ritucharya)
Ayurveda stresses a lot about the role of seasons on the body and advises that we must change our daily routine depending on the seasons. This is known as Ritucharya. As the seasons begin to change it aids in preserving the health.
As 2 months make one Ritu, we have 6 Ritus, unlike western culturewhich has 4 seasons i.e. winter, spring, summer and autumn.
- शिशिर (Siśira) – Late winter
- वसन्त (Vasanta) – Spring
- ग्रीष्म (Grīṣma) – Summer
- वर्षा (Varṣā) – Rains
- शरद् (Sharad) – Autumn
- हेमन्त (Hemanta) – Early winter
| Dosha | Season for accumulation (Sanchaya) | Season for provocation (Prokopa) | Season for soothing (Shaman) |
| Vata | Grishma (mid-May to mid-July) | Varsha (mid-July to mid-September) | Sharath (mid-September to mid-November) |
| Pitta | Varsha (mid-July to mid-September) | Sharath (mid-September to mid-November) | Hemanta (mid-November to mid-January) |
| Kapha | Hemanta (mid-November to mid-January) | Vasanta (mid-March to mid-May) | Grishma (mid-May to mid-July) |
Grishma Ritucharya
Its summer season, Grishma Ritu lasts from Mid-May to Mid-July. Fire and air energies dominate this season, drying things out and increasing both the Pitta and Vata energies within the body. Your agni is at an all-time low, so keeping things light is a must.GrishmaRitu is the last season of AadaanKaala lasting from May to July when evidently the sun robs the earth and people of strength because of the strong penetrating rays and dry winds which lead to the weakening of the cooling properties of the earth. It is also during this period that the Pitt Dosha increases immensely in the body. Excessive heat in the environment also leads to lowering the digestive fire and therefore, we must eat moderately.
What to eat:
It is the time of the year when you are advised to eat sweet, light, cold and mineral rich food. Go ahead and eat lots of herbs and drink plenty of fruit juices and avoiding sour or pungent and warm foods. Keep yourself hydrated with good amount of water and taking ample antioxidants. The ideal Grishma diet involves lots of fresh fruits and veggies such as cucumber, asparagus, celery and leafy vegetables.
Recommended Lifestyle:
It is advisable to sleep for a while during the daytime in a cool and quite place since the nights are shorter during the summers whilst applying the paste of sandal all over the body and then take a cold water bath. Always trying staying indoors and not getting exposed to sunrays as far as possible using thin and light clothes and perfumes which are cooling in nature.
Recommended Ayurvedic treatments
Abhyanga: The summer season calls for experiment with Abhyanga, the perfect time to go for it. Abhyanga, the Ayurvedic art of massage oil nourishes the skin while soothing the nervous system and stimulating the blood circulation and enlivening the immune system.
This season is typically dry so keeping the skin moisturized is a must.
Shirodhara: Shirodhara is a deeply nourishing and rejuvenating therapy involving steady steam of warm oil being poured onto the forehead. This super relaxing treatment is great for a chaotic state that fire and air can bring to your mind.