Natural Living

Summer rituals: To feed your soul

Celebrate the sun in all it’s glory by creating new habits this season

It’s easy to feel anxious about social gettogethers, holidays with the extended family and utilising all the sunny weekends you have at this time of year, but as the weather gets warmer, you might feel more inclined to lie about in the sun. Making the most of summer isn’t just about buying a new wardrobe, or trying to top-up your tan. In fact, soaking up the goodness that this season has to offer means taking a step back from the hustle and bustle, and slowing everything down. To help you feel grounded and at ease with the changing of seasons, we’ve come up with a few rituals that can help you create a more holistic summer for both your mind, body, and soul.

Enrich your diet

Summer is full of opportunities to stock up on foods that you wouldn’t normally get allyear- round. “The summertime produces the most wonderful foods such as strawberries, which are particularly rich in vitamin C, as well as raspberries, apples, runner beans, fennel, cucumber, melon, rhubarb and rocket,” says Henrietta Norton, founder of Wild Nutrition (wildnutrition.com). “Eating seasonally ensures you are getting the best flavours and nutritional value from your food, and it’s also environmentally friendly.” Why not make a list of summer seasonal foods that you’d like to incorporate into your weekly meal plan? A trip down the farmer’s market will demonstrate the abundance of produce available for this season.

Use your green fingers

Spending time in nature can help connect your mind and body to the environment, and summer is the perfect time to give your garden some well-deserved attention. You might have neglected your outdoor space during the winter, but this is the time to channel your energy towards it. Spend some time introducing elements that stimulate your senses. As summer takes hold, you can add plants that are more ornamental to impact your senses, such as shrubs like hydrangea, lavender and buddleja. Stimulating your hearing is also important; consider adding wind chimes or a water feature, depending on what sound makes you feel calmer. Fragrance is also a point to consider and sweetly scented roses leaves, such as artemisia and canyon daisy, can help with this. When you’re gardening, go barefoot if you can, as direct physical contact with the electrons on the surface of the earth can help with sleep difficulties, chronic pain and inflammation, according to a study from The Journal of Environental and Public Health.

Meditate your worries away

Summer isn’t a six-week holiday for everyone, and if you find that your days and nights are being taken over by last-minute plans, then it can be hard to stay present. It can be hugely beneficial to add a 10-minute meditation routine into your morning at this time of year, so make this the summer that you get to grips with this ancient practise. Mediation is all about trial and error, and while it might not work for you straight away, if you practise for long enough you can find that your sleep improves, your stress levels decrease and you feel happier. Since it’s warmer than usual, try to find a spot outside, in the shade, where you can enjoy the fresh air and keep yourself immersed in nature. Guided meditation podcasts or apps, such as Headspace, found on the app store, have hundreds of meditation exercises and offer reminders and quotes to keep you motivated.

Keep a journal

Journaling isn’t just a way of putting your thoughts and ideas to paper, it’s also a great grounding ritual. Dedicate some time to journaling in the summer months, and you’ll head into autumn with a new awareness about your body and your mind’s capabilities. If you’re stuck thinking what to write about, then take some inspiration from the sun. Think about when your energy peaks during the day, what makes you feel more driven? Consider what you need to let go of now and what no longer serves you in summer that did in winter. It could be a job, relationship, or even a new hobby that you’ve fallen out of love with. Give yourself 10 minutes first thing in the morning, or last thing at night, to reflect on the day before, and you’ll experience a new gratitude for everything around you.

Take a soak

Much like your wardrobe, the type of bath you take should change with the seasons. Summer is a chance for renewal, so creating rituals that make you feel rejuvenated is essential. Baths that include incense, herbs and salts in their tubs, can help you to feel more invigorated. Not only does incense lift spirits and heighten the senses, but the addition of salts and herbs are believed to soothe existing aches and help calm nerves. Summer herbs such as lavender, chamomile, peppermint, and rosemary, can make wonderful additions. You can take these from your garden and hang them in a dry place in your house for a few weeks, or you can purchase a number of different types from any independent health stores that have already been dried. Dry brushing, an age-old process of brushing the skin with a natural brush to stimulate lymph flow, improve circulation, exfoliate the skin, and help with lymphatic drainage, can help you feel refreshed – a great body ritual to incorporate at this time of year.

Energise your space

Attuning yourself to the energies around you can help with the transitioning of seasons, and if you keep crystals already, then think about how you can tune the energy to your home to match the vitality of summer. Crystals such as citrine have a solar connection and are believed to possess the energy of the sun. Ruby can also add additional sunny energy, as it represents two of the season’s strongest qualities: life and heat.

Crystals are believed to cause shifts in atmospheres, so consider where you want the different energies in your house to cultivate before you place them. Ruby and citrine can have the same effect as opening the blinds on a sunny morning, so keep them away from your bedroom, where you want to try and create a more serene, dark environment to aid sleep.