staying cool in summer heat

It is hot out! Yesterday I was booking it across town, and the heat made the scene in front of me actually shimmer. It would be better to be at the beach, but that's not in the cards today, so I'm staying cool in the city.

I recently went to a workshop with Larissa Hall Carlson on yoga for summer, focusing on ayurvedic tips for staying cool. Ayurveda, the sister science to yoga, makes so much sense to me - it is all about balance. During the warm months, to balance out the pitta element that is associated with summer and heat, we should stimulate cooling aspects. Everything has an effect, including what we eat, do, see, and feel. In terms of yoga, balancing pitta might mean focusing on more moderate classes, rather than the most physically challenging vinyasa class. Avoiding forceful breathing (such as ujjayi), closing the eyes, and letting go of competition can also keep your yoga practice cooling during the summer months.

Drinking more water is always important when it is warm, but adding the cooling flavors of cucumber, mint, or lime to water can enhance the refreshing effects. Cool foods such as melon, coconut, and salads will be more balancing than warm or spicy foods. Even wearing cooling colors like blue, green, and white can soothe the eyes and give a feeling of coolness.

I also like to chill out with nadi shodhana, a cooling breath in which you cover one nostril at a time. For most people, it is very calming and refreshing, and it can help with insomnia as well! This video from Larissa shows how it is done. How do you stay cool in summer heat?

city fog

There is something so powerful about not being able to see where a building ends and the sky begins.

The world feels untethered, unbounded, without those weighty lines that hold us to the earth. 

lately

And then spring blooms...

Boston, Forever Strong

There are no words that can express all the emotions of this week in my city. My heart is so heavy. I am thinking of all those who were at the finish line on Monday, and their friends and family. So many people's lives have been forever changed and my heart aches for them. 

My instinct in these situations is to stay home and give into fear. This week has brought up memories of other bombs in another city  and another time that I was lucky. At that time and place I felt so alone and so incredibly vulnerable. 

Tuesday morning I didn't want to leave my apartment, but I forced myself out the door. I left my building and walked all around this city: Dewey Square, downtown, the Common, The Public Garden, and the streets of Back Bay. And this is what I saw: people on park benches, children playing, kind eyes, flowers and signs of support for the victims. There seemed to be an extra gentleness in each interaction. Walking the streets on my own, I felt so connected to the people I passed - there was such a sense of community, and the feeling of safety that that brings. 

Thank you to the many heroes whose quick thinking and selfless actions helped so many people on Monday, to those with extra space who took in stranded visitors, and to those who have walked our streets these past few days with kindness - you have shown me what grace and goodness and strength there is here, and how the light will always find a way. 

I love you, Boston.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”       - Martin Luther King Jr.

These ducklings are ready for spring.

Spring style at the Make Way For Ducklings sculpture in Boston's Public Garden.

Little People Project

Have you heard of the London-based artist Slinkachu? In his Little People Project, he creates and then abandons tiny figures in public places. These mini installations are photographed up close and far away.  Check out the images of his installations from his blog - some are so emotionally affecting. I wish I would happen upon one of his vignettes in my city.