Itay and I have been putting up a yurt. It will be our new temporary home from mid-July onwards.
A few mornings a week, we go there to build it all together with the owner of the land and the yurt. Digging, lifting, measuring, building – it’s quite an adventure, and the heat dictates how the day goes.
On cooler mornings, everything goes smoothly. Everyone’s full of energy, we’ve got a better rhythm, and time flies by. But on days when the heat sets in early, you notice it straight away. Everything slows down a bit. We work, but it’s different – a bit more mindful, with more breaks; I get light-headed more quickly, and we seek out the shade as much as possible.
And then we go home for lunch. In the afternoon, I often do computer work or study, so my body can rest physically. On cooler days, that works perfectly, but on hot days I feel my eyes getting heavy, my body telling me: ‘I’m out.’ A little nap of fifteen minutes, sometimes a bit shorter, sometimes a bit longer, and then I’m fine again.
…it’s just summer.
In Ayurveda, sleeping during the day is not recommended for most people, as it slows down digestion and makes you feel heavy and drowsy. But summer is an exception.
The heat exhausts the body; it works hard to stay cool, and the days are longer too.
what time you eat, what time you go to bed and get up.
Summer calls for a different rhythm to winter, because the sun has a different rhythm and intensity. And that isn’t better or worse, just different. And the more you can go with that natural flow, the less your body works against you.
Have you noticed that the heat is shifting what you need?
Lots of love,
Rianne
