Seasonal Support: Summer
Navigating Hot & Dry Summer with Herbal Remedies and Movement Practices
In the clinic these past few weeks, I've noticed an increase in heartburn/GERD symptoms, low back or sacral discomfort paired with neck tension, and heightened feelings of pressure and urgency—all complicated by the desire to slow down and move more fluidly.
Many traditional medicine philosophies connect our health and embodied experiences to seasonal patterns. As a clinician, I've observed consistent patterns across seasons that affect people physically, mentally, emotionally, and energetically.
I recall last summer around this time—as the season peaked with heat, growth, and longer days—sensing a curious duality. On the surface, this growth season appeared slow, lazy, and spacious, yet underneath lurked a pressurized experience of small movements, changes, and transitions.
Many of us experience this same duality. We're ready to embrace a gentler pace—school's out, work eases, and long weekends beckon. The heat naturally limits our activity. Yet we simultaneously carry the lingering urgency from the previous season, with summer's heat creating rising energy that has no clear outlet. Without mindfulness, these sensations can disconnect us from our roots, causing our bodies to arch and collapse as they respond to perceived expectations and environmental temperatures.
In traditional theories, summer is linked to heat and wind-related conditions. When excessive, these elements create a "bubbling up" of tension, pressure, and fluid—as seen with reflux. In the body, this often manifests as a disconnect between the lower and upper spine, with the diaphragm pulled upward and forward, creating a persistent shallow breath. The most superficial tissues become too relaxed or gummy, while deeper layers remain tense with a "ropey hotness." Deep internal pressure combines with poorly defined outer boundaries, creating a pattern of outward passivity and inward defensiveness.
From a movement perspective, I find myself drawn to yoga-based practices during this season. These movements emphasize strong internal push/pull dynamics, rooting and rising qualities, and reinforcing healthy external boundaries while allowing multidirectional internal flow.
Emotionally, these seasonal patterns can manifest as irritability, directionless urgency, unfocused anxiety, and restlessness.
What can we do to support ourselves and each other during this season?
Supporting excess heat and wind depends on your unique constitution and biological needs—so please consider the following suggestions with that understanding.
Beneficial in-season plants include marshmallow root or leaf and flower, chamomile, lemon balm, tulsi, mints, hibiscus, and rose.
If you're seeking alternative approaches to managing heartburn or GERD, marshmallow root infusions or teas with marshmallow leaf and flower can be excellent. Marshmallow is a cooling demulcent (lubricating and coating) herb that works similarly to over-the-counter or prescribed antacids. For powdered root, prepare a cool infusion: let ½–1 tablespoon steep for at least 4 hours (overnight works well), strain, and drink about a cup 30 minutes before meals or at the first sign of heartburn. While not a long-term solution, this provides wonderful short-term relief for acute symptoms. Marshmallow leaf and flower offer milder demulcent and cooling effects and combine well with hibiscus and chamomile in cold or warm infusions. I've included my favorite recipe below. Marshmallow also heals the gut lining and can help with ulcers.
Hibiscus is rich in antioxidants and vitamin C with cooling, astringent properties. Astringents help those feeling uncontained and directionless during this season. The cooling effect of hibiscus and similar flowers soothes, gently moves, and supports deep regeneration. If hibiscus isn't available, rose petals make an excellent substitute!
Chamomile is a beloved classic with mild bitter properties and gentle warming effects. It supports the gut-brain connection and helps with "hot" emotions (irritability, anxiety, restlessness, discontent). Bitter herbs stimulate the digestive system appropriately, which can help correct imbalances in acid and bile production—underlying factors in heartburn, GERD, IBS, SIBO, and other digestive irritations.
Lemon balm and tulsi are wonderful adaptogenic herbs that address the longer-term effects of excessive heat. They support metabolism and the nervous system during hot seasons while bringing intention to energy flow within our physical bodies. Mints have a dispersive action while being both cooling and warming. They help disperse gas buildup, aid nutrient breakdown and circulation, and release deep internal heat to the periphery for recirculation.
My summer cold infusion for addressing excess HEAT, whether external or internal:
Per 4 cups of room temperature or cool water (or a pitcher):
1 tbsp hibiscus or rose petals
1 tbsp chamomile flowers
1 tbsp marshmallow leaf/flower if available
1 tbsp lemon balm, mint, or tulsi
Gently mix and let sit for 4-12 hours, either on the counter or in the fridge.
Strain out plant materials and refrigerate for up to three days. Enjoy daily with ice and a bit of lemon juice if desired!
This time of year it’s also common to be drawn towards cooler food groups: salads, smoothies, fasting practices, etc. Now for those of you with warmer constitutions, this probably comes with no issue. For those with cooler constitutions, though, you may notice more complaints from your digestion (bloating, constipation or loose stools, pain, heart burn, etc). In either case it generally doesn’t hurt to add a little warmth to those cooler, seasonal foods. Make salads with a vinaigrette to support bile production and breakdown of the food through the digestion, try out a marshmallow infusion before meals if you experience acid reflux, add some ginger or cinnamon to your smoothies, sip peppermint and chamomile tea (iced or warm) to minimize bloating and discomfort, talk to your local herbalist about utilizing digestive bitters or specific herbs to support your digestive system in this season of your life.
Below you'll find a short video recording demonstrating some of my go-to movements for supporting the connection from bottom to top in our physical bodies, along with breathing techniques.
I had a discussion with a few clients this week where they expressed the desire to be doing XYZ but didn’t feel like they were on the track to get to XYZ. When I inquired as to what “being on track” might look like and feel like, a lot of what they supposed it might be was actually well within the range of things they were already doing and experiencing. It’s interesting for all of us to consider, often, what we are already doing that may be moving us towards our in the future intentions. The discomforts we encounter today - inclusive of the anxiety, the fear, the urgency, the pull to do more but also to rest more - may actually be the rough ingredients to that future moment we idealize. When we look back with the power of hindsight, often we have glazed over or bypassed entirely the “goods” we’ve accomplished or experienced and then wind up in a perpetual cycle of “if only I did XYZ I would get *insert desired feeling state or life moment*” that keeps us distracted from noticing the *insert desired feelings or life moments* that are, in fact, already occurring.
Summer is such a wonderful manifestation of this. So much growth under the surface that leads to a flower or a fruit that we see form. We don’t see what is happening within the stems and leaves of that plant to end up with that flower or fruit - but there is inevitably a tonne occurring behind the scenes. What is metamophosizing within you in this season? What is the heat and the wind catalyzing or transforming? In your wildest dreams - what is the fruit or flower going to look like in your life over the next few months?
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