A Mindful Approach to Summer’s End

We are officially in the dog days of summer. Ever wonder where that term comes from?  As a dog lover, I just had to find out. Its origin is Sirius, the Dog Star, which rises in late summer. In ancient times, Sirius’ appearance coincided with scorching temperatures, drought, and heat-induced madness… in both people and dogs. Thankfully, air conditioning keeps us sane today, but 90+ degrees combined with high humidity can certainly mess with our routines and keep us from creating new ones.

How to make the most of these final summer days without the heat getting the best of us?

Relate, refresh, ready: 

If you are lucky enough to be on vacation, and even if you’re not, this is the time to truly connect with family and friends. Enjoy the garden’s generosity and relax around the table……“Sobremesa,” as my youngest says. This is also a good time to use the slower pace to plan ahead for fall and winter like organizing holiday gift lists, gathering healthy recipes, and planning dates for family get-togethers.

Pause for gratitude:

Life moves fast, even in the summer. But if we’re intentional, we can notice and appreciate all the blessings of the season. Yes, it’s really hot, but thankfully, it isn’t really cold.  The days are long, giving us more time to enjoy.

Work with the season:

Yes, the heat can deplete our energy to the point where we just  muddle through the workday. The answer for me is to move early. Hit your 10,000 steps before the sun is high and take advantage of the longer days to add in breath work and meditation.  My new Oura ‘smart ring’ and app is a game changer.  It has breath work, meditation, sound healing AND movement and it keeps me on track to get it all in before I do anything else. And when I do, creativity just happens.

Let it flow:

Just like a seed holds the potential for life to burst forth and flourish, every day is an opportunity to look inside yourself and gather the resources to transform. You have a well of creativity and strength, and when you take care of yourself, you’ll see that they just flow.

Like the Summer that comes on quickly, so does the Fall. Creating a routine now of mindfulness and movement will keep you grounded when the busyness arrives.

Be grateful, stay present and remember that every day is a gift, so live it to the fullest.