3 Cooling Ayurvedic Drink Recipes For The Summer Season
Ayurveda is one of the world's oldest systems of holistic health and healing. It treats health as a balance between the body, mind, soul, and senses, made possible when we harmonize with the cycles and rhythms of nature throughout the year.
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The system's food and lifestyle recommendations vary from season to season, based on the movement of the earth around the sun and the fluctuations in the five ayurvedic elements in the atmosphere. In the summer season, vata dosha, which corresponds to movement, is naturally high. Pitta dosha, which corresponds to fire and water elements and governs metabolism, is also increasing and peaks in the fall. Therefore, it's important to consume foods and drinks that are balancing to both vata and pitta doshas in the summertime.
The taste profiles that are most balancing to both of these doshas are sweet foods like fruits and nuts, moist foods, and liquids. Here are some of my personal favorite ayurvedic cooling drinks that follow seasonal guidelines and can help to keep you calm, happy, and healthy this summer.
Fig & Date Milkshake
In ayurveda, figs are considered incredibly nourishing and energizing, as well as mood-stabilizing. They belong to the category of foods that promote mental health, known as sattvic foods. A National Institutes of Health study also reveals how figs can be beneficial for weight management1, cholesterol, constipation, hypertension, and more.
Dates, according to ayurveda, promote healthy hair and benefit the lungs. Green cardamom powder is also considered beneficial for the skin and can aid in healthy digestion. All of these ingredients combined in one drink makes for an excellent morning smoothie option!
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Ingredients:
Serves 2
- 2 cups almond milk
- 2 fresh figs, chopped slightly (dried are fine; fresh are better if possible)
- 2 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
- Organic coconut sugar to taste (optional)
- Pinch of green cardamom powder
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Method:
- In a small saucepan, combine milk, cardamom, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat, let the milk cool down for a few minutes.
- Transfer to a blender, add figs and dates, and blend until smooth.
- Drink milkshake warm or when it cools to room temperature.
Refreshing Rose Lassi Drink
This is a great drink for replenishing your body on a hot day. Roses are considered hrdaya in ayurveda, which means they are calming for your physical and emotional heart. The flower can also be helpful for your complexion and can soothe skin redness associated with allergies, blemishes, dryness, and inflammation.
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Ingredients:
Serves 1
- 1/4 cup plain almond or coconut yogurt
- 1 cup water
- 1-3 teaspoons organic coconut sugar (or other sweetener of choice)
- Rose water or fresh ground rose petals
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Method:
- Blend all ingredients together in a blender.
- Keep blending until it's smooth and drinkable.
- Enjoy!
Mouthwatering Mango Lassi
In ayurveda, mangoes are a very highly regarded fruit, full of medicinal properties: They enhance complexion, give you physical strength, serve as an aphrodisiac, and benefit your heart.
Ingredients:
Serves 1
- ¼ cup plain whole organic coconut yogurt
- ¼ cup fresh ripe mango pulp
- 1 cup boiled and cooled water
- Organic coconut sugar to taste (optional)
Method:
- Combine all ingredients in a large glass or small bowl.
- Churn with a whisk, or process in a blender.
- If adding organic sugar, include now.
Ananta Ripa Ajmera is founder and CEO of The Ancient Way, an organization that carries forward the mission of her lineage ancestors, of health and spiritual freedom for all, and the author of THE WAY OF THE GODDESS: Daily Rituals to Awaken Your Inner Warrior and Discover Your True Self.
The Ancient Way offers a balance of modern day food, lifestyle and spirituality with a centuries' old proven way of life that is close to nature, the gems of Yoga and Ayurveda and the call of spirituality. Ananta also serves as Director of Ayurveda at THE WELL, a modern wellness club that brings together world-class doctors and master healers for a more balanced you.
She is also author of the award-winning book "The Ayurveda Way: 108 Practices from the World's Oldest Healing System for Better Sleep, Less Stress, Optimal Digestion and More." Ananta has taught Ayurveda and Yoga staff trainings at Stanford University, NYU, UNICEF, California Department of Public Health and ABC News - to name a few. She studied and practiced Ayurveda, Yoga, Vedanta and Vedic Psychology deeply in traditional Vedic spiritual lineages for 12 years. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Vogue, Yoga Journal and MindBodyGreen. You can book a complimentary 15-minute consultation with Ananta here.