Honouring the Summer Solstice: A Season of Light, Movement & Healing
Written by Kim Deschamps, Physiotherapist, Yoga Therapist & Lifestyle Medicine Practitioner
June 14, 2025
The Summer Solstice marks the longest day of the year — a moment of radiant energy, vibrant light, and natural expansion. It’s a seasonal shift that invites us to pause, reflect, and realign with the rhythms of nature — and, just as importantly, with ourselves.
The solstice, typically around June 20–21 in the Northern Hemisphere, is the day when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. Across cultures and traditions, it's long been celebrated as a time of vitality, growth, and light.
As the earth tilts closest to the sun, we’re offered an opportunity to lean into what nourishes us, to reset our routines, and to restore balance in body, mind, and spirit.
At Holistic Physiotherapy & Wellness, this is exactly what we support our clients with — through integrative approaches like Lifestyle Medicine and PhysioYoga, rooted in science, compassion, and whole-person care.
Summer Through the Lens of Ayurveda
In Ayurvedic medicine, summer is ruled by the Pitta dosha — a combination of fire and water. It’s a season of heat, drive, productivity, and outward action. While this energy can be invigorating, it can also lead to burnout, inflammation, and emotional intensity if we don’t counterbalance it with the right practices.
Ayurveda teaches us to live in rhythm with nature — to cool the body, calm the mind, and ground our energy during the hot summer months. This is the foundation of seasonal wellness.
Here’s how that translates into day-to-day care:
Hydration with cooling herbs (mint, fennel, hibiscus)
Cooling foods like cucumber, leafy greens, watermelon, and fresh herbs
Movement in the morning before the heat of the day peaks
Restorative practices in the evening to regulate the nervous system
Intentional boundaries around rest, screens, and social overstimulation
Did You Know? In Ayurveda, excess Pitta can show up as irritability, acne, acid reflux, or burnout. Balancing Pitta with cooling and calming practices supports hormonal health, digestion, and emotional regulation.
A Sample Summer Self-Care Day
Living seasonally doesn’t mean overhauling your life. It means making small, intentional shifts that align with nature’s rhythm. Here's a sample day to inspire balance:
Morning:
Wake before 6:30 AM
Tongue scrape + warm lemon water
Gentle morning movement or walk
Light breakfast with fruit and protein
For more information on tongue scraping click here!
Midday:
Hydrating lunch (greens, grains, protein, herbs).
Time in nature or screen break
Evening:
Cooling herbal tea
Restorative yoga or breathwork
Limit stimulation (reading or listening to an audiobook or meditation) after sunset
Turn all screens off at minimum 30-45 minutes before bedtime
Bed by 9:00 -9:30 PM to be sleeping by 10:00 PM
Here is a list of pitta recipes to ensure you are nourishing your body in the pitta season: Pitta Recipes
Evening Reset with Pitta Cooling Tea 🌿
One beautiful way to support your body’s natural transition into rest is with a cup of Cool & Calm by Pavaani Ayurveda.
Crafted with soothing botanicals like peppermint, rose petals, fennel, and licorice root, this Ayurvedic blend is designed to pacify Pitta dosha—especially helpful in the heat of summer. Its naturally sweet, floral flavor and gentle cooling properties help calm the mind, ease digestive tension, and promote a sense of peace before bed.
Sip it warm after dinner or during your wind-down ritual to:
Cool the body and reduce heat-related irritation
Soothe the nervous system after a full day
Support gentle digestion and relaxation
Cool & Calm Blend
Balance excess heat, ease stress & refresh your mind with Cool & Calm Blend Tea, a caffeine-free, pitta-balancing herbal infusion designed to support mental clarity, calm deminer, digestive balance & skin health. This cooling blend soothes the nervous system, detoxifies the body & promotes a sense of inner calm.
Infused with Brahmi, Hibiscus & Peppermint, this Ayurvedic formula helps clarify the mind, purify the skin & support a healthy digestive system. Whether enjoyed hot or iced, this blend invites you to stay cool, clear & collected throughout the seasons.
Key Ingredients
Brahmi
A powerful Ayurvedic brain tonic, Brahmi enhances memory, focus & emotional balance while promoting mental clarity & stress resilience. Tridoshic in nature, it supports vata, pitta & kapha.
Peppermint
A natural coolant with soothing digestive properties, Peppermint helps relieve bloating, indigestion & excess heat. Rich in antioxidants, it also supports immune function & overall vitality.
Hibiscus
This vibrant antioxidant powerhouse is packed with vitamin C, helping to detoxify, support heart health & promote radiant skin. Hibiscus tea is traditionally used to lower internal heat & nourish the body.
Fennel
A gentle digestive aid, Fennel supports gut health, reduces bloating & soothes inflammation. Revered in Ayurveda for its cooling properties, it helps maintain digestive balance & refresh the senses.
📌 Looking to purchase the Pitta pacifying, Cool & Calm Blend Blend? Come check out our wellness boutique in our clinic! Our clinic is located at 302 4th Ave N, Saskatoon, SK S7K 1K7.
Let this herbal tea become a comforting anchor in your summer evening rhythm—one more way to align with the season and support your whole-body balance.
These rhythms nourish your nervous system and support deeper sleep, stable energy, and improved digestion.
Lifestyle Medicine: Rooted in Routine
As a Lifestyle Medicine Practitioner, I’ve seen how small changes in daily habits can have lasting impact. The solstice is a natural checkpoint — a moment to reset. It reminds us to look inward and ask: what do I need to feel better?
Lifestyle Medicine focuses on evidence-based pillars such as:
Nutrition
Physical activity
Elimination system harmony
Stress management
Restorative sleep
Social connection
Purpose and meaning
Together, these create the foundation for long-term healing, particularly for those living with chronic conditions, burnout, fatigue, or nervous system dysregulation.
The Role of PhysioYoga in Summer
PhysioYoga blends the clinical knowledge of physiotherapy with the ancient wisdom of yoga therapy to restore physical function and regulate the nervous system — essential tools during a high-energy season.
In the summer, PhysioYoga can support:
Joint mobility and circulation
Pelvic health and core stability
Breath awareness and vagal tone
Recovery from burnout or overstimulation
Emotional regulation and resilience
Did You Know? In Polyvagal Theory, slow, intentional breath and gentle movement help shift us from “fight or flight” to a state of safety and connection. This is the heart of nervous system healing.
Whether you’re navigating hormonal shifts, chronic illness, digestive issues, or simply craving more balance, PhysioYoga offers a personalized and accessible path forward.
A Personal Note
Recently, I supported a client navigating post-COVID fatigue and sleep disruption. With small seasonal changes — cooling foods, shorter work days, gentle morning movement, and evening breathwork — she began sleeping through the night and waking with more clarity and energy. Healing didn’t come from pushing harder, but from aligning with what her body truly needed.
The solstice reminds us: light lives within us too. When we make space for stillness, rest, and reconnection, healing follows.
Ready to Realign?
Curious about how PhysioYoga or Lifestyle Medicine could support your summer wellness?
Book a FREE Discovery Call and explore what care looks like for you. I am looking forward to meeting you.
With warmth and light,
Kim Deschamps
Physiotherapist | Pelvic Health Therapist | Yoga Therapist | Lifestyle Medicine Practitioner | Dry Needling Practitioner
CEO & Founder, Holistic Physiotherapy & Wellness