This Season’s Self-Care & Worldly Practices

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Summer time is a season to practice presence, revisit memories, and create new ones that help us grow and nourish ourselves.

Summer arrives in a golden, gloomy cloud — and beyond the familiar symbolism of the solstice and school break, it carries deeply personal layers for me. Many loved ones have passed during the months of June and July, so sadness and fear often find their way in.

Still, I do my best to stay present — to witness the small miracles of each day, to soak in the warmth of the season and the hush of foggy mornings, to reawaken my connection to all things. Not by overdoing or pushing sorrow away, but by letting these tender layers breathe and teach me. Stillness and awareness become tools — gentle anchors for holding on to life.

These practices nourish me. They bring me back to comforting memories — like preparing grounding meals, the kind that warm the body, steady the mind, and soothe the soul.

With triple-digit heat on the horizon and our planet in a state of profound change, we’re being called to expand our definition of self-care. For me, self-care includes not just ourselves, but our families, our pets, our neighbors — and the Earth we all share.

Yes, summer invites us to rise with the sun. But let’s resist the rush. Let’s choose presence instead.

As the heat builds, I lean into small comforts: a soft, wide-brimmed hat, breathable cotton fabrics, cooling foods, water with lime, coconut-lavender self-massage (abhyanga), gentle stretches, early morning hikes, evening swims with my children, and quiet cuddles with our beloved dogs and cats. I place bowls of water in the yard for thirsty animals. I check on friends — and they check on me.

Because in a world warming so rapidly, personal healing and planetary healing are inseparable.

In Your Garden

This is a moment of transition — to both harvest what has grown and plant what’s next.

Gardening

Ready to Harvest:

• Lettuce, radishes, peas, carrots, spinach, kale, and chard

• Early potatoes (harvest when foliage yellows and wilts)

• Strawberries and blueberries

• Rhubarb (before it becomes too acidic)

• Basil (before flowering), and other fresh herbs

• Onions, garlic, asparagus (check for hardening or bolting)

Suitable to Plant (late June–early July):

• The Three Sisters: corn, squash, and beans (heat-resilient and ancestral)

• Carrots, beets, onions

• Radishes, lettuce, and quick-harvest greens

• Okra, edamame, melons, sweet potatoes

• Cucumbers, beans, squash, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant

• Herbs: basil, cilantro, dill, and more

Pitta Dosha Season

In Your Self

Now is the perfect time to recommit to your Ayurvedic path — to honor seasonal living as a sacred act of self-healing.

From an Ayurvedic lens, summer belongs to Pitta dosha — fiery, intense, and sharp.

It’s a time to create, move, and sweat — but also to soften, cool, and listen.

Cooling Summer Rituals:

• Drink mint tea

• Walk barefoot on the earth

• Watch the sunrise or sunset

• sonEat light, fresh meals and juicy fruits

• Practice abhyanga with coconut oil or rosewater

• Stay hydrated with mint- or lime-infused water

• Rise with the sun, rest early, and follow gentle routines

My Mama's Healing Soups

Nourish Your Body: Veggie Soup for the Soul

This is one of my favorite summer soups — a grounding recipe I often prepare after a visit to the farmers market. It's simple, healing, and full of seasonal nourishment.

Veggie Soup

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6–8 cups

Vegan | Vegetarian | Ayurvedic | All Seasons | Sattvic (veggie broth) | Rajasic (avocados) 

Ingredients:

6–8 cups fresh water

2–3 celery stalks

1–2 leeks

4 small potatoes

2 carrots

2 zucchini (add last, turn off heat immediately)

1 ear of corn (halved)

1 tomato (optional)

1 onion & 2 garlic cloves (optional)

1 small piece fresh ginger

Greens: kale, chard, spinach, or bok choy

Gardening

Herbs: dill, parsley, cilantro, basil, bay leaf, epazote

Spices: ½ tsp each of cumin, turmeric, coriander; cayenne (optional)

1 tsp coconut oil (summer) or ghee (winter) — optional

Sea salt to taste

Jardin Garnish:

2 ripe avocados (cubed)

Finely chopped fresh herbs: cilantro, kale, basil, dill, parsley

Lime or lemon juice

Optional: chili flakes or sautéed serrano, arugula

A drizzle of olive oil, ghee, or avocado oil

Directions:

Add all base ingredients (except zucchini and herbs) to a pot. Simmer covered on medium-low for about 25 minutes — just until tender. Add zucchini and herbs last, turn off heat. Avoid overcooking.

Serve warm with garden garnishes on top, or blend for a creamy version. This broth can also be used as a flavorful stock for other soups or warming morning drinks.

Book a Session

Ayurveda reminds us: wellness is not about perfection — it’s about rhythm.

Let this season be one of radiant simplicity.

May it remind us that presence is enough, stillness is powerful, and everything we seek might already be growing — in our gardens, our homes, and within ourselves.

With love,

Gabriela Rocha Caballero

Founder | suddhaprem.com

Retreats | beaconscioustraveler.com

Books:

📕 My Mama’s Healing Soups — Amazon & Barnes & Noble

📗 I AM LOVE — Amazon

📘 Tiny Chefs Around the World — Amazon

Retreats, enrichment programs, and consulting — designed with soul.