About Summer

Summer begins at the Summer Solstice - the longest day. In the Southern Hemisphere this occurs between December 21st - 24th, in the Northern Hemisphere June 21st - 24th. Throughout Summer the days grow shorter. The symbol for Summer is the wheat sheaf which symbolises, the harvest. The elemental nature of summer is Air.

Summer is the time of harvest when the crops are reaped and fruit picked from the boughs and vines. It is a season for appreciating and celebrating the growth provided by the Winter and Spring. It is also time for storing the best of the seeds for future regeneration, for planting next Winter.

This is the season to begin reaping some tangible rewards from those New Year's resolutions you made in Winter and nurtured during Spring. It is time to play although not in lieu of work, for there is lots to do.

 

Welcome to Summer

Summer Gland

During Summer the hands of your body clock point to your Pituitary Gland. It is often referred to as the master gland of the body as it has an orchestrating and overseeing function in relation to other major glands. There are two lobes to this gland; the anterior or front lobe and the posterior or rear lobe.

The anterior lobe produces six hormones, two of which regulate: physical growth (especially length of long bones), amino acid uptake and protein synthesis, blood glucose uptake (particularly in skeletal and heart muscles), mobilisation of fatty acids from fat deposits, and the development of mammary gland alveoli and milk synthesis.

The four other hormones stimulate four other glands: The Thyroid, Adrenal Cortex, Ovaries (female ) and Testes (male). The posterior lobe of the pituitary produces two hormones, one of which helps your body to survive severe haemorrhage and to correct the resulting deficiency in blood volume. It has a diuretic action, while the other stimulates the release of milk from the mammary glands and stimulates the contraction of the uterus at the time of childbirth.

An effective way of keeping your pituitary gland in balance is a simple and profound breathing technique known as CRM breathing, which stands for Cranial Respiratory Mechanism Breathing. This breathing exercise assists with the alignment of your cranial bones and thereby your pituitary gland, which is situated in a bony cavity affected by this alignment.

CRM breathing is best done lying down, although it can be done effectively either sitting or standing with a straight spine. Place your hands lightly on your abdominal muscles, palms facing down, fingertips on your pubic bone. Now place the tip of your tongue behind your front top teeth and breath in slowly through your nose, expanding your abdominal muscles as though your abdominal area is a balloon filling with air.

To breath out place your tongue on the base of your mouth behind your bottom front teeth and breath out slowly through your mouth, pulling your abdominal muscles in as if you were deflating a balloon. Repeat these slow inhalations and exhalations a minimum of three times.