Summer is finally here! It's time for sun, and beaches, and barbecues, and more sun! I love the sun and it loves us too! Without it, life wouldn't exist, but too much? Well there is unfortunately such a thing as too much sun. Sunburn is only one of the side effects. Overexposure to sun can lead to sun poisoning, heat exhaustion, skin cancer, eye damage, and even speed up the look of aging. Does that mean we should avoid it? Absolutely not! Getting out in the sun helps alleviate symptoms of depression and seasonal affective disorder, regulates sleep, and can even support weight loss (and your mood) by increasing the levels of serotonin being released. It's also our best source of vitamin D which is crucial in calcium absorption and phosphorous regulation (meaning healthy bones and muscles), supports the brain, cardiovascular, immune and nervous systems, regulates insulin, and supports lung health. So how do we get all these benefits without going overboard? The key is to limit (NOT eliminate) your exposure. Our skin makes vitamin D from the UVB rays from the sun and this requires some unprotected exposure. In my research, I've found that the recommended amount of unprotected sun per day ranges from 1 to 15 minutes but overall, that amount of time is determined by skin tone. As we all know, darker skin tones will absorb more light before getting damaged. That doesn't mean you're exempt from using sunblock! What I recommend is applying sunblock just before going outside. By the time it kicks in, you've met your unprotected sun quota. Be sure to re-apply because it does come off with sweat and water and you will burn. For those who are of lighter skin tones, wait the full amount of time before going out. Broad spectrum SPF 50 blocks about 98% of the UVA and UVB rays, so that 2% is probably all the "unprotected" sun you really need.

Lets talk about vitamin D deficiency. Firstly, sunscreen doesn't cause vitamin D deficiency. Spending your life indoors or hiding in the shade does. Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include osteoporosis, osteopenia, and brittle bones, chronic pain, fatigue, increases in blood pressure, weak muscles, and decreased endurance. In Chinese medicine, we call this yang deficiency. If you're unfamiliar with what yang energy is, read this blog post before continuing on. Now that we're all on the same page, symptoms of yang deficiency include everything above in addition to cold limbs, loose stool, and spontaneous sweating. Yang deficiency in specific organs can lead to crashing periods in the day, heart palpitations, difficulty focusing, poor appetite, sexual dysfunction, and difficulty urinating. If it gets extreme, you can develop what we call yang collapse. This conditions exhibits symptoms similar to heat exhaustion: cold body, cold sweats and chills, low blood pressure, confusion, dizziness, and a very weak pulse. Heat exhaustion might sound like it would be an excess of yang energy but think of it like your computer overheating and shutting down- the overload ends up causing the collapse. 

Finding the right balance of sun is going to be different for everyone. If you're sensitive, use an SPF of 50 and make sure you're taking breaks in the shade, especially between 10a-3p when the sun is at it's strongest. If you're not, a minimal SPF of 15 has been shown to decrease your chances of melanoma by 50%, and premature aging by over 20%. When picking the right sunblock for you, always make sure it's a broad spectrum and try to pick one made with mineral zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Popular ingredients like oxybenzone, octinoxate and methyl paraben are damaging to the coral reefs and therefore, the ocean ecosystems. You can read more about this topic and discover reef safe sunscreens here thanks to Badger Balm.  Lastly, if you do burn, treat it with aloe! You don't need to get fancy bottles with extra ingredients. Just get yourself a plant, leave it on your windowsill, and break off leaves as you need. If you follow all the guidelines above, you shouldn't need much! 

C'mon now, 2 more episodes would have filled in the blanks and we all wouldn't be nearly as upset with the writers of Game of Thrones. The unfortunate reality is they didn't and we were left with a very confusing and disappointing finale. If you're still feeling the sting (as I'm sure you are now because I just re-opened the wound), never fear, the Nine Breathings of Purification is here! The Nine Breathings of Purification is a Buddhist meditation technique that works to release the three root poisons: anger, attachment, and ignorance. These poisons are understood to be the root of all suffering and if you can release them, you will no longer suffer. I would like to make it clear that a lack of suffering doesn't mean you'll enjoy perfect health. Health and wellness are two sides of the same coin but I'll go into that in another post..."No longer suffering" means your maladies and frustrations in life (or with poor writing) won't affect your emotional health.

Anger poison is being angry about things (obviously), but in an obsessive way. You know that one person who is simply mad all the time and lashes out about every little thing? They are consumed by the anger poison. Being angry has it's time and place, but to constantly stay in that state is exhausting for everyone and can actually affect your physical health. Conditions like hypertension, heart disease, and adrenal fatigue are frequently found in people with a tendency towards anger. 

Attachment is a reluctance to let go of things. I say reluctance because no one has an inability to let go, it's just a difficult thing to do and we usually don't want to do it. This isn't just about holding grudges, it's holding on to past relationships, lost loved ones, guilt, and all the rest of the emotional baggage we feel the need to carry with us. Why? Yes our scars teach us life's lessons, but the lesson itself is what we want to hang on to, not the pain and suffering we went through to learn it.

Ignorance can also be understood as self doubt or fear and it's the biggest poison of them all. Doubting ourselves is what leads to regret. A surprising amount of people will stay in a toxic environment because they don't believe they can do better outside it. Staying in an "okay" relationship because you don't think you can do better? Self doubt. Want to start your own business but afraid to? Self doubt. Ultimately, all of our suffering comes down to self doubt: "what if I don't have what it takes?" We get angry with ourselves when we fail (anger), we refuse to forgive ourselves of our failures (attachment), and it continues to fuel the "but what if" conversation (self doubt). It's time to start a new one...

The technique itself is simple and you can read all about it in Awakening the Sacred Body by Tenzin Wangyal Rinproche. Simply put, you take three deep breaths to clear out each channel of it's poison, and abide in the light of your true self; one that is free from self inflicted suffering. To close (and you should do this with every meditation in your repertoire), you dedicate your merit to whomever you so desire. The book also includes a second meditation called the Tsa Lung exercises for the chakras, and comes with access to an online video where the author demonstrates and guides his readers in the meditations. So let's release our anger towards the writers, let go of the past eight years, and maintain our faith and hope that someone out there will write a great spin-off. #TyrionForTheIronThrone