When the summer sun rises high, our bodies respond instinctively: we seek shade, lighter meals, and ways to feel cool and calm from the inside out. Ayurveda calls this the Pitta season, when the fire element dominates, often leading to symptoms like irritability, inflammation, poor digestion, or fatigue if not balanced correctly.

One of the most effective ways to restore that balance? Through what we eat.

At Ananda in the Himalayas, seasonal eating is a vital part of every wellness journey. With input from our Executive Sous Chef Palash Gajbe, we’re sharing a selection of simple, delicious summer recipes rooted in Ayurvedic principles — all designed to support digestion, reduce internal heat, and restore vitality.

Here are four nourishing recipes you can make at home this season.

1. Takra (Ayurvedic Buttermilk)

Hydrating, gut-soothing, and deeply balancing for Pitta and Kapha doshas.

This spiced buttermilk is a super refreshing drink and is also considered a functional food that aids digestion and maintains electrolyte balance in summer heat.

Ingredients:

Method:

Why it works: Buttermilk cools the system, supports gut health, and boosts Agni gently.

2. Fennel Khichadi

A tridoshic, one-pot meal to soothe and nourish.

This light khichadi balances hydration, digestion, and satiety, ideal for those recovering from fatigue or feeling overheated.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup yellow moong dal

• ½ cup rice

• 1½ tbsp chopped fennel leaves (or 1 tsp fennel seeds)

• ½ tsp cumin seeds

• A pinch of asafoetida (hing)

• Salt to taste

• 1 tbsp ghee

• 3 cups water

Method:

1. Rinse and soak dal and rice for 15–20 minutes.

2. In a pan, heat ghee. Add cumin and hing.

3. Add fennel leaves or seeds, sauté briefly.

4. Add dal, rice, salt, and water. Cook until soft and porridge-like.

Why it works: Fennel is a cooling herb that eases bloating, supports hydration, and reduces inflammation.

3. Coconut Milk Oatmeal Porridge with Mango & Mint

A no-fuss breakfast (or snack, if you like)  that’s cooling, hydrating, and packed with antioxidants.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup rolled oats

• 1 cup coconut milk

• 1 tbsp chopped mango (ripe)

• ½ tsp cardamom powder

• 1 tsp dry fruits or nuts (optional)

• A few mint leaves, chopped

• Optional: jaggery or honey to taste

Method:

1. Cook oats in coconut milk until soft and creamy.

2. Stir in cardamom, mango, and mint.

3. Top with chopped nuts or dry fruits.

4. Serve warm or cooled, depending on preference.

Why it works: Coconut milk hydrates and nourishes with healthy fats; mango and mint add cooling and digestive benefits.

4. Fennel Sherbet

A digestive, calming drink for warm evenings.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp fennel seeds

• 1½ cups water

• 1 tbsp misri (rock sugar), or honey to taste

• A few drops of rose water (optional)

Method:

1. Soak fennel seeds in water overnight.

2. In the morning, crush or blend, then strain the liquid.

3. Add misri or honey and rose water. Stir and chill.

4. Serve over ice or plain.

Why it works: Fennel calms the nervous system, supports digestion, and cools the body from within.

Seasonal Eating, the Ayurvedic Way

In Ayurveda, each ingredient is selected not only for taste, but for how it affects the body’s internal climate. That’s why summer meals should be:

• Hydrating rather than drying
• Light, not heavy or oily
• Mildly spiced to support digestion without heating
• Rooted in local, seasonal produce

These recipes naturally pacify Pitta dosha, the dominant energy during the summer months, by supporting liver function, calming the mind, and aiding digestion — all without the need for complicated ingredients or time-consuming preparation.

Final Thoughts

Cooling down may begin with staying out of the sun, but what is more important is to support your body with the right rhythms, ingredients, and intention. These Ayurvedic recipes are simple, seasonal rituals designed to make you feel clearer, calmer, and better connected to your body.

Try them at home as part of your daily self-care, and let summer be a time of abundant brightness and balance.

Autoimmune conditions are complex, often invisible battles – ones that go far beyond aching joints or fluctuating energy levels. For many, they are accompanied by confusion, chronic fatigue, and an emotional toll that’s hard to articulate.

There are over 80 recognised autoimmune diseases affecting millions globally, including Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and Lupus. Today, the focus is gradually shifting from managing symptoms to deeper healing processes.

At Ananda in the Himalayas, we believe that healing is not just a physical process. It’s an integration of body, mind, and spirit. Drawing on ancient systems such as Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and Yoga, as well as insights from emotional healing experts, our approach offers a deeply layered and personalised pathway for managing autoimmune disorders.

A Gentle Reframing: The Ayurvedic View

What if your body isn’t attacking itself out of malice, but miscommunication? Ayurveda reframes autoimmune disorders as the body’s dysregulated attempt to restore balance, not a self-sabotaging error. Here, conditions arise from a disturbance in digestion (Agni), the accumulation of toxins (Ama), and the aggravated Vata and Pitta doshas, which spiral into tissue damage (Dhatu Dushti) and depleted vitality (Ojas Kshaya).

Dr. Sreelal Sankar, Head of Ayurveda at Ananda, outlines a treatment process that is layered and deeply intuitive:

• Agni Deepana & Ama Pachana: Kindling the digestive fire to prevent and eliminate toxic build-up.
• Shodhana (Panchakarma): Deep cleansing therapies tailored to your constitution.
• Shamana & Rasayana: Gentle pacification and rejuvenation of tissues and immunity.
• Sattvavajaya: Psychological balance through meditative practices and lifestyle guidance.

Modern research supports this course of action, as well. Studies show gut permeability and inflammation play a major role in autoimmune diseases, correlating with Ayurvedic concepts of Ama and Agni. ¹

Restoring the Flow of Qi: The Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is another modality through which we approach the understanding and management of autoimmune conditions. TCM views autoimmune disorders not as isolated malfunctions, but as energetic imbalances.

According to Dr. Manashi Sarma, these conditions stem from disrupted Qi – our life force – often involving disharmony in the liver, spleen, and kidneys. Emotional stress and environmental factors can create patterns like Liver Qi stagnation or Kidney Yin deficiency, which evolve into chronic issues if left unchecked.

In practice, TCM offers:

This system of pattern recognition, and not just ‘disease labelling’, aligns well with the ethos of personalised care at Ananda.

Building Resilience from the Inside Out: Yoga and Meditation

The emotional and physical toll of autoimmune conditions can often leave people feeling disconnected from their bodies. This is where yoga steps in as a gentle yet powerful way to rebuild that connection. Specific asanas help reduce inflammation and joint pain, while Pranayama and deep breathing combat the fatigue that is a byproduct of living with and managing an autoimmune condition.

Malati Mehrish, Head of Yoga at Ananda, notes how practices like:

When practised consistently, these simple exercises become powerful healing rituals.
Yoga not only improves mobility but also reduces the ‘sympathetic overdrive’ or the stress response that worsens autoimmune symptoms, and slows healing, according to a Brain and Behaviour study.²

Emotional Healing: The Missing Link

At Ananda, we recognise the emotional landscape of managing a chronic condition not as a side effect, but as an integral part of the condition itself. Stress, emotional suppression, unresolved trauma, and even perfectionism are known contributors to immune dysregulation. Research increasingly supports what ancient wisdom traditions have long known: the mind and body are not separate, and chronic emotional strain can have profound effects on physical health.

Our emotional healing work at Ananda includes a range of integrative therapies and reflective practices designed to help guests reconnect with their internal world, without judgment. This may include:

• Guided inner inquiry to explore how life patterns, roles, or emotional experiences may relate to current health concerns
• Somatic awareness work, which helps individuals track where stress is stored in the body, and how to release it
• Journaling, trans-personal therapies, and therapeutic dialogue, led by trained facilitators, to give language and space to long-suppressed emotions
• Mindful self-compassion and breath-led relaxation practices that retrain the nervous system to feel safe and supported
• So

me guests arrive feeling emotionally detached from their healing process—understandably so, after years of symptom management. Rebuilding that connection is part of the deeper restoration that happens at Ananda. Emotional healing does not replace physical treatment, but it creates the conditions for physical healing to become more sustainable and self-led.

By addressing grief, fear, shame, or burnout not as weakness, but as part of the human experience, we invite guests to move from ‘coping’ to ‘healing’.

Why Integrated Healing Matters

No single modality holds all the answers. What creates sustainable change is an approach that addresses every layer of imbalance. True healing requires an intelligent synergy, where the detoxifying depth of Ayurveda, the energetic recalibration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the nervous system regulation of yoga, and the inner release offered by emotional healing all work together.

At Ananda, integration is a grounding philosophy. Our experts collaborate across disciplines, creating individualised protocols that treat the root causes rather than just the symptoms. Your healing journey may begin with balancing digestion, supported by acupuncture sessions that help ease inflammation, while meditation techniques reduce cortisol spikes, alleviate pain, and foster inner calm.

We’ve seen this integrated approach lead to tangible outcomes:

• A 49-year-old guest diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis experienced a significant reduction in joint pain and swelling after a 13-night Ayurveda Rejuvenation Programme. Her personalised treatment included digestive therapies (Deepana and Pachana), localised pain relief applications, detoxification, and internal herbal medications.
• In another case, a 58-year-old guest with Ulcerative Colitis presented with persistent bleeding and bowel irregularities. After 14 days of combined Ayurvedic therapies, internal medications, personalised diet, yoga, breathwork, and emotional healing sessions, she showed marked improvement. Systemic inflammation levels (ESR) dropped significantly—from 68 to 22 mm/hr—and her digestion stabilised with no recurrence of bleeding.

This kind of cross-modality intelligence is what empowers guests to experience profound, sustainable change. It is a process, rather than a quick fix, but one that honours your body’s ability to self-heal when truly supported on every level.

Closing Thoughts

Healing autoimmune conditions beyond managing flare-ups; understanding the root, befriending the body, and cultivating internal balance is crucial. With ancient wisdom, compassionate guidance, and science-backed practices, Ananda’s multi-modal approach offers a deeply personal and empowering path forward.