Bite a juicy peach, feel the thick pine spirit in the midst of the July heat, indulge in bliss in the sun … Summer time makes all sensations brighter and adds beauty to our lives. Several lessons of sensibility.
The sun, heat waves from heated stones, the breath of the wind that whispers to us that it is time to stop cherishing our usual anxieties, water that caresses the body, washing away the fatigue accumulated over the year … With the advent of summer, all our five senses begin to work more intensively, and together with them, our body comes to life, tired during the winter to live in an energy-saving mode. In order, like a flower, to open up towards the sun and warmth, it would be good to follow the natural rhythm – go to bed with darkness and get up early. This will allow us to take full advantage of the benefits of summer. The sun acts as an antidepressant, and the sea, lake or river water in which we refresh ourselves instantly resurrects a sense of childlike serenity in us: just one gentle wave can relieve up to 90% of tension from our central nervous system.
Every summer awakens in us a sensory memory that is just waiting for the opportunity to express itself. “Nature itself sharpens the whole gamut of sensations in us,” confirms psychotherapist Svetlana Arkhipova. – When we bask in the sun, feel the caress of the wind, admire the sparkle of the waves, eat a juicy fruit, all this affects our sensory receptors (there are about two and a half hundred of them on each of our fingertips alone!). From them, information signals are transmitted to the brain and body, expanding the range of our sensations, creating a complete perception of the world around us and ourselves in connection with it. And if in the daily “working mode” we all lose touch with our body to some extent, often ignoring the signals that it gives us, then regaining this connection means discovering the forgotten space of inner freedom. In summer, we do not waste energy on saving heat, we do not fight the cold – and this allows us to more fully immerse ourselves in our sensations, enjoying all their shades.
Symphony of sensations
A simple and obvious argument: we wear less clothes in summer than in other seasons. So, explains Svetlana Arkhipova, an additional barrier between us and the outside world is removed: “Remember Adam and Eve – nudity was natural for them. Only with the development of civilization did a person begin to cover the body, but in the summer we have a chance to again approach that ancient state in which, for example, people once lived in ancient Greece. Our range of tactile sensations is expanding: bare feet come into contact with the earth and grass, we feel the heat coming from the fire, the coolness of the river … We interact with the elements of nature, and nature “works” with us like a bodily psychotherapist. We again realize the relationship of smell and taste: the appetizing aromas of a tomato or apricot are inseparable from the bright taste of these fruits. Grown under the hot sun, in the earth saturated with juices, summer fruits help us to more clearly feel all the main shades of tastes – sweet, tart, salty, sour, bitter … An abundance of vitamins combined with aromas saturates our body with energy. We feel more alive also because the warm air pampers us – in the summer the tension caused by the cold is gone.
The scents of our skin
In summer, our skin changes its natural scent. Warmed by the sun, irrigated with water sprays, it smells of sunscreen, sea, fruits, herbs, spices… These are special summer fragrances – light, tart, fresh. Our body, especially our hair, willingly adopts the sound of the smells that surround us: the ozone notes of the sea surf, the coconut aroma of suntan oil, hot sand, tiny salt crystals … We are gradually freed from tension and anxiety – and this changes the condition of our skin. It is known that fear and stress have their own smell – it is very well captured by animals. So: the state of prosperity also has its own smell! These subtle changes occur without our knowledge, but the result is obvious. In warmth, odors intensify, we become more receptive to them, we feel more strongly those who attract us, who are “close in spirit” to us. This “animal” component of our personality also manifests itself in the most sensual time of the year. And gives life a special flavor.
WALK WITH BAREFEET ON THE HOT SAND, FEEL THE POSESS OF THE COASTAL WAVE… SUMMER IS FLUOUSLY SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE OF TOUCH.
Birth of a thousand wishes
We clearly distinguish summer time by ear – at this time the whole world around us vibrates with notes and sounds. When, instead of the city rumble and mobile ringtones, we hear birds singing and the rustling of leaves, the measured sound of the surf and the roar of a summer downpour, our body sings too. Sports become especially effective if we practice to the accompaniment of the sounds of nature. Therefore, outdoor walking is the most organic summer sport, along with swimming – finally not in the pool, but in the sea!
“Sight awakens thousands of desires,” wrote the Persian poet Balkhi Abu Shakur* back in the XNUMXth century. In the summer, the eyes really diverge. The abundance of colors, the play of chiaroscuro, the nuances of shades excite our interest in the surrounding nature … but not only. Open dresses, bikini swimsuits, light flying fabrics – all this sharpens our sensuality and awakens the imagination. Sexologists will confirm that men are more inspired by visual images, but their power is also familiar to women**. “Moreover, in the summer we are sometimes more open to our impressions,” Svetlana Arkhipova notes. “Besides, we reflect less and end up liking ourselves more.”
The abundance of bright colors and warm shades, which the summer time gives us, exacerbates and enhances our desires – by the way, this effect is also successfully used in chromotherapy ***. However, the main source of summer pleasure is the sun. “In the summer, all body systems work actively, our mood rises, our sexual activity increases,” says somnologist Vladimir Kovalzon. – In particular, this happens because due to the abundance of light, our body produces less melatonin, a hormone that, among other things, is also responsible for the mechanism of falling asleep. By the way, that is why in the winter season it is recommended to use lamps of a special, “solar” spectrum: in our eye there are receptors that react precisely to this light, which is different from ordinary electric light. And the sun also covers our body with a golden tan, stimulating the production of vitamin D, which is necessary to maintain cellular activity, helps the body absorb magnesium, strengthens bone tissue, promotes skin regeneration …
In summer, the world around us easily and friendly comes into contact with us, and we seem to discover a sixth sense in ourselves – a kind of sensory intelligence. Warming up under the sun with soul and body, we perceive ourselves as more attractive, become more active, more inquisitive, ready to respond to all new impressions. And we learn to trust ourselves – our feelings, desires, capabilities. “There is nothing in our mind that has not been previously explored by our senses,” wrote the English philosopher and educator John Locke in the XNUMXth century. And this is also the key to perceiving life more harmoniously – if it is true that our vision of the world is based on our sensations, folded by consciousness into a coherent picture.
* “Poetry of the peoples of the USSR IV-XVIII centuries”, in the BVL series (Fiction, 1972).
** I. Kon “Sexology” (Academia, 2004).
*** S. Lilly “The Power of Color and Color Therapy” (Dilya, 2006).
**** J. Locke “An Essay on Human Understanding”. Works in 3 volumes, v. 1 (Thought, 1985).