~Steven Wright

When the temperature heats up, so can our temperaments.  Super-hot summer days tend to have an evaporative effect on our patience.  We are all aware of the usual methods for cooling off our bodies: take a shower, go for a swim, enjoy a cold beverage, etc.  But do you know how to cool yourself off from the inside?  When you've sweated out every last drop of serenity, here is a simple, seven-minute strategy for regaining your inner cool:

1)     Smile (even if you don't feel like it).  Dr. Robert Zajonc, a psychologist at the University of Michigan, believes that the physical act of smiling actually has a cooling effect on the brain, resulting in a happier mood (New York Times, July 1989).  Try it.  Smile big for seven whole minutes.  At the very least you will feel quite silly, which should lighten up your mood a bit.

2)     Breathe.  Dr. Herbert Benson, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, famously conducted a comprehensive study which found that relaxation techniques such as deep breathing improved blood pressure, arthritis, immunity, digestion, hormone levels, fertility and more.  Even better, the benefits of the relaxation effect were found to increase with regular practice (The Independent, July 2009).

My yoga teacher, Astrid Kastenberg, always reminds her students about the benefits of proper breathing techniques.  Here are some basic guidelines:

Breathe in and out through your nose.  Nose breathing helps us fill our lungs to capacity with air.  Nose breathing tends to be a more controlled form of breathing, and a sense of greater control after a long, stressful day can certainly be comforting.

Breathe long, slow, even breaths.  Try to breathe in for a count of seven or for as long as you can.  Make sure your inhaled breaths and your exhaled breaths are of equal duration.

Put your hand on your diaphragm (directly under your ribcage, in the center).  This area should rise as you inhale and go down again as you exhale.  Squeeze all the breath out with your abdominal muscles at the end of each exhalation. 

3)     Be Thankful.  As you smile and breathe deeply, think of seven things that you are grateful for.  These could be big things, such as health, loved ones and shelter, or they could be small things, like a delicious lunch or a day at the beach.

4)     Give Away Your Smile.  Later on, as you go about your day, say thank you by giving your smile away to seven people.  Lift the spirits of someone you pass on the street, or in the parking lot, or in line at the market.  It's amazing the difference a smile can make.  You will probably get some smiles back.  Sometimes I smile so much it's downright dorky. Those days always end up being the coolest.

Chill out in the kitchen by whipping up a cool batch of authentic gazpacho.

Approximately 1 and 1/2 lbs. of ripe tomatoes (I like to use heirloom tomatoes) tops and cores removed and cut into 1 inch chunks

1/3 of a bell pepper, any color, seeds and membrane removed (about 1/4 cup)

1/2 to 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into small chunks (about 1 cup)

1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon or more of sherry vinegar

1 cup of spring water

Salt to taste

A tiny pinch of cayenne, if desired

Tiny cubes of all the vegetables, for garnish

In your blender:

Fill the blender up about 3/4 of the way full with tomato chunks.  Add the bell pepper, cucumber and garlic (blender should be almost full of veggies, with a little gap at the top).

Add olive oil, sherry vinegar and water.  Blend until smooth.

Add salt to taste (I use one teaspoon), and a few more drops of sherry vinegar, if needed (I always do).  Add a tiny pinch of cayenne, if desired and blend again.

At this point some people like to strain the gazpacho through a sieve.  I never do.  I like the little flecks of color that you get when you don't strain the soup, although you may have to give it a stir before you serve it.

Chill the soup for at least an hour.  Garnish each serving with tiny cubes of all the veggies and a drizzle of the olive oil.  

I like to serve this with those root vegetable chips.

Makes about a quart, if you don't strain it.