Living without seasons... Is that possible?

In Japan, records have been kept since the year 800 of the date each year when cherry blossoms bloom—a biological, poetic, and spiritual event that is part of Japanese culture and has become the most photographed natural phenomenon on the planet, alongside the Northern Lights. The point is that this record, which has been maintained for over 1,200 years, shows how, in recent decades, the blooming of cherry blossoms has been occurring alarmingly earlier, and it’s not that the cherry trees have gone crazy; they are simply responding to climate change, which is progressively erasing the boundaries between the seasons.

When someone over 50 remarks, “There are no seasons anymore,” our first reaction is to think that, after a certain age, everything seems different from how it used to be. That’s a mistake. In this case, that comment should sound like the trumpets of the Last Judgment. Without seasons, life in general—and our own lives in particular—may undergo a transformation that will be difficult to adapt to and will have serious health consequences; in fact, it already does. Just like cherry trees, our microbiome and immune system are programmed to respond to external phenomena and seasonal changes, so that our skin, mucous membranes, joints, and gut adapt to each season and keep us healthy..

A good informative article by Marc Halpern, founder of the California Ayurveda School, explains in a very accessible way how each season influences our bodies; Ayurveda is an ancient wisdom of health that is worth taking into account.

Since virtually every conceivable aspect of physical and mental health and well-being was addressed by the physicians of Al-Andalus beginning in the 9th century—just as the Japanese began recording the blooming of cherry blossoms—we cannot overlook a marvel of that era: The Book of Health Care Throughout the Four Seasons, or Book of Hygiene, by the physician and universal scholar Ibn Al-Khatib, who lived in the 14th century in Granada under the last Nasrid kings. What is incredible about this nearly eight-century-old book is that its structure—theory on one hand and practice on the other—and its purpose—improving people’s health according to their constitution and in each
of the seasons of the year, to prevent disease and maintain a good state of well-being, are entirely contemporary. And although preventive medicine and all the techniques at our disposal have enabled us to live longer and better lives, the connection between our bodies and the cycles of nature remains exactly the same as it was in Al-Khatib’s time.

At HAMMAM AL ÁNDALUS, we offer a seasonal service that evolves with each cycle, ensuring that our bodies—and our minds in particular—remain attuned to the seasons. Similarly, the philosophy behind our skincare approach at EL JARDÍN DE HAMMAM It also responds to the changing seasons, to the need to recreate that cyclical movement that so strongly influences the microbiota of the epidermal layer, as well as the entire process of sensory perception and emotional state.

In the line of cosmetics and aromachology EL JARDÍN DE LAS EMOCIONES there are hydrating oils and toning mists that allow you to recreate the natural cycles of the seasons through scent and skincare routines. We invite you to continue reading the second part of this post, where we’ll suggest a simple way to experience the seasons in the garden.