Any time of year is a great time for yoga but, just like any season, there are things we can do to make our practice a bit more enjoyable and in line with Ayurvedic principles. In the hot summer days, like we have had lately, this will be important to maintain balance. Energetically the summer months vibrate at a higher frequency generating heat. That means in order to maintain balance; we will want to add more cooling breath, cooling poses into our practice as well as cooling foods to our diet.
In our yoga practice and even when going about town and feeling hot, do some cooling breath – Shitali pranayama. Take and roll your tongue from the outer edge inward making a long role. Breathe in through the mouth and out through the nose 5-10 times. You will feel your mouth cooling and soon your body will feel it too.
If that doesn’t do the trick, there is another breathing technique that some people prefer and it is single nostril breathing. The left side is more cooling than the right. Close of the right nostril and breath out of just the left for 5-10 breaths.
Give these a try. I think you will be surprised how well they work in helping to remain cool. Our next summer blog tip will be on the physical yoga practice and how we can take care of our body by adding more cooling poses.