Best Summer Yoga

This post is about the best yoga and other forms of physical exercise for summer. It’s the seventh installment of our “Yoga and Ayurveda Summer Series.” We’re especially interested in the qualities of pitta dosha, described by Ayurveda as that which is hot, spreading, damp, strong-smelling and sharp. The purpose of our practice should be to bring balance to the body and mind. We do this by avoiding activities that will increase these qualities and doing more of the activities that will diminish these qualities.

Therefore, the summer exercise routine should stress moderation. Exercising outside is great but avoid the hottest parts of the day; dawn and dusk are the best times to exercise outside. Since we get so hot and sweaty this time of year we might not realize we’re not hydrating enough; drink water to ½ your weight in ounces (e.g., 150 lbs = 75 oz or 9.5 cups of water). If you need more hydration because of heavy sweating, turn to electrolyte drinks. Coconut water, cucumber water and CCF tea are natural options. (CCF tea is equal parts Cumin, Coriander and Fennel seeds steeped in hot water for 5-7 minutes. Strain and drink hot, warm or room temperature, never cold. Add honey or maple syrup as natural sweeteners.)

Ayurveda teaches that summer yoga reduces pitta dosha by releasing heat from the small intestine and central abdomen, cooling the blood and liver.  Yoga practice should be cooling, relaxing, surrendering and forgiving. Two styles of yoga that are perfect for the summer are restorative yoga and yin yoga. But traditional yoga postures fit in really well too:

• Choose Moon Salutations and save the Sun Salutations for cooler weather.
 
• All standing hip opening poses will release heat from the hips, e.g., Tree, Half Moon, Warriors, Triangle, Crescent Lunge. Hold them for 3-5 breaths and avoid moving too quickly from one pose to the next.
 
• All twisting poses, standing, seated and lying down, e.g., Revolved Triangle, Shiva Twist, Half Lord of the Fishes, Sage’s twist, Lying spinal twist. Hold them until you feel the heat rising out of the abdomen.
 
• All forward bending poses, standing, seated and lying down, e.g., Standing forward bend leaning against the wall, Head to knee pose, Child pose, Wind-relieving pose. Hold them for as long as you like.
 
• Inversions like headstand, shoulder stand and legs up the wall will stop the heat from rising into the head. This will calm the mind.
 
• Savasana and other restorative poses for 20 minutes every day.
 
When we balance effort with rest, we discover that while it’s awesome to work hard, it’s beneficial to make time for quiet and stillness too.