Your Guide To Summer Yoga

How To Bring Some Yin Into The Yang Of Summer.

Pitta Season Has Arrived Bringing With It Some Fiery Energy. It’s a good time to reflect and adjust your yoga in alignment with the season. 

Tuning into Summer

As a yoga teacher, I often reflect on how our evolution as human beings seems to be taking us further and further away from our connection with nature. The way our lives are set up keeps many of us tied up indoors, and when we need food, we only need to venture indoors again to a shop where we can purchase almost anything we desire, regardless of the season. Our cars, buses, and trains transport us without exposing us to the climate, keeping us warm in the cold and cool in the heat and while we need these conveniences for our modern lives, I often think about how much we are out of alignment with the season we are in.

The Energy of Summer

Here we are, it’s summer and pitta season is in full swing for those of us in the northern hemisphere. Pitta  season is characterized by fiery, yang energy. This is a time of doing and busyness, full of activity and movement. Whilst I love this vibrant energy and find it invigorating, too much pitta energy can lead to feelings of agitation and exhaustion. This can be exacerbated if our yoga practice is also very yang, especially if we typically enjoy strong vinyasa flows or hot yoga.

Pause and Consider Your Energy

Its worth cultivating the habit of taking a moment to reflect on your energy levels, your schedule, the climate you are in, and your yoga practice. Is there room for change? Would you benefit from a gentler, slower-paced practice, or do you need the more yang energy to get motivated? It’s important to find a balance that suits your personal needs.

Traveling with Your Yoga Practice

If you are traveling this summer, take time to make some adjustments to your diet, exercise, and fluid intake to reflect the change in environment.

Adapt your yoga practice to suit your new surroundings. Remember, yoga is not just about the poses. It includes breath work, mantra, mudra, meditation, and journaling. These elements can help you maintain a yogic lifestyle, no matter where you are. Pick and choose which one you need at any time.

You don’t have space for a yoga mat in your suitcase, no problem! Practice some standing poses, use a grippy yoga towel on hard surfaces or even better use the grass outside if there is some close by.

Find a shady spot on a beach or under a tree and sit for some outdoor meditation. Breathe whilst listening to the sounds of the birds or the sea.

Change out your firey pitta based flow for a more easeful flow and let your body move gently through some of your favourite poses.

Practice gratitude regularly and randomly throughout your day.

Journal when you feel the need, this increases our ability to reflect and can help us build self awareness.

Bringing a Little Yin into the Yang Season

Making small adjustments can help you bring a little yin into the yang season of summer without losing the essence of the hot, fiery energy that we all love and need. Here are some quick ideas:

  • Cooling Breath Techniques: Practice Sheetali Pranayama to cool down and calm your mind.
  • Gentle Yoga Poses: Incorporate heart-opening poses and standing poses to invigorate without overwhelming.
  • Connect With Nature: Practice near water or use nature sounds to create a calming atmosphere.
  • Mindfulness and Meditation: Spend a few minutes each day in meditation or mindful breathing to ground yourself.
  • Journaling and Mindset Work: Reflect on your practice and set intentions for staying balanced.
  • Adjusting Your Schedule: Practice early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid the heat of the day.
  • Diet and Hydration: Eat cooling, hydrating foods and drink plenty of water to balance the pitta energy.

By making these small adjustments, you can bring a little yin into the yang season of summer without losing the essence of the hot, fiery energy that we all love and need. Embrace the summer vibes in your practice, stay attuned to your body’s needs, and enjoy a balanced and fulfilling yoga journey that aligns more authentically with this season.

On the subject of habits and tips to transform your summer, I recommend listening to this SOLO episode of FEEL BETTER LIVE MORE with Dr Rangan Chatterjee. It’s an episode packed with Rangan’s typical wisdom and advice on how to live a better life and personal growth. If you are new to this podcast, I highly recommend checking it out. It really is one of my favourite podcasts that I eagerly await for every week. You will find the episode here   https://open.spotify.com/episode/7yGMMq0nWI559GC6nsnG6g

Check out my in person yoga classes which have a holistic approach to yoga and up coming reiki and wheel of the year offerings in and around Oslo and Bærum by following the link here https://louiseantippas.com/in-person-classes/