This is the first part of the four-part series covering tips about adjusting your Yoga practice to the seasonal changes. In this part, I will also offer an introduction to Ayurveda, something I will not cover in the later parts, followed by the tips on how to adjust your practice to the hot summer season (for us in on the Northern Hemisphere;). If you have studied with us, not much of this will be new, so feel free to skip to the practice at the end of this text.
 
A bit of history…

When I first embarked on my Yoga journey over 20 years ago, there wasn’t much variety in yoga classes. Not even in London, where I lived at the time; there were Iyengar, Ashtanga, Sivananda and perhaps a few other more traditional methods. Still, I didn’t need a choice; I found what I was looking for immediately. I stumbled onto an Ashtanga class and was instantly drawn to its dynamic, sweaty, challenging asana sequence. Rain or shine, hungover (most likely;) or not, rested or tired, I went back to my mat almost daily, chanted the opening invocation and breezed through the 1st and later 2nd series with my healthy 20-year-old body. Life was mostly good, but sometimes it wasn’t. At some point, due to my crazy life at the time and probably some unresolved internal struggles, I started suffering from insomnia. I would sleep for an hour or two at the most for days. I was exhausted and worried. Still, I kept returning to my mat, trusting that Yoga would help me heal. And yes, Yoga could have helped me heal, but not the Yoga I was practising. The Yoga I was practising probably aggravated my symptoms.

Fast forward five or six years, I attended a lecture about Ayurveda. I learned about adapting daily routines to the seasons and the subtle qualities that govern nature at any moment. I was intrigued and wanted to know more, so I bought a bunch of books and started to discover the fascinating world of Ayurveda. As I understood more, certain things began to make more sense. Things such as insomnia I experienced and why Ashtanga practise might have made it worse. I learned that during seasonal or any other change, we need to change our daily rituals to regain balance, and I asked myself -  if we change what we dress, eat and drink in different seasons, shouldn’t our Yoga practice also change? When I founded the Teacher Training school, Ayurveda became one of the pillars of the Spanda Method.

What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda originated in India and is often called Yoga’s sister science. This intricate system of healing is believed to be one of the oldest medical disciplines in the world. Ayurveda translates as the science of life (Ayur = life, Veda = science or knowledge) and offers a body of wisdom designed to help people stay vital while realising their full human potential. It provides guidelines on ideal daily and seasonal routines, diet, herbal remedies etc., and teaches that the Five Elements found in all living things: Ether, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth, are the building blocks of life. Ayurveda describes three fundamental energies that govern our inner and outer environments known as Vata (Wind), Pitta (Fire), and Kapha (Water, Earth) doshas. These primary forces are responsible for the characteristics of our mind and body. How the three doshas appear and in what proportion is what makes each of us unique. However, these qualities are not limited only to our body/mind; everything around us can be described as having specific attributes. For example, also seasons have their doshas or qualities. Ayurveda teaches us that health is the balanced and dynamic integration between our environment, body, mind, and spirit. If we are not aligned with our environment or what is out there in nature, we can suffer an imbalance.

Summer Season and Yoga practice

The basic principle of Ayurveda is like increases like while the opposite restores balance. 

When it comes to summer, the season when Pitta dosha rules along with its principal element – fire, Ayurvedas like increases like, while the opposite creates balance principle can be translated as – don’t add fuel to the fire. Overheating the system with strong, fiery practice is like putting on a winter coat and boots and going out at 35 degrees Celsius. As our body craves cool, raw foods, cool refreshing drinks and water dips, our practice should also be cooling and refreshing. So, instead of creating a fiery practice, you should enjoy an Earth or Water inspired practice. Be careful when using Air as it can increase the fire. Summer is also a more dynamic season for most of us; we move more, travel, socialise etc. If Yoga is practised as a tool for healing and balancing, we don’t need it to be dynamic and creative; we need to apply the opposite to balance. 

Of course, not all summer days are scorching, and it’s usually not hot during the whole day, so you can use those cooler summer days or mornings to enjoy a more vigorous practice, but when the temperatures rise high, it’s good to keep cool. Too much fire will aggravate Pitta dosha and bring about related imbalances. Below are some tips to follow and a video of suitable practice for hot summer days. 

• Choose to practice early in the morning or later in the afternoon when the temperatures drop.

• Ensure you drink enough fluids during the day and during your practice.

• Wear light, breathable clothes.

• Skip overheating practice – too many Namaskars, core asanas, holding asanas for too long etc.

• Choose instead grounding and cooling asanas, slow, gentle movement and pulsations for the morning and restorative Yoga for the late afternoon.

• Add inversions such as Viparita Karani, but avoid full inversions, especially if you tend to have high blood pressure.

• Finish the practice with a Sitali (or Sitkari) pranayama and a longer restorative practice.

• Generally, stay clear of fiery practice during fiery days and choose something that will nourish and not aggravate.

As always, feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Namaste!

Nina Vukas

Nina is the founder of Spanda Institute, Program Director and a Lead Teacher for Advanced Study Programs. She has been a Yoga practitioner since 1998, started teaching full time in 2005, and has been educating yogis on their journey towards becoming Yoga Teachers, as well as educating Yoga Teachers to advance their knowledge and teaching skills since 2009. Nina is also a Somatic Psychotherapist, Mindfulness and Meditation teacher, and forever a student. Currently, she is studying Psychology as well as Yoga Therapy.