What's Your Favorite Thing About Summer?
Every morning, I read some inspiration from a book on Discovering the Five Elements. It reminds me that we are part of nature and not separate from it. Not that I really need a reminder, especially where we live and especially NOT in the summer. Most of nature ends up overrunning our home and certainly our property during the summer months and for the most part, we LOVE it. According to the ancient chinese medical text, the Nei Jing, "Summer is the period of luxurious growth, everything is in bloom."
As we experience the longest day of the year, we transit through the element of Fire. Fire is transformative. The energy is upward and outward; expansive. This can be both beautiful AND overwhelming. We can experience tremendous joy AND it can make us feel like we are headed in a million directions at once. When out of balance, the fire element can cause redness, swelling, pain, inflammation, irritability and frustration. Yikes!
Luckily yoga gives us great tools for staying in balance with the summer season like practicing forward bends and cooling pranayama and eating foods that help balance the heat of summer.
Stay cool while we put the final touches on the new site.
With Gratitude.
Sara Miles Pope Agelasto
Love. Service. Devotion. Yoga.
Cool Down with Forward Bends
Almost any yoga pose can be practiced with the intention of cooling and calming the brain, but forward bends practiced with this intention will help to calm the restlessness, frustration, overwhelm and anxiety that are more common in the Fire Season. Want to be guided through some forward bends with an expert? Try one of our Experienced Beginner or Intermediate Classes with Senior Teacher Lois Steinberg.
Chill Out with Pranayama
Pranayama - The simple practice of lying down on your back and slowly, consciously drawing the breath in and releasing the breath out will begin to quiet your mind and the firey emotions of summer. But one breath in particular is recommended to cool the body temperature. It's called Sitali.
To Practice: Sit comfortably with the head and shoulders aligned over the hips. Close your eyes and practice long slow deep diaphragmatic breathing. Open the mouth, form an "O" with the lips and project the tongue curled 3/4 inch out of the mouth. Inhale deeply as if drinking the breath through a straw. Withdraw the tongue, close the mouth and exhale deeply through the nostrils. Continue practicing Sitalipranayama for 2 -3 minutes. Notice the Cooling Effects.
New to pranayama? Try this Introduction to Pranayama with Senior Teacher John Schumacher.
Eat Local and In Season!
Isn't it amazing that every season you can find the foods that are best to eat by looking for what is in season where you live? Summertime makes it easy because so many fresh fruits and vegetables are in season, so take advantage and eat fresh food all summer long. Use this time to cleanse naturally from the effects of eating preserved or processed foods.
Bitter foods like fresh local greens are particularly cooling for the body. The bitter flavor is supportive to the Heart, the organ associated with Summer.
Make a cooling solar tea with peppermint leaves or hibiscus flowers. Take advantage of the long days and steep your tea in the sun. Use One Tablespoon of Fresh Herb to Each Cup of Water. Steep for 12 hours in direct sunlight.
Be grateful for the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables in the summer and Enjoy!
New Teacher: Kofi Busia
We are honored to add renowned yoga teacher, Kofi Busia to the New iHanuman Site! Behind the scenes our Teacher Community continues to grow. We promise the site is coming soon! If you are interested in joining the community, Please Contact us to Learn More.