July Theme of the Month

Last month we focused on yoga for energy and vitality and connecting to warmth, light and the energy of the sun. At times the practice was slowed down or even changed in the evening to a very grounding, restoring yin style practice to work with the heat and how that feels in the body.

This month we will go with the flow of the seasons outside and work with practices that cool the fire element within us such as grounding earth poses and sequences and hip related releasing water element practices to cool to cool the body and bring space in.

Space offers an opportunity to slow down, reflect, expand and air out the body. Yoga is a great practice to help the body cool down by relaxing too. When you are stressed, your body is warmer because it is activated. So, the more relaxed you are, the cooler your body can be.

There will be opportunities to practice a few cooling breathing practices such as Sheetali and Sitkari pranayamas. These practices involve techniques to regulate breath and are believed to help reduce internal heat and promote a calm mental state. In some classes too we will explore gentle moon salutations as opposed to heating sun salutations.

The hot weather can often zap our energy, make us feel hot, bothered and irritated and we may feel tired too from disturbed sleep in the night. Cooling down yoga poses can work on a principle based on the body’s ability to respond to heat and stress overall.

When the body is exposed to hot temperatures the fight-or-flight response (the sympathetic nervous system) gets activated. This allows the heart rate to increase, the blood vessels to restrict, and the sweat glands to begin releasing sweat.

Cooling yoga poses alternatively activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This can actually help slow down heart rate, dilate blood vessels, and allow the body to move into a state of relaxation. This shift can counteract the body’s response to stress, allowing it to release heat more effectively.

Cooling Yoga For Summer

Week 1 – Keep Your Cool
This class will help you to get to a place of openness and grounding through your body. Longer holds, hip opening and heart opening poses and a short breathing practice will help to cool you down.

Week 2 – Cooling and Grounding
Connecting to the earth element is a great practice to feel steadier, cooler and more grounded in the mind and the body.

Week 3 – Chill Out and Cool Down
If you’ve been stressed lately or feel a bit over heated because of the weather these classes will bring you back to yourself. Allow yourself to feel steady calm and open.

Week 4 – Finding Spaciousness
Use poses to find space in the body which in turns allows ourselves to release tension or stress and allowing more air to move though and around our body.

Week 5 – Flowing with the Water Element
Connection to the water element is great during summer as we work with lots of releasing around the hips which allows a gentle space to move into our bodies.

Related Videos

Creating Space
Be Grounded, Stay Present
Cooling Down After Running/Walking
Yoga To Create Space In The Body & Mind
Breathing & Movement for Tension & Stress
Breathe & Relax Deeply

This Month’s Music

Here’s a selection of the music that Vicky has been enjoying this month.