Dropping into the restorative aspect of a yoga practice during the summertime is one way to encourage you to let go of “trying” to do the pose a certain way, and simply let yourself be guided intuitively into the right shape or position, in order to relax and breathe.
In the summer, which is a Yang time of year from the Taoist perspective, we fill up on solar energy and recharge our internal batteries, while giving a little extra care to specific organs that may be working overtime. In the summer, we guide attention to the heart, small intestines, stomach, and spleen, which work together in many ways to promote efficient blood circulation, temperature regulation, digestion, and hormone secretion; they also function symbiotically to absorb nutrients through what we bring into our body through food and the senses.
Find a comfortable place to rest on your back before drawing your knees close to your belly. Take a few moments to close your eyes, relax and unwind, before starting the summer yin/restorative practice.
This sequence I am suggesting is yin, in that it promote easy, slow, quiet, movement that allows you to visualize and feel where your qi/prana or attention are at all times. With practice, your mind and breath together to move qi/prana into specific places deep in your body such as the ligaments, connective issue, or organs.
With the extra heat and longer days, it is easy to dry up, get angry, irritated, or exhausted, if work and play are not in balance. So, why not take time to complement what’s going on outside in nature by partaking in relaxed, slow, cooling movement and maintaining a playful attitude. Consider closing your eyes during the practice to avoid being competitive with others or yourself, and instead move from your intuition; allow yourself to listen from within, to grow and mature during this season of abundance.
Asana Sequence
•Savasana with a bolster under your spine: pause and relax after each exhale
•Supine twist with bent knees
•Balasana (Child’s pose) with forehead resting on hands
•“Reaching under the bed” pose
•Mandukasana (wide knee child’s pose with chest on the floor or bolster)
•Sphinx
•Virasana
•Ardha Matsyendrasana (mellow version)
•Sukhasana (meditation seat)
You can download this practice or Summer Seasonal Vinyasa Flow at My Yoga Online!
