Diane Diam
June 7th 2009 San Diego Examiner
A student recently asked his yoga instructor, “As the seasons change, should I modify my yoga practice during the summer months?” The instructor’s answer was a qualified, “Yes”, based on Ayervedic philosophy.
Ayurveda is translated from Sanskrit as the ‘science of life’, and traditional Ayurvedic wisdom states that summer, June through September, is the Pitta time of year. The heat of the sun dominates the summer season and motivates all life on Earth toward increased movement and productivity.
The intensity of summer’s energy causes new gene
rations of animals to cover the landscape and gardens to grow prolifically. It also generally motivates humans to increase their exercise, spend more time outside with friends and family, and to travel. And for those of us living in communities near the beach, the summer heat is a driving force toward the cooler breezes of the waterfront. Ahhhh!
Ok, so what does all this have to do with the student’s question about his yoga practice? Well, because we’re all susceptible to the rhythms of Nature, as the sun gets higher in the sky, a rise in Pitta energy brings heat into the body and mind in numerous ways. If one isn’t
mindful of these changes, he or she can experience some pretty disagreeable side effects, like sunburn, heat rash, and heat exhaustion, aggression, anger and irritability.
It’s important to remain physically active even as the temperature rises. Exercise literally “blows off steam”, even in the summertime. It is, however, essential to either curtail some overly heating activities, or to balance them out with those that have more calming properties. Hatha yoga is a great fit for this.
Now, if you typically practice vigorous, heat producing styles of hatha yoga, like Ashtanga or a vinyasa flow and can’t conceive of switching to another more relaxing or meditative style, it’s important to balance this physical activity with some deep relaxation afterward. Take an extra long shavasana (corpse pose), and spend some additional time during the day in meditation, which cools and calms both the mind and body.
If you notice that your asana practice leaves you feeling cranky and irritable, skip “heat producing” postures like headstand and surya namaskaras (sun salutations). Add poses that cool the physical and emotional energies, like ushtrasana (camel), dhanurasana (bow), bhujangasana (cobra) and navasana (boat). Seated twists are also calming as they clear and detoxify the liver of pitta energy.
No matter what changes you make to your asana practice this summer remember to focus on finding calmness, peacefulness and gentleness within yourself and those around you. And don’t forget – after September you can count on another shift in your practice as you follow the rhythms of Nature.
For more information on Pitta and Ayurveda in general: The Ayurvedic Institute; National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine.
To set up a private consultation for some perspective on how your own energy is flowing with Nature, contact our resident Ayurvedic Practitioner, Kim Austin-Peterman at kim@thespaceabove.com.
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