It is summer! Let us all celebrate the light like pagan priestesses frolicking amongst the fireflies, while we wear jasmine scented grass tunics and adorn our brethren with rich emerald moss crests.
It is the season of reverence for nature as the warm air of the outdoors beckons us to bask in the glory of the sun. (Plus, it’s also a good time of year to have a margarita in the afternoon. )
For those of us who don’t live in a permanently hot climate, summer is a really big deal. It almost provokes a manic state of mind because it is such a glaring contrast to the dark coldness of winter. People almost enter into a frenzy trying to appreciate all the nuances summer has to offer.
It may be hard to stay motivated and committed to your yoga practice when all you want to do is be outside, sip mojitos by the beach, or you feel too sweaty already to get even more sweaty. Yet summer is a truly profound period to dive into your yoga because there are unique allowances.
Here are 3 benefits to practicing yoga in summer that we all should honor and take advantage of.
1. An Opportunity To Practice Outside
As modern people, we have very little physical contact with mother earth. We wear shoes, clothes, and often don’t find ourselves rolling around naked in the richness of the soil – unless it was that kind of night. Yet contact with dirt has not only medicinal benefits, but also healing.
Taking your yoga practice outside and drinking the magnetic energy of Gaia through the palms of your hands and soles of your feet is a truly transformative experience.
2. Deeper Flexibility
When it is warmer, we are more limber. Sometimes in the cold winter months, just the thought of a hip opener makes me cringe with discomfort. Yet when heat penetrates the air, it helps loosen up the body and provides an opportunity to go farther into your poses.
You never know what you might find buried behind your heart or tucked beneath your shoulder blades. The supportive balminess of summer will help you discover the emotions you hold on to and have hidden in the abyss of your being.
3. A Chance To See All That Yoga Has Done For You
Most of us are more active in the summer months because there is a greater incentive to be outdoors in the beautiful weather. Sometimes it is easy to forget how much yoga truly does transform your physical self. When faced with those moments where you need to exert yourself, be reminded of how your yoga practice is there to support you.
When I hike mountains and start to feel tired and winded, I then remember to return to my breath where I find a reserve of energy to keep going. So I don’t just mean the physical aspects of newly toned arms or stronger legs, but overall physical health that your yoga practice has helped you to achieve.
What do YOU love most about practicing yoga in the summertime?