Yoga Asana for Late Summer: revolved poses (twists) and especially Yin and Restorative

For Late Summer yoga asana practice, we continue with scaled back intensity of heat (yes, please! BTW, did you know the studio has refrigerated air now?!) and focus on rest, revolution - revolved, or twisted postures, True Core. Think laying down gentle twists and their more energetic cousins for your warm up; revolved side angle pose and triangle for your standing practice - try a block to access these at first; and revolved pigeon, wide legged forward fold and seated postures as you turn inward. Restorative practice of all kinds is terrific. Yin practice can be especially supportive with its variety of twist options.

Yoga Breathing (Pranayama) + Mudra for Late Summer: cooling, digestion, building prana

Mudra: this is a stellar time to reintroduce Agni Sara Kriya gently, in the absence of contraindications. For hand mudra, consider Hridayam mudra (left, below)and Mula (right, below) mudra as well as Anjali Mudra, second in the gallery further down.

Pranayama: continuing to cultivate prana with behar kumbacha (retention of prana after exhale). Moon and Alternate Nostril Breath, Horse, Lion and Radiator breaths are all stellar additions to your HYP for cooling the mind and the body.

Meditation + Mantra for Late Summer

For meditation, aka skillful use of your attention, consider a mantra practice or trataka, a form of resting your gaze on either a point or a candle flame.

Mantra: Bija - or seed - mantra are accessible and short and so make a wonderful starting point. The bija mantra “yam,” pronounced /yum/, is recommended for Late Summer. Combine it with resting your attention in the area of your chest. The image associated with this mantra is a blue lotus.

Trataka: Without effort, gently rest your visual focus on a single point (which you can do any time, any where) or the flame of a lit candle at least 2-3 feet distant from you and a little downward. Any time your gaze or attention wanders (notice their difference and their coincidence), simply and gently, kindly return to your focus. Toward the end of your allotted time, close your eyes and become aware of the impressions generated there.

Doshas and Your Physiology in Late Summer: Western Research, Indian Ancient and Modern Texts

Late Summer, the Ayurvedic season called Varsa, brings the potential exacerbation of vata, or air - the movement principle in our mind-bodies as well as the accumulation of pitta, or fire - the transformation and digestion principle of our mind-bodies. (Ashtanga Hridayam, Chapter 3, applied to asana specifically by TrueAyurveda here, general seasonal regime by Dr. Hebbar here and here, Late Summer specifically here, and further customization to particular climates here.) This changes some according to your location and climate - which is changing everywhere, and the changes are also relative to the prior and subsequent seasons, and so may pertain even when the extremes are different where you are. As with everything else in healthful living, wellness and Ayurveda, there are many things to consider in tailoring these recommendations to you.

As the Gut Goes, So Goes Life

The relative decrease in the strength of digestion (Antibiotics, 2021) is related to the heat and how our body reacts it. An extreme situation, heat stress, results in a leaky gut wall. (Nutrients, March 2020) The food inside your intestines is technically “outside” your body until its components are absorbed into into your blood/lymphatic systems. Otherwise, as it becomes feces, you would be exposed to infection. (Mediators of Inflammation, 2015) The epithelial cells of your skin and digestive tract are similarly arranged with different components and our bodies increase permeability in hot conditions to facilitate cooling. Under these conditions your digestion can’t function at peak capacity. This is one likely scientific explanation of how and why Ayurveda advises us to scale back intensity of our movement and focus on rest. “Lazy summer days” aren’t just a dream, they’re a healthy reaction to the light and heat, reduced melatonin and the abundance of life in this beautiful season.