A pitta (heat) reducing yoga practice

A fundamental principle of Ayurveda is that our habits, routines, and dietary choices should align with the seasons. Ayurveda views our physical bodies, along with everything in the Universe, as being made up of the five primary elements; earth, water, fire, air, and ether or empty space. These elements are expressed in the physical body as qualities of stability/support (earth), feeling/fluidity (water), heat and metabolism (fire), respiration and circulation (air), and space and lightness (ether). 

The characteristics of summer are heat, long days of bright sun, and sharp intensity. These are all attributes of pitta dosha, which is why summer is considered a pitta season. 

While the warm summer weather is appealing for most of us, too much heat creates imbalance. When the fire element becomes too intense, it creates an excess of the pitta dosha. To move toward balance, Ayurveda reminds us that “like increases like and opposites balance.” This wisdom is extremely helpful when considering your physical activities in the summer.

​Read on to learn how to best practice yoga in the summer and to receive a guided heat reducing yoga practice for summer.

Summer often motivates us to up our game with physical fitness, especially in the Pacific Northwest where we have many rainy months and live for summer! The summer months are meant to be active provided you exercise at appropriate times and at an appropriate intensity.

Yoga tips for summer:

• Pitta dosha is characterized by heat, sharpness, intensity and force.  Think road rage on a hot day! 
• Cultivate the opposite qualities.  Think cool, soft, flowing and graceful.  
• Practice in the early AM or in the evening after it cools down.
• Have an attitude of relaxed effort.  While you may enjoy an intense and precision driven practice, when pitta is up, you need to ease up on intensity and work at about 70% intensity. 
• Keep your pace moderate. 
• Breathe fully and completely and focus on the exhale.  Exhale to release heat, tension and irritation from the body.
• Flow through postures at a moderate pace and/or hold postures for a shorter time.  Long holds build heat and can aggravate pitta.
• Keep your gaze soft and orient it toward the earth or the horizon.   A piercing, upward gaze will increase pitta.
• A pitta reducing yoga asana practice includes: flowing postures, forward bends, lateral standing poses, twists, restorative poses and savasana.

Enjoy out the audio yoga practice below:

ALL LEVEL PITTA REDUCING YOGA PRACTICE - 24 MINUTES

Share it with a friend!
 
XO
Annie