Body Yoga

Guest Affair // Flow with the seasons part 2

27. Juni 2018
Reni Bickel Yoga Guest Affair Summer

Part 2 of 5 part series: Summer

After her spring blog post, our New York based Guest Author Reni has written another beautiful piece on summer and how to flow with this season.

Nothing is constant

Everything in life is based on the principles of light and darkness, Yin and Yang. The constant movement and transforming of these forces explains why nature is cyclical as it moves through seasons. Each season, with its very unique quality, connects to the next one seamlessly – a rhythmic pattern that repeats over and over.

Human beings are incredibly sensitive to these changes. Fact is: They are part of it, of the planet and its aliveness.

For our health, it is essential that we know how to flow with the seasons, to attune ourselves to the rhythmic pattern of nature that also happen within us, in our body and psyche.

This article is the first part of a year-long series. It is based on the Five-Element-System and offers insight about the quality of each season, and simple tips to help you prepare for seasonal change.

Season

SUMMER

Summer! It’s a happening thing. With the solstice on the 21st of June, the longest day of the year, we finally and formally entered summer time.

This is the season to recharge our vital energy with solar power. Active, barefoot and cool is my ABC for the summer. This season is the most action-packed time of the year, when our energy naturally moves forward and out, when we are more likely called to go outdoor and come out of our shell. As there is increased heat, it also requires staying cool when it gets hot. Summer challenges our metabolism and our psyche to balance and constantly mediate between the burning flames of excitement and our cooling waters of calmness.

The summer season is associated to the fire element: heat, motion and joy. The ideas we conceptualized during spring (wood element) now turn into real action, a flame, a fire. This is the moment to let your projects flourish and expand. Keep up the good work as you are so close to manifesting your visions and goals!

The color of summer is red, the sound is a laugh and its quality is ripeness. Summer stands for creativity, intuition and activity. It’s sparkly, powerful and electric.

The associated organs of summer are the heart and the small intestine. The heart, our vital pump, has the ability to see clearly and understand how to serve our health. Together with two other systems called the pericardium and three-heater, it is able to regulate body temperature and blood pressure. The small intestine assures the digestion and assimilation of nourishment, by selecting and transporting the nutrients from food directly into the blood flow. These organs of circulation and absorption deserve special care and attention during the summer season.

EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE! … to keep the circulation going and sweat out toxins. Sports strengthen the fire element and keep us oxygenated and active.

Ideas for your daily routine during summer

YOGA: Let the heat out!

Gomukhasana – you won’t believe it – but there is a lot of heat stored in our lower body! This yoga pose will help you to get into your hips and cool your system from deep within.

Sit on a blanket to bring your pelvis higher than your legs. Cross over your thighs tightly, so your knees align in front. You can bring your feet further out as you advance in the pose. Stay for 5-10 minutes, change sides. To avoid getting bored, try variations with the upper body and your arms such as forward folds, twists, swimming or eagle arms.

King of the Mountain helps decompress the heart and move the heat out. Yes, it makes you sweat as hell, but it’ll cool you down as well. This genius pose recently brought into the yoga fashion by Nevine Michaan, founder of Katonah Yoga, is a variation of Tadasana. Stay in mountain pose with your feet touching, interlace your fingers with the palms facing up, press up a block, your crown, by straightening the arms completely. Imagine you are standing on a mountain – a real king or queen of its own dominion. Oh and by the way, do this for 9 minutes!

Reversed Namaste reorganizes your shoulders, wrists and hands – they are the extension of your heart. This pose creates space for the lungs to breathe and ventilate the air better.

BREATHWORK:  Sitali Pranayama. Roll your tongue into a form of a wrap or create a little tunnel with your lips. As you inhale pull the air in slowly through the tongue or lips, feeling its coolness and cooling effect on your system. Exhales are naturally out the nose. Do 20 or more, whenever you need to turn on your personal AC and cool down quickly.

DIET IDEA: Chose food that keeps you cool and fresh such as fruit and vegetables and be sure to drink enough water. Measure yourself with the intake of acidic foods like coffee and alcohol. I like to drink a liter of warm Hibiscus tea with a little lemon juice in the morning. Avoid too salty, sugary or fatty… the heart likes a bitter taste (endives, green leaves). Have a cucumber to cool down the fire or a little ginger, cayenne pepper or bitters to tune your fires!

PLANT MAGIC: Cooling, soothing: Peppermint. Heating, strengthening: Ginseng.

SELF-CARE RITUAL: Little effort, great effects. Enjoy a foot bath with salts and crystals to eliminate toxins and balance the water circulation in your body. My favorite: Complete Release by Rock on! Life

CRYSTAL HEALER: Citrine, the yellow crystal of the quartz family, is THE stone of joy and positivity. It supports the central nervous system and mental concentration. Carry it in your pocket, or place on the navel to stay clear, focused and motivated! Easily charged in the sunlight.

MANTRA: “I have fun.”

Love

 

A Yoga Workshop tailored to Summertime
August 17th, 2018 @ Yoga Scheune Meilen

https://www.facebook.com/events/2160034270882532/

 

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