Summer—that welcome time of year that heralds in longer days, outdoor gatherings, and presents the opportunity to reset.

Yoga acts as an invaluable form of self-care that can be integrated into your wellness routine throughout the year, but summer can emerge as a challenging time to commit to the practice. As temperatures rise, the heat can leave us dehydrated and feeling sluggish, causing us to turn away from movement. It can feel like a supernatural effort to get moving. Thankfully, yoga remains a multi-faceted practice, and there are specific postures to explore when we become overheated and experience low levels of energy. 

So let's dive into yoga postures that help beat the heat and get you moving.

Forward folds

Forward folds are cooling postures and promote a sense of calm. They lengthen the hamstrings, calves, and provide a deep stretch for the entire back. Additionally, they lend relief for headaches aggravated by high heat and humidity.

Traditional forward fold 

1. Stand with your feet hip-width distance apart, and ensure the outer edges of your feet are parallel.

2. Press the four corners of your feet down.

3. Place your hands on your hips and slowly fold forward from the hips with a flat back.

4. Your torso will drape over your legs.

5. Next, grasp your elbows and lengthen your forearms toward the ground.

6. Relax your neck and extend the crown of your head toward the floor.

7. If you feel your weight shifting back toward your heels, rock your weight forward toward your toes so the stretch remains in your hamstrings.

8. Avoid gripping the toes.

9. Take five even, deep breaths.

To exit this pose, place your hands on your hips and as you inhale, slowly stand up with a flat back. 

Wide-legged forward fold 

1. Step three to four feet apart, and establish a parallel stance with your feet.

2. Press evenly through your feet—from the front of your feet to your heel.

3. Place your hands on your hips and fold forward with a flat back as you exhale.

4. Plant your hands on the ground beneath your shoulders.

5. If the ground feels far away, widen your stance until your hands can comfortably touch the floor.

6. Take five deep breaths.

7. Maintaining a flat back, continue to lengthen the sides of the waist and extend the crown of your head forward in space.

8. To explore a deeper variation, walk your hands directly back so your fingertips and the tips of your toes are in a horizontal line.

9. Bend your elbows so your forearms are parallel to one another, and lower the crown of your head to the ground.

10. Take at least five fluid breaths.

To exit this posture, plant your hands on your hips, take a full inhale, and rise to standing with a flat back.

Backbends 

Backbends are nature’s espresso shot. Loved by some, considered challenging by most, the truth remains that both supine and prone heart openers lend us an instant boost of energy. Yoga luminary, BKS Iyengar, held firm to the belief that the fountain of youth lay in practicing backbends daily.  

Bridge pose

This supine backbend strengthens and alleviates tightness in the spine. It enhances circulation and stretches the hip flexors, quadriceps, chest, and neck while also serving as an antidote to fatigue.

1. Lie on your back and bend your knees so they stack directly above your heels.

2. Place your feet hip-width distance apart and parallel.

3. Distribute the weight evenly through the four corners of your feet.

4. Rest your arms alongside your body with your palms touching the ground.

5. As you exhale, press your feet firmly into the ground and—like a wave—lift your low back and then your mid back off the ground.

6. Reach your kneecaps forward. Now, walk your shoulders underneath you a couple of times so the shoulder blades draw together. Your biceps will rotate toward the sky.

7. Press your forearms and palms down.

8. If accessible, interlace your hands and press your palms toward one another as you reach your knuckles forward. If this second option is inaccessible or uncomfortable, remain in the first variation with your arms straight and your palms on the ground. 

9. Gaze toward the sky and soften your forehead and jaw.

10. Keep your neck still; avoid moving your head side to side which can compromise the safety of the neck.

11. Take five slow breaths.

To exit the posture, unlace your hands—if you opted for the second variation—and walk your arms out so your shoulder blades separate and lay flat on the ground. Finally, slowly lower your mid back followed by your low back onto the ground.

Locust pose 

This heart opener strengthens the musculature of the back, legs, and glutes while fostering a deep opening in the chest and shoulders. 

1. Lie in a prone position on your yoga mat.

2. Position your legs so they are hip-width distance apart and allow the tops of your feet to rest on the ground.

3. Place your arms at your sides. As you exhale, lift your chest, legs, and arms off the mat in one motion.

4. Rotate your outer thighs down and roll your inner thighs up to create expansion in the low back. Your pinky toenails will face the ground.

5. Turn your palms to face the ground so your collar bones widen and your shoulders open.

6. Gaze down the bridge of your nose and elongate your neck.

7. Take five even breaths.

8. If you observe tension creeping into your forehead or jaw, soften those areas.

After five deep breaths, slowly lower your chest, arms, and legs to the mat at the same time.  

Restorative postures 

When feeling physically and mentally depleted, restorative yoga postures are ideal to practice. These poses demonstrate the power stillness holds in cultivating mental and physical rejuvenation. 

Legs-up-the-wall pose 

The gold mine of restorative postures, this pose aids in decreasing fluid accumulation in the legs, acts as a salve for headaches, promotes circulation, and alleviates discomfort in the back body.

1. Position your yoga mat on the ground so it is perpendicular to the wall.

2. Sit on your mat and face the wall.

3. Now, bend your knees, and inch your lower body forward until it grazes the wall.

4. Lie down, and straighten your legs up the wall.

5. Rest your arms on the ground overhead or at your sides—whatever feels most comfortable for your shoulders.

6. Separate your feet so they are hip-width.

7. Allow your entire upper body to soften into the mat and relax your feet.

8. Breathe deeply and remain still for at least ten minutes.

9. You can close your eyes if that feels intuitive and comforting.

To come out of this pose, gently bend your knees so the bottoms of your feet touch the wall. Slowly roll to one side and press up to seated.  

Supported child’s pose

An excellent stretch for the ankles and a substantial lengthener for the spine, this supported expression of child’s pose can provide grounding when the heat of summer feels overwhelming.

1. Beginning from table top pose on your yoga mat, place a bolster or large pillow in a vertical position beneath your torso.

2. Now, guide your big toes together and widen your knees so they are aligned with the outer edges of your yoga mat.

3. As you exhale, press your hips toward your heels, and gently lower your torso and forehead onto the bolster or pillow and stretch your arms forward so they frame the bolster or pillow.

4. Reach your fingertips forward so your elbows straighten and continue to press your hips toward your heels.

5 Take ten deep breaths and allow your upper body to relax fully against the bolster or pillow.

To exit, walk your hands back, 8-12 inches, shift your weight into your palms, and press up to table top posture. 

While it can feel like a Herculean task to get moving in boiling temperatures, once we do, a body in motion, stays in motion. These postures can alleviate feelings of soreness and renew our energy, allowing us to feel better physically and mentally, so we may fully enjoy the twinkling days and nights of summer. 

‍