Cooling Your Summer Practice

by Jessica Girija Jewell

There are many ways to approach asana practice:

• You might aim to master a challenging posture.

• Use postures to help you recover from injury.

• Follow a set sequence.

• Choose poses based on the time of day.

• Or simply follow your teacher’s lead.

  
  

All of these are valid and valuable ways to keep your asana sadhana interesting and meaningful.

One approach I return to often is Ayurvedically-informed yoga. A form of this, called AyurYoga, was developed by Vasant Lad, founder of The Ayurvedic Institute, and Maria Garré. Their small booklet outlining the basic principles and seasonal practices is one I’ve learned from for years.

Ayurveda: The Knowledge of Life

Have you heard of Ayurveda? It’s considered a sister science of yoga — along with Jyotish (sidereal astrology), Mantra, and Sanskrit.

The word itself means “knowledge of life”:

• Ayur = life

• Veda = knowledge

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Rooted in Sankhya philosophy, Ayurveda teaches us how to live in harmony with ourselves, others, and the natural world. It’s a vast, practical wisdom that can be quite different from our Western approach to diet, exercise, work, and play.

Over the past 25 years, I’ve woven it into my life in small but meaningful ways — scraping my tongue each morning, oiling my skin, choosing what and when to eat, shaping my asana practice accordingly. These little shifts have improved my quality of life and kept my practice alive with wonder.

And here’s the key: meaningful, lasting change rarely comes from overhauling your whole life at once. Sustainable transformation comes from making small, steady “course corrections” — one simple change at a time. Over years, these accumulate into something truly life-changing.

The Doshas and the Seasons

In Ayurveda, each season is dominated by one of the three doshas — predictable combinations of the five elements that form all matter, including our bodies:

• Kapha = Earth + Water

• Pitta = Water + Fire

• Vata = Air + Ether

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The word dosha means “spoiled” — it describes how things can move out of balance.

Right now, in the heart of summer, Pitta dosha is at its peak. You can see it in:

• The fierce summer sun heating our surroundings

• The hot, often humid air

• Fiery lightning storms that spark wildfires

• The warmth of lakes and oceans

• The earth radiating stored heat to foster plant growth

  
  

In Your Body, Pitta May Show Up As:

 

• Flushed face

• Bloodshot eyes

• Excessive sweating

• Irritability or agitation

• A quick temper

Balancing Summer’s Fire

Ayurveda, like yoga, aims for harmony. When pitta overheats — in body, mind, or mood — we can turn to two simple principles:

1. Like increases like

2. Opposites balance

   
   

If the world outside (and your body inside) is already hot, vigorous sweaty practices, runs at midday, or spicy meals can push pitta further out of balance.

Instead, try:

• Practicing asanas that release heat from pitta-rich areas — solar plexus, navel, liver, and small intestines — with gentle stretching and twists.

• Holding poses for a “just right” length of time (not too long, not too short).

• Avoiding sirsasana (headstand) and extended forward folds, which tend to accumulate heat in the body.

• Soothing mental overactivity with quiet japa mantra meditation.

• Practicing cooling pranayamas such as sitkari and sitali.

The Beauty of Seasonal Practice

One of the things I love about an Ayurvedic approach to asana is how it creates a balanced practice over the course of a year. Each season has its own set of postures and pranayamas, and they become like good friends you revisit annually — each time, learning something new with the reunion.