Yoga practice for hot weather – 5 cooling yoga poses to beat the heat

If you feel really bad during the heat waves, have cardiovascular issues, are pregnant or of old age – you’d better limit your yoga practice to Pranayama (breathing exercises, particularly the cooling ones) and Savasana (a relaxation pose that teaches you how to let go – for more information on that pose, go HERE).

You’d better not get on the mat:

• if you feel exhausted, heavy after a meal or out of breath,
• right after you’ve been out in hot sun,
• right after another physical activity.

Give yourself time to rest and recuperate. This is what summer is for after all!

How do you know which yoga pose will help your body to cool down?

The warming yoga poses typically include: standing poses, inverted poses, balancing on hands, bending backwards and active twists. It is, however, worth noting that inverted poses and backward bends with support will have a cooling effect.

Other sample cooling yoga poses include: bends, shoulder stand (Sarvangasana), gentle twists and regeneration yoga poses, as well as Suptapadangusthasana (especially after backward bends; you can read more about it in this article “Yoga for a healthy spine. Discover 5 top asanas to ease back pain”).

However, whether a given pose is warming or cooling depends on the proficiency of the person working out. For example, the headstand pose (Sirsasana) is a warming pose; however, with a regular and long-term practice, it can feel very relaxing and cooling, especially when you hold it up for a short time.

It is important that you do not mix those two types of yoga poses during one sequence. Ideally, you start your practice with the warming poses, move on to the cooling ones and finish with Savasana.

Five cooling yoga poses step by step

You may want to use yoga accessories when practicing, such as a bolster or a yoga block. If you don’t have them on hand, a rolled blanket (one or two thinner ones) and books (the thicker, the better) make for excellent replacements.

Supine bound angle – Supta Baddha Konasana

This pose not only helps you recover and cool down, it also helps you open your hips and your pelvis, while relieving tension and pain at your lower belly (including pain caused by menstruation).

How to do it?

1. Sit in the Baddha Konasana pose and bring the bottoms of the feet together.
2. Place a bolster lengthwise, in line with your spine, and lie on your back. Keep the bolster above your sit bones. You can use a blanket as an additional support for your head and neck.
3. Rest the arms by your sides, palms facing up. You can also slide your straight arms above your head or hold the opposite elbows.
4. Hold up for about 10 minutes. Breathe evenly, relax your throat and your face. Close your eyes to get even more relax. If your thighs or your hips feel tense, you can support them with rolled blankets or pillows.
5. Finally, relax your arms and your legs. Press yourself on your elbows to return to a seated position.

Cross-legged forward fold – Adho Mukha Sukhasana

Adho – means “downward”, mukha means “face”, and “sukha” means joy, comfort and pleasure. You can read more about sitting in a cross-legged position in our article “Five exercises you know without realizing that they are the same as asanas“.

How to do it?

1. Sit down and cross your legs in front of you at your shins – your knees should be more or less in line with your hips; if they are higher, you may want to sit on a rolled blanket. Place each foot beneath the opposite knee if possible.
2. Lengthen your spine and put your hands on the floor in front of you.
3. Inhale and move your torso forward – lengthening your spine and your neck.
4. Exhaling, slowly move your hands forward – try not to round your back or hunch your shoulders and make sure your sit bones remain on the floor.
5. If possible, rest your forehead on the floor, stack your hands and close your eyes. If it’s too difficult for you, you can rest your head and your arms on the bolster placed in front of you or you can rest your forehead on the block and your forearms on the mat.
6. Hold up for a minute or longer, press yourself back to an upright, seated position, change the cross of your legs and repeat the pose.

Plough pose – Halasana

You can do that yoga pose starting off the floor or starting from the shoulder stand. Here we are going to show you the first option. In both cases, it is a good idea to support your arms and shoulders with blankets. It will be much more comfortable for you and you will also give your neck some extra protection against injury.

How to do it?

1. Lie down on the blankets. Make sure your back, shoulder blades and the base of your neck are on the blankets while your head and the major part of your cervical spine are outside the blanket. Make sure you lie symmetrically.
2. Bend your knees, move them towards your torso, use your hands to push your body off the floor.
3. Move your legs towards your head and lower them over your head toward the floor. Straighten the legs, trying to touch the floor with your toes.
4. Position your hands on your lower back for support. Draw your shoulder blades and elbows in together as close as possible so your arms are in parallel. Do not move your head from side to side.
5. Lift your hips off the floor, bring the upper part of your torso toward your chin so that your chest is perpendicular to the floor. Your back may not be rounded.
6. Straighten your arms above your head and interlace your fingers so that the inner side of your elbows is facing up. Press your hands into the floor. Make sure your weight rests on your upper shoulders. Draw your shoulder blades in together.
7. Move your arms away from your ears, and your legs as far as possible to lengthen the spine. You can close your eyes to calm down even more. Hold up that pose for 1 to 5 minutes and change the interlace of your hands.
8. It is important that your release very slowly – unlace your hands, use your hands to support your back, bend the knees and slowly roll the spine back onto the floor. Keep your legs close to your torso and straighten them at the very end. Rest.

Tips for beginners

• If you feel your spine is too stretched during the full pose or you feel uncomfortable, do the half plough pose – rest your feet on a wall or on a chair so that they are parallel to the floor.
• If it’s difficult for you to straighten your hands and interlace your fingers and also if your feet do not rest on the floor, a wall or a chair, keep your hands on your back and move your shoulders away from your ears and draw your elbows in together.

Bridge pose – Setubandha sarvangasana

This yoga pose is particularly recommended for people who are stressed out and anxious. It releases anxiety and fatigue. It helps your body to relax and recover and is also good for digestion. It is an excellent introduction to backbends. It is easy to modify, using various props.

How to do it?

1. Lie on your back. Put a firm blanket under your shoulders to protect your neck.
2. Bend your knees and put your feet on the floor so that the tips of your toes touch your opposite heel if possible.
3. Press your feet and your arms into the mat. Lift your hips off the floor until they are parallel to the floor. Keep your knees right above your heels.
4. Raise your chin to your chest and bring your shoulders together. Straighten your arms and lace your hands under your sit bones. Your chest should be widely open and your belly fully relaxed.
5. Hold that pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Release slowly and gently, unlacing your hands and bringing your spine on the floor, one vertebra at a time. Move on your side. Use your hands to press yourself back to an upright position. Sit cross-legged.

Other variations:

• lie down on two crossed bolsters with your legs straight and your arms spread out to your sides. You can rest your legs on a box or another bolster for support.
• lie down on a single bolster with straight legs,
• put a yoga block under your sacral bone, close to your tailbone for support – with either bent or straight legs (in that case, feet are also active – feet are hip-distance apart, toes pointing up and heels pointing to the front).

Legs up the wall pose – Viparita karani

There is hardly anyone who doesn’t like lying with their feet up... Who would have thought there is actually a yoga pose in that position, and it’s good not only for your feet and your back, but it also:

• helps your mind to calm down,
• brings relief in headaches and premenstrual syndrome,
• helps regulate blood pressure.
• brings relief when you suffer from insomnia, breathing difficulties and many others.

How to do it?

1. Put a bolster or a rolled blanket by the wall and put a yoga block between them. If your body is well stretched, use a higher prop and move it closer to the wall. The distance also depends on your height. If you are rather on the shorter side, move closer to the wall. If you are tall, move away. Practice with different distances to find the one that is most comfortable for you.
2. Sit on the back, at the right edge of the bolster/blanket and rest your side on the wall. On the inhale, lift your bent legs off the floor and put them on the wall. Rest your sit bones on the bolster while gently lowering your shoulders and your head on the floor (you can put a blanket underneath for more comfort).
3. Your sit bones may glue to the wall or fall into the space between the bolster/blanket and the wall. Your torse should make a gentle arch from the pubic bone to your upper shoulders. Make sure your head is below your heart.
4. Move your shoulders away from your ears and relax your throat. Allow your breastbone move up towards your chin. Spread your arms loosely to your sides or extend them over your head, palms facing up.
5. Straighten your legs and keep them parallel, the soles of your feet pointing up. You can also spread your legs wide or bring the bottoms of the feet together. Close your eyes.
6. Hold up for about 5 to 15 minutes. To release, first lift your pelvis off the floor and remove the bolster/blanket. Put your sit bones on the floor and then lie on your side. Hold up for a few inhales and exhales. On the exhale, return to the seated position.

After you have completed the yoga poses from that group, you’d better not make any active yoga poses that could warm up your body again. Replace them with your favorite Savasana variation, or simply relax.

We hope that you will get some longed-for moment of coolness from those yoga poses, as well as some peace and relax not only during the summer.

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_References:

_{1. B. Niedaszkowski, „Joga i ajurweda. Przewodnik dla współczesnego człowieka”, Łódź 2019.}

_{2. G. S. Iyengar, „Joga w praktyce. Kurs wstępny”, Kraków 2015.}

_{3. www.joga-joga.pl.}

_{4. www.portalyogi.pl.}

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_{6. www.sutrajoga.pl.}

_{7. joga-abc.pl.}