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SUMMER Practice

COOLING, REFRESHING, FLOWING, & GROUNDING

Tips: Practice in a cooler, darker environment with a more passive attitude without expectations, competition, or judgment. Use soft, calming music. Keep your gaze down and work at 70% with moderate holds. Postures close to the ground provide coolness and stability.

Pranayama: Shitali, Sitkari and Chandra Bhedana - to refresh the body and reduce excess heat, stress and anxiety.

Pratapana (warm ups): Slow, controlled movements with breath - to relax the body and calm the mind.

Meditation: Cool Visualization, Mantra Meditation.

Suggested Asanas
Moon Salutations instead of Sun Salutations, Heart-Openers, Gentle Backbends: Cobra, Boat, Fish and Bridge poses all support your thyroid gland which regulates your body’s temperature. Wide legged Forward Folds and Legs Up the Wall, cool the body down. Seated or supine Twists help flush out excess heat from the torso.
Longer Savasana as you focus your attention on your navel and solar plexus area.

Sign of Successful Practice: You feel cool, refreshed, at ease and relaxed. Your mind and senses feel clear and any emotional irritation and tension is released!

What defines Kripalu yoga is its emphasis on...

  1. Following the flow of Prana (the life-force energy)
  2. Practicing compassionate self-acceptance
  3. Developing witness consciousness (observing the activity of the mind without judgement)
  4. Taking what is learned ‘off the mat’ into your daily life
  5. It’s designed to adapt to all body types, ages & fitness levels

Guidelines for a Remote practice

With more people practicing yoga with on-line virtual classes, there are more injuries taking place. Here are some tips to help you stay safe in your practice:

How can you avoid injuries in yoga?

  1. Slow down your yoga practice, it’s the one place and time you don’t need to rush. A fast-paced flow can cause injuries by overlooking alignment and body awareness

  2. Stay focused on breathing as you move through and hold poses. Your mind is steady and you’re not distracted by random thoughts that create muscle tension, stiffness and blockages to the flow of prana

  3. Don’t overdo it, and if it hurts, back out of it. An intense practice can lead to overuse of joints and stress on tendons and muscle fibers. Pushing can lead to tears in the joints, tendons, and muscles

  4. Proper alignment will keep your joints in their proper position

  5. In Warrior poses don't let your bent knee go past your ankle

  6. Use appropriate props and protect your knees with a folded blanket

  7. Protect your lower back by warming up before going into a deep twist

  8. If you have tight hips and hamstrings, bend your knees before doing forward bends

  9. Do not come up “one vertebrae at a time” when rising from a forward bend, but rather bend your knees, use your core strength and legs and rise up with a flat back to avoid injury

  10. Be happy with where you are and not where you think you should be and remember that ‘real yoga’ is about quieting the mind and “QUIET MINDS CORRELATE WITH LONGEVITY”