Yoga for hot weather

Sometimes when the weather gets hot in the summer, it’s hard to commit to your yoga practice. These are some tips on what and how to practise safely, so that you can still enjoy your daily (or weekly) yoga:

• practise early in the morning when the temperature is lower and choose a spot in your house or in nature that is generally cooler e.g. under a tree in the shadow
• unless you like to sweat, stick to a slow flow practice or focus on individual poses and spend longer in them (as opposed to move quickly from a pose to another)
• take as many breaks as you need, especially if you feel the breath is getting shorter and the inner heat rising
• spend some time in seated positions, focusing on meditation practice and/or gentle stretches on the floor
• open or close your practice in viparita karani (legs up the wall) – this is a wonderful practice to release water retention from legs and feet, it helps with lower back pain and passively opens the back of the legs
• keep yourself hydrated before and after your session

Remember that yoga is for everybody (and every body!) so tune in to the way you feel and do as much or as little as it suits you in the moment.