I know, it’s tempting not to do yoga in the summer, especially hot yoga. Finally we have sunshine and warmth and it feels great to be outdoors. But, here are some very good reasons to keep up our hot yoga practice:
1. During the winter months when it is minus 20 outside we come into yoga and feel cold and stiff and that first downward dog feels extremely tight. Now that it is summer our bodies are already warmed up and our muscles will feel more flexible right away and we might find ourselves ready to deepen our practice or try a more advanced position of a pose;
2. Keeping up our yoga practice will help with other summertime activities. We will stay strong and flexible for baseball, bike riding soccer, water skiing, gardening, etc;
3. Keep practising in the summer and our body will be more adaptable to those super hot days as our body has become extremely efficient at cooling down through sweating;
4. Everyone needs “me” time throughout the year, summer included, so don’t forego your own personal time on the mat;
5. Summer heat can zap our energy but rather than laze out on our patios we will feel more invigorated if we practise. All those deep breaths are sending loads of fresh oxygen to every cell of our body;
6. Yoga detoxifies the body so keep practising to keep up a healthy immune system ….. avoid those nasty summer colds.
I am sure that there are many more reasons that you can think of you. However, my favourite reason to keep practising is so I can really enjoy that ice cream cone guilt free!
Carol Atkinson, E-RYT, Healthletica Yoga Instructor
