YOGA THROUGH THE YEAR
  • Home
  • About
  • Seasons
    • Spring
    • Spring to Summer
    • Summer
    • Summer to Autumn
    • Autumn
    • Autumn to Winter
    • Winter
    • Winter to Spring
  • Praise for...
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Celtic Connections
    • Wheel of the Year
    • Samhain
    • Winter Solstice
    • Imbolc
    • Spring Equinox
    • Beltane
    • Summer Solstice
    • Lammas
    • Autumn Equinox
    • Celtic Trees
  • Contact

Yoga Through the Year Blog

Soothing Summer Yoga Practice

5/28/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
I really enjoyed using the Summer Solstice Yoga practice, from my Yoga Through the Year book, as my early morning yoga practice this morning. I found it very soothing and it really quietened my mind. It is the go-to cooling practice for hot summer days when you don’t want to do anything too energetic. Perfect for the heatwave we are having here in the UK. 

Summer Solstice Yoga Practice

Picture

Summer Solstice Yoga Practice Overview

​1.  Mantra Ma and Arm Movements. Inhale: take arms out to the side. Exhale: bring hands back to the belly, chanting Ma. Stay for one breath with hands resting on belly. Repeat × 6.
2.  Ma-Om Kneeling Sequence. Chanting Ma come into Child’s Pose from tall kneeling. Chanting Om sit back into Child’s Pose from all fours. Repeat × 4–6.
3. Seated Forward Bend. Inhale: raise both arms. Exhale: fold forward. Inhale: return to starting position. Repeat × 6, staying for a few breaths the final time.
4. Tortoise Pose. Affirmation: I find peace within. Stay here for a few breaths, drawing your awareness inward. Skip this pose for a gentler sequence.
5.  Bridge Pose with arm movements. Inhale: Open heart. Exhale: Blue-sky mind. Repeat × 6, staying for a few breaths the final time.
6a. Bridge Pose. Clasp hands under body and stay for a few breaths.
6b. Bridge Pose with leg raise. Stay for a few breaths. Repeat on other side.
7.  Full-Body Stretch into Curl-Up. Inhale: lengthen tall along floor. Exhale: curl up. Repeat × 6.
8. Modified Supine Twist. Exhale: lower both knees toward floor on left, turn head right. Inhale: come back to centre. Repeat × 6, alternating sides, and then stay for a few breaths in each pose on each side.
9. Knees-to-Chest Pose. Rest for a few breaths.
10. Waterfall Breathing.
The above practice is from the Summer Solstice chapter of the Yoga Through the Year book. See my previous blog posts for more about the Mantra Ma and Waterfall Breathing.
0 Comments

Find Calm with Waterfall Breathing

5/28/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
Waterfall breathing, or the divided out-breath, can be used to calm a restless, agitated mind, inducing a state of deep calm and peacefulness. It soothes anxiety and dispels panic. It helps promote a good night’s sleep. Around the summer solstice waterfall breathing provides a watery counterbalance to the fiery, frenetic energy of the season. It can be found in the Summer Solstice chapter of the Yoga Through the Year book. ​Allow about 10 minutes. 

Waterfall Breathing

Find yourself a comfortable sitting position. Bring your awareness to your breathing. No need to control the breath, just allow the breath to establish its own natural rhythm. Now become aware of and focus more on your exhale. Over several breaths begin to gently lengthen the exhale. Never strain with the breathing.

If it feels comfortable, begin to divide each exhale into two equal parts, with a pause in between each part. It looks like this:
Inhale
Exhale, pause, exhale, and pause.
Inhale …

Imagine that with each part of the divided out-breath you are stepping down a step and then briefly pausing before stepping down another step.
If this feels comfortable, you can then go on to divide the out-breath into three equal parts, with pauses in between each part.

Now, going back to your normal breathing, imagine that you are in a beautiful, peaceful place watching a gently cascading waterfall. Picture the water flowing down steps of rock into a calm pool below. Keeping this image of the cascading waterfall in your mind, return again to the divided out-breath. Imagine that each part your out-breath is like water flowing down a waterfall and onto a ledge, where you pause briefly, and then exhale again, each part flowing down onto another ledge, before finally reaching a peaceful pool, where you pause briefly and then inhale. Repeat over several breaths.
​
When you feel ready, let go of the divided out-breath and the image of the waterfall. Notice how you are feeling and observe how the waterfall breathing has affected you. Resolve to take this calm, peaceful, open, and spacious awareness with you into your everyday life and the next thing that you do today.
​
If you prefer, this breathing practice can be used without using the waterfall imagery and will still be deeply relaxing.
1 Comment

Mother Yourself with the Mantra Ma

5/28/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Around the Summer Solstice, when the earth is at her most fertile, many traditions celebrate and honour motherhood and the mother aspects of the Goddess. At times of crisis self-care is so important, and now is a great time to practice the skill of parenting yourself. Learning how to “mother” ourselves well is an essential part of our spiritual practice. Of course, we must also remember that nurturing, nourishing, and caring skills are not exclusive to one gender. If we are to be good enough parents, to our children and our grown-up children, then it's essential that we learn to model good self-care to them. 

In this post I'll show you how you can use the mantra Ma to nurture and nourish yourself. I will also show you a simple way to incorporate it into your yoga practice. Ma is the basic mother syllable of Indo-European languages. In the Far East Ma represents the “spark of life” and was often defined as intelligence. ​Chanting the mantra Ma is a wonderful way to induce a sense of peaceful contentment. 

Many of you are quarantined at home at present, balancing working from home with home schooling your kids. Respect! You have got a lot on your plate! The beauty of the mantra Ma is that it takes only a few moments to do, it's exhilarating, freeing, a great stress-buster...and...your kids will have great fun joining in!

Mantra Ma Practice 

The sequences below are from the Summer Solstice chapter of the Yoga Through the Year book.
1. ​Mantra Ma and Arm Movements. Find a comfortable seated position. Rest your hands on your belly. Inhale and take your arms out to the side. Exhale and bring your hands back to the belly, chanting the mantra Ma. Stay for one breath, with the hands resting on the belly. Repeat 6 times. If you are short of time end your practice here.
Picture
2. Ma-Om Kneeling Sequence. Chanting Ma come into Child’s Pose from tall kneeling. Chanting Om sit back into Child’s Pose from all fours. Repeat × 4–6 times.
Picture
You'll find more nurturing, nourishing summer yoga practices in the Summer Solstice chapter of the Yoga Through the Year book.
0 Comments

Simple Summer Yoga Practices

5/23/2020

0 Comments

 
If you are looking for yoga practices to boost your mood, energise, and calm your system, then try these two yoga practices from my archives that I designed for the month of May (although it's fine to use them anytime of year!). They are short and simple, so perfect for a home yoga practice. Enjoy!

May Yoga Practice 1

Picture

May Yoga Practice 2

Picture
0 Comments

Sun Yoga Blessing

5/18/2020

0 Comments

 
This Sun Yoga Blessing is taken from my forthcoming Yoga by the Stars book. Due to be published early December 2020.
Picture
  I dedicate this yoga practice to the Earth, the Sky, the Sun, and the Moon. Today may my feet be firmly planted on the warm earth, may my mind and heart remain open and spacious like the clear blue sky, may the warmth and healing light of the sun invigorate and inspire my practice, may the moon guide me to the wisdom of my own ebb and flow.

  Today I especially ask for guidance from the sun. I send thanks to this bright star at the centre of my world, for giving me life and sustaining life on our planet Earth. Please inspire me with your warmth and healing light, so that in turn I may radiate that light back out into the world in a positive and loving way. Breathing in, my own inner sun is recharged and revitalised, breathing out, rays of warm healing light radiate around my body.

 Today, I let go of all sense of grasping in my yoga practice. I am grateful for the many blessings I receive. Please give me the patience, wisdom, and trust to stay within the circle.

  And so it is by your grace.
​

Sun Yoga Blessing by Jilly Shipway, from the Yoga by the Stars book.
0 Comments

    Author

    Jilly Shipway, sharing seasonal yoga ideas and inspiration with you through the year...

    Categories

    All
    Autumn Yoga
    Breathing Practices
    Coronavirus Posts
    Lammas
    Mindfulness Meditation
    Peace In Troubled Times
    Seasonal Meditation Questions Summer
    Seasonal Yoga Practice
    Spring Equinox
    Summer To Autumn Yoga
    Visualisation
    Winter Solstice
    Winter To Spring Yoga

    Archives

    March 2025
    September 2024
    November 2023
    October 2023
    December 2022
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018

    RSS Feed

    Please feel free to share ideas and resources that you find in my blog, but please do acknowledge me and my website as their source. Thanks!
    Disclaimer: if you have any concerns about your health or suitability to do yoga, please consult a medical professional before attempting any of the yoga routines in this blog.
Subscribe to my newsletter to get great discounts and free Seasonal Yoga online courses & resources, and year-round Seasonal Yoga inspiration and updates.

Subscribe to Yoga Through the Year newsletters

* indicates required
Copyright © 2015
  • Home
  • About
  • Seasons
    • Spring
    • Spring to Summer
    • Summer
    • Summer to Autumn
    • Autumn
    • Autumn to Winter
    • Winter
    • Winter to Spring
  • Praise for...
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Celtic Connections
    • Wheel of the Year
    • Samhain
    • Winter Solstice
    • Imbolc
    • Spring Equinox
    • Beltane
    • Summer Solstice
    • Lammas
    • Autumn Equinox
    • Celtic Trees
  • Contact