Shake Up Your Summer Practice

Flexible as we are, yogis are just as much creatures of habit as those whose shadows have never darkened a mat. We like our routine. If you’re anything like me, left to your own devices, you do the poses you like and avoid those you don’t. Am I right?

I forward bend three times as often as I back bend in my home practice. We are hard-wired for happiness, and we feel happy when we feel successful. I am not such a successful back-bender, so I often hop, skip and jump right past them. Summer, my friends, is the perfect time to turn your well-cultivated, contented practice on its head. Perhaps literally.

Do you avoid inversions? Fling yourself upside down. Are you averse to poses that require strength rather than flexibility? Get ready to flex some idle muscles. Summer is the perfect time to shed your default mode, like a snake slithering out of old skin. Even if you are no longer directly connected to the school calendar and its built-in moratorium on routine between Memorial and Labor Days, claim that summer rhythm in your practice—asana and otherwise.

Experiment with those other seven limbs (meditation, breathwork, ethical practices, etc.) or wade into the waters of yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda. In Houston? Check out the Houston Ayurveda Center, a mecca for the practice of this ancient, healing wisdom. Or find a weekend workshop at a local yoga studio. Senior Iyengar teacher Peggy Kelly will be at Yoga Heart Studio June 21-22 offering sessions on each dosha. Take this online quiz to see where your own body, mind and spirit imbalances lie.

Take time to read some classic yogic texts, many of which are considered public domain (if they’re over 100 years old) and are available online for free via Project Gutenberg and other sites. If you’re a reader interested in yoga books, join or form a yoga book club. I moderate an online group on Goodreads (a site that connects readers and writers) called Yoga Folks. Its almost 1,000 members are a great source of information and inspiration.

Whether your summer travels take you far or near, give your practice a vacation of its own. Let it take you places you might never have dreamt of but that you just might fall in love with—if you’re willing to go along for the ride