Heatwaves and a free summer mini meditation for the heat:

I hope this blog post finds you happy and well?

We have had a beautiful week of warm sunshine, but next week we are bouncing back into some higher temperatures again – and think we can safely say as we enter into what might be our 3^rd heatwave of the summer so far that this is officially a hot summer!

Perhaps you bask in the heat absorbing the warmth happily, or maybe you are prone to wilting. I was born in Australia and, even though I have lived here since I was 5, I was still bought up by a mother who was very big on how to manage the heat; growing up in tropical Australia in the days before air con will do that I guess! Historically I was always a summer girl, I sought out heat and sunshine and loved the lazy, outdoorsy long summer days and nights! However, now I am not so much, and that has been a surprisingly tricky adaption for me to make - the spirit is willing and I WANT to go and do ALL the lovely summery things, but then I just flounder in a bit of a melty mess!

Here are some of my personal favourite ways to help manage heatwaves, I have shared some of these in conversation but in case you haven’t come across them:

1) Fill your hot water bottle with cold water, to about three quarters full. Put it in the freezer. If you have a fluffy cover put that on before you hug it / take it to bed. Otherwise wrap it in a towel or blanket so you don’t get freezer burn! Nice to put your feet on too.

2) Got a pet? Do they have a cool mat they refuse to use? STEAL IT! It works for humans too, put one under your head and shoulders, one under your feet and lower legs. Enjoy the cooling effects!

3) Put your feet in cold water, there are lots of blood vessels close to the surface of the feet, and this helps to cool off the whole body. Another more portable option is to run cold water over your inner wrists – the same principle – it cools the blood when it is at a place close to the surface of the skin, and that, in turn, helps cool the whole body

4) Find respite – go to places with air conditioning, shamelessly use their air con to cool down – see also the fridge aisle in supermarkets!!

Let me know in the comments section if you have any personal favourite keeping cool techniques!

There has been some recent research which shows women do not deal as well with heat as men, simply because biology. Our bodies do not sweat as quickly and easily, and we rely on taking the blood to the surface to cool down a lot more, which causes a lot of extra work for the body, leaving women more prone to feeling faint and dizzy, and putting more pressure on the cardiovascular system, amongst other things. So if you have men in your life saying you are being dramatic when you are hot – you can tell them that science says you are not being dramatic! The heat hits women harder!

Yoga in the heat:

Take it easy! Move the body gently, in particular beautiful restorative poses are ideal, they help ease tension from the body whilst letting the mind slow down. One benefit of the heat is the muscles tend to be more soft and pliant in the warmth, so enjoy that with some long, slow holds.

Savasana is your number 1 yoga pose of choice when you are hot lying on the ground / bed / pets cooling mat with arms and legs away from the body means you are maximising the surface area of the body which is available for cooling! (have a fan trained on you too if you like, and a lot of people swear by the bowl of ice in front of a fan technique to help cool things down) legs up against the wall is also lovely, especially if you are having issues with swollen feet and ankles in the heat.

If you would like something to listen to whilst lying in Savasana here is a 5 minute cooling guided meditation:

https://static.wixstatic.com/mp3/cd9f7d_e8fb297d99d94fc9a9f6900202d01a87.m4a

Other Summery News!

17^th July is our SUMMER SOUND BATH – At the Earley Crescent Resource Centre which is air conditioned! We will be enjoying a depths of summer sound bath with cooling water elements in the soundscape. A peaceful guided meditation will help you relax, unwind, leave the week behind, and chimes, ocean drums and singing bowls will guide you into a luscious cocoon of sound. We will finish with oracle cards and chocolate coated strawberries. 630 – 745pm £22

This summer I am also offering SPECIAL SUMMER TREATS!

DROP IN CHAIR YOGA:

Join us for some gentle stretching, strengthening and soothing chair yoga. Ease tension from the body, improve balance and enjoy a restful guided meditation with this lovely practice.

Dates TBC by venue but 29^th July, 3^rd August and 12^th August are pencilled in!

£10 per class

SUMMER RESTORATIVE SESSIONS:

Be welcomed to Emma’s Yoga Hut for 90 minutes of deep relaxation!

Restorative yoga involves taking floor based yoga poses for up to 10 minutes at a time using bolsters and blocks to comfortably support you in that yoga pose, designed to lead you into a state of true inner peace. Concluded with a yoga nidra with gentle sound to further ease you into profound restorative rest. With Oracle cards, herbal tea and fresh summer fruit to finish.

Limited to 3 people £33pp

Monday 3^rd August 7pm – 8.30pm

Wednesday 12^th August 7pm – 8.30pm

ALTERNATIVE FRIDAY NIGHT OUT CANCER RESEARCH FUNDRAISER!

there is going to be a full blog post on this event soon but as we approach Emma’s Yoga Huts 5^th Birthday I wanted to mark it with a fundraiser for Cancer Research, a cause close to many peoples hearts, including my own. So, our Alternative Friday Night Out – yoga, meditation and mini sound bath is priced slightly higher at £30pp to help raise money for Cancer Research. Let your self care help care for others! The alternative Friday night out have been really popular with those that have come along so please do join us. Full details coming soon! 11 September 2026

AUTUMN EQUINOX SERIES:

Yes! The Equinox series is back! An Autumn Equinox sound bath, and an Autumn Equinox Rest session (yin yoga, yoga nidra and mini sound bath) to mark this moment of equal light and dark in the wheel of the year. Thursday 17^th and Friday 18^th September. Winter Solstice Series dates in the pipeline, check the website and keep an eye on social media for their release dates!

The return of full moon luxury sound baths at Emma’s Yoga Hut:

After a brief hiatus whilst juggling family commitments the Full Moon Luxury Sound Baths are back! July and August are already fully booked, but more are on their way, check on the website and keep an eye on social media for when more dates are released!

Booking and more details here: https://www.emmasyogahut.co.uk/services-4

Do your best to keep cool out there, and I hope to see you at some of our summer offerings!

With love,

Emma xx

(Emma runs Emma’s Yoga Hut in Earley. A garden studio for nurturing holistic small group yoga. She is a yoga student and yoga teacher and has practiced yoga for nearly 30 years. She trained with the Traditional Yoga Association right here in Reading between 2016 and 2018 to achieve her 500 hour yoga teaching accreditation. She has additional teaching qualifications in Yin Yoga and Yoga Nidra. She is an Internationally Accredited Sound Bath Facilitator and specialises in singing bowls. She teaches Chair Yoga classes at local community centres where there is almost always a coffee and a chat after class. Emma is passionate about getting the beautiful benefits of yoga out to as many people as possible, and she tries her best to practice yoga every day!)