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Summer, the Solstice, Agni and Balance.

I hope this blog post finds you well and happy? Somehow it is now the last day of spring - we are coming into summer and this month sees the summer solstice, our longest day and shortest night of the year. Given how un-springy spring has been it feels crazy to me that we are approaching the mid point of the year already!



Summer in yoga is associated with Agni or Fire – this is our internal fire; our drive, our will and ability to transform ourselves and our circumstances - and unsurprisingly our internal fire is linked to the fire of the sun too. Longer days and warmer weather see us out and doing more, our energy shifts from the inward looking quietude of autumn and winter into an outward energy for spring and summer.


Agni in yoga is a wonderful thing – associated with our solar plexus chakra it is all about our personal power, about getting things done. It links to our sense of self, our motivation, our ability to impact the world around us, it is how we create change, it is how we build the lives we want for ourselves. Agni is the element of oneself which leads us to move away from things that no longer serve us in our lives, it is the fire that gives us the energy and determination to get things done. The solar plexus chakra is located around the belly button and is linked to digestion; we take food and water and turn that into the building blocks of our very being, keeping us alive and transforming several days into the energy our bodies and brains need in order to live – quite a remarkable transformation when you think of it!


Unsurprisingly, given this is yoga, we need an element of balance, too much Agni and we end up exhausted, pulled to thin - burnt out. If our efforts and energies don’t have the impact we were hoping for it can leave us frustrated and disheartened. Too much outward energy, too much reaching out without balancing with a little quiet and introspection and we run the risk of exhausting ourselves.


Ways we can work to manage this include some beautifully simple practices. Nadi Shodana, also known as alternate nostril breathing which helps to balance and calm body and mind. Taking quiet time to listen to a yoga nidra or other guided meditations can be really valuable. Cooling and soothing yoga practices such as forward folds and longer yin and restorative yoga holds help bring stillness and quiet. Just slowing down a little to take time to sit in nature, tuning into what you can hear, see, smell, feel and taste can act as a beautiful meditative balm.



Next time you have a bbq or fire pit maybe take a moment to think about what you do not want to expend anymore of your Agni, your personal power, on. Consider what it is that you would like to let go of in order for your efforts to be focussed in the most positive direction for you and your life. Write it down and put it on the fire, let it burn away and watch the smoke drift – picturing whatever it is you are expending no further of your Agni on drifting out and away from you just like the smoke. You can even do this with a candle if you are not one for barbeques or fire pits! Either way I definitely recommend doing this outside!



So, balancing and harnessing your Agni – your will, your personal power is key to avoiding burn out in this outward facing time. Another thing that might help with this is joining us for an afternoon of sublime yoga at the Midsummer Yoga Retreat at The Soul Barns – our focus for this is very much the balancing and harnessing of our Agni: sun salutations, gentle, flowing yoga, strawberries and cream for sustenance. Ending with a guided meditation which will segue into a Crystal Singing Bowls sound bath to bring balance and harmony to our bodies and minds. As always this event is gentle, inclusive and holistic and suitable for beginners. www.emmasyogahut.co.uk



And Friday 28th June will see the first ever Crystal Singing Bowl Sound Bath at the at the Earley Crescent Resource Centre. Definitely an opportunity to rest and call your energy back home to you for a while.


Hope you enjoy the sunshine!

With love,

Emma x


(Emma runs Emma’s Yoga Hut in Earley. A tiny garden studio for small group yoga tuition. 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 accredited Sound Bath Facilitator and specialises in crystal singing bowls. She teaches Chair Yoga classes at local community centres where there is almost always a coffee and a chat after class. She is passionate about getting the beautiful benefits of yoga out to as many people as possible, Emma tries her best to practice yoga every morning. But sometimes a cup of coffee wins!)

 


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