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Summer Solstice

6/15/2025

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As the sun reaches its highest point in the sky and the days stretch to their fullest, the summer solstice invites us into a sacred observance of stillness, celebration, and transformation. Occurring around June 20–21 in the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice marks the longest day of the year—an ancient turning point honored across cultures as a symbol of abundance, renewal, and light. For yoga practitioners, it’s a powerful time to align body, breath, and spirit with the rhythms of nature.

When I was a younger, newer yoga teacher, I offered an annual event on the occasion of the Summer Solstice. We’d meet outdoors at dawn. (One such event, at Baltimore Woods, is pictured below.) As the sun rose, we began a “Yoga Mala,” 108 Sun Salutations. When we meditate with a string of 108 beads, that is called mantra japa, and we repeat the mantra 108 times, once for each bead on a string of 108. Those beads create a mala, or garland, as a tool for our practice. When we salute the sun, we use our body to offer 108 repetitions of surya namaskar. If you are not familiar with a sun salutation, each one involves around 10 poses. It took us over 3 hours to practice 108 of them. It was like a yogi’s version of a marathon. It is a challenging, often sweaty endeavor. It’s wise to train before the event, and it’s common to be sore for a few days afterwards.

I fell out of the habit of hosting a summer solstice event because I was away at training for several solstices, and when the next one rolled around, I decided to have a less vigorous observance of the solstice. Then, in 2015, the United Nations adopted the International Day of Yoga, and it’s observed on the day of the summer solstice each year. So now, we have two things to celebrate on that day.

Here are a few possible ways to celebrate the International Day of Yoga and integrate the solstice into your practice:

1. Sun Salutations, of course. Begin your solstice morning with a few (or many) rounds of Surya Namaskar. Move with intention, offering each breath and gesture as a tribute to the sun and a celebration of life. You can find a video class for guidance here.
2. Meditation on Light Sit quietly and visualize a golden sun at the solar plexus, expanding with each breath. This meditation can awaken your inner fire--tapas—and foster a deeper sense of radiance and clarity.
3. Fire Ceremony or Journaling Symbolically burn away limiting beliefs or past burdens. You can write down what you’re ready to release and offer it into a small fire, or simply journal about your personal transformation and intentions for the season ahead.
4. Practice Outdoors Whether it’s asana, pranayama, or meditation, take your practice outside and let the sun warm your skin. Connecting directly with nature heightens awareness and attunes you to the solstice’s energetic frequency.

The summer solstice is a celebration of light—but also a reminder that light and shadow dance together in the cycles of life. After the solstice, the days gradually begin to shorten, hinting at the return of stillness and introspection. Yoga teaches us to embrace both—to honor the fullness of life in all its phases.

This solstice, may your practice help you stand tall in your truth, rooted in the earth and reaching toward the sky. May you awaken your own inner sun and share your light generously with the world.



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Surfing the Waves

8/12/2024

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Forrest Gump's Mama said "life is like a box of chocolates." She was right. You don't know what you're gonna get.

​Let's try another metaphor for summer. Your yoga teacher says, "life is like the ocean." With a dedicated yoga practice, we can learn to surf life's waves with grace, balance, and equanimity. Just as the ocean is a continuous source of wonder and inspiration, our inner world offers endless possibilities for growth and transformation.

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The Art of Surfing Life's Waves
  • Balance and Flexibility: Like a surfer adjusting their stance, yoga emphasizes balance and flexibility. Life's challenges are waves we must adapt to, finding equilibrium between effort and ease.
  • Presence and Awareness: Just as a surfer is fully present in the moment, yoga encourages mindfulness. By being aware of our thoughts and emotions, we can choose how to respond rather than react.
  • Letting Go: The ocean's waves are constantly changing. Similarly, our lives are in flux. Yoga teaches us the importance of letting go of attachments and expectations, allowing life to unfold naturally.
  • Strength and Endurance: Surfing requires physical strength and mental endurance. Yoga builds both through physical postures and breath control.
Transforming Challenges into Opportunities
  • Finding the Peak: Every wave has a peak. In life, challenges can be seen as opportunities for growth. Yoga helps us identify the potential in difficult situations.
  • Graceful Fall: Sometimes, we wipe out. Yoga teaches us to fall gracefully, learn from mistakes, and rise again with renewed determination.
  • Joy in the Journey: Like a surfer finding joy in the ride, yoga emphasizes the process rather than the outcome. It's about enjoying the journey of self-discovery.


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Ayurvedic Tips for Summer

7/17/2023

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Ayurveda is Yoga’s sister science, and literally, “the science of life.” Ayurveda is about living in harmony with nature. When the seasons shift, we can make adjustments in our lives to feel better and find balance. There are only three seasons in Ayurveda, and they coordinate with the three doshas: Vata (made up of air and ether), Pitta (made up of fire and water), and Kapha (made up of earth and water).

In the Northern Hemisphere, the hot, humid “dog days” of summer are considered Pitta season. During the long, sunny days of summer, it’s easy to become overheated, especially if pitta is your dominant dosha. If you feel irritable, hot, and sweaty, you may have excess pitta. Other signs include inflammation and redness of the skin, red eyes, short temper, and acid indigestion.

A basic Ayurvedic principle is that like increases like, and opposites balance. We are always seeking a balanced state of health without an excess of any of the qualities known as gunas.

How we approach balance varies from person to person, because we each have different levels of the three doshas, but this post is to offer some basic Ayurvedic advice that will apply to most people during Pitta season (late spring, summer, and early fall).

  • Drink more water to stay hydrated, at least 6 cups a day, and add some other cooling beverages such as coconut water or aloe vera juice.
  • Avoid hot, spicy, and salty foods, coffee, fried food, hard liquor, red wine, and red meat. All of these will increase pitta dosha and are considered too heating for the summer.
  • Choose pitta-pacifying foods instead. Some good choices are yogurt, cucumber, apples, pears, mango, melon, cilantro, mint, artichoke, broccoli, summer squash, leafy greens. Eat fresh and local!
  • Try to avoid direct sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. If you must be outdoors, wear loose fitting and light colored cotton clothes that that will allow your skin to breathe and that will reflect the sunlight. Wear a sunhat as well.
  • Good movement options include yin or restorative yoga, walking early in the morning, and water sports.
  • Use your cooling yoga breaths, sitali or sitkari. Instructions are available in the video linked in the next bullet.
  • Check out our video for a cooling practice here. Scroll down to the 6th video, "Cooling Practice."
  • If you practice self-massage with oils, switch to a cooling coconut oil for summer.
  • If you're feeling physically or emotionally overheated, try a few spritzes of rose water on your face and skin.
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    Dena D. Beratta

    Honored to teach, but always a student.

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