summer: the fire element

21st june - 20th august

heat and energy are in abundance. summer’s colour is red, and the element is fire which creates warmth and passion in our lives. this is the time to adopt a faster paced vinyasa practice. nature is at its peak, and so we should be too. while often symbolic for love, the heart, the body’s own pulse of life, pumps oxygen-rich blood around the body through the arteries. the vitality and health of our heart and circulatory system are fundamental to life and to the integration of our body as our whole. summer is a time for dynamic back bending, opening the heart, energising the body and activating the sympathetic nervous system. this is also a time to introduce arm balances to our practices. this group of asanas are fun, get adrenaline pumping and challenge you on both a physical and mental level. sun salutations, the most well-known sequence in yoga, are perfect. they open the heart, lift the heart rate, improve circulation and send energy around the entire body. summer is also a time for building and protecting our energy reserves for the remainder of the year.

foods reflect the colour of the season, so this means that lots of red and purple foods such as berries, tomatoes, red peppers and beetroot are great for fire energy. keeping your diet clean will make you feel lighter and will power energy, making exercise feel easier and more natural. eat more of the cooling, refreshing, water-based foods like salads, cucumber and celery. this is the time when you can afford to eat little and often, because it is kinder to the small intestine.