Tag Archive for: Pranayama

The art of staying cool…

“If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs…” (Rudyard Kipling.

By choosing a yogic way of life, we choose to live by certain principles. As one season flows into another, we look at those changes and with a slight shift of our techniques and practise – we commit to keeping our bodies and minds fit and adapting to the changes.

We asked the team here at Ibiza Retreats and here are our favourites.

#1: Breathe yourself cooooool…  Sheetali pranayama:
1. Stick your tongue out and curl the sides of the tongue upward towards the center of the tongue.
2. Breathe in through the mouth, hold the breath and slowly exhale through the nose.
Repeat five to 10 times.
You’ll find your body temperature cooling down.

#2: Stay hydrated – water is life! 
Our bodies are over 80% fluid… we need to keep it this way. Drink plenty of fluids. If you find plain water difficult to swallow – make thirst quenchers with added flavour (and nutrients!). why not try:
* A squeeze of lemon & fresh mint
* Pomegranate and grapefruit – the sweet and sharp is super refreshing
* Fresh Coconuts including the delicious juicy flesh are nature’s best way to hydrate
* Fresh mint tea – just hot water and fresh mint – then cool it and ice it!

#3: Slow flow yoga
* Adapt your usual flow to the change in temperature. Focus on lengthening your breathing and practice gently and meditatively to balance the mind and body
* Practise these very early or later than usual when it’s cooled down.
* Avoid excessive or overly-strenuous asanas when it’s extremely hot. Or even more reason to practise earlier or later if you need your strong practise. Be kind though to your body!

#4: East Consciously
* Don’t rush – take your time over your food and set time aside to avoid putting undue stress of your digestive system and organs.
* Reduce the spicy food, caffeine and sugar which can all stimulate the systems of the body
* Fatty food ensures the heart and digestive system have to work harder, so go light with your food. Salads, fresh veg are abundant this time of year and are perfect stay-cool foods.
* Yoghurt (dairy free if possible) is a wonderful sweet or savoury stay-cool snack. Easy to digest and cooling as you swallow. x

#5: Our absolute favourite – Viparita Karani
So many of our Clients find peace in this beautiful posture and we swear by it! After a long day – especially when it’s hot, it’s so important to calm the systems of the body down – including the mind!

Basically – the translation of Viparita Karani is “legs up the wall”.  We call it “legs up the wall (or anywhere else we can find)”. This pose helps the old blood and lymph fluid drain from the feet as well as asking gravity to help the heart return the blood back to be oxygenated. It also calms our old friends the adrenals.

Cover your eyes with an eye-bag sprinkled with a few drops of lavender oil. Add a blanket or bolster under your sacrum to really give the kidneys some love. This pose can be done anywhere, yet soft music and low lighting can add to the soothing experience.

Namaste…x

breathe for life… and breathe before you speak…

Breathe, just for a moment – and then another, consciously..

Enjoy this Monday morning breathe for life recipe:

To begin your morning – and every morning full of fresh, life-force, smile-infused energy

…and to help you speak your truth and express yourself with ease, with grace and clarity:

Inhale the fresh, clear air like the beginning of a new day… a clean, clear space… opening up new possibilities…

And exhale the old, tired, used air, feel your muscles let go, feel a sense of deep release…

Inhale the scent as if you are in a forest of pines… watching the sunrise, as we do here in Ibiza, over the water, over the fields, over the hills in the distance…

Exhale the embarrassing moments you would like to forget, the words best left unsaid, the fears, the pain the suffering…

Inhale life force, new life energy, feel the prana running through your body, your mind and lifting your spirits as you begin to smile

Exhale tiredness, restrictions, exhaustion, tension and pain…

Inhale clarity of mind and feel your chest opening… feel your heart space opening even more, feel the muscles of your shoulders opening and expanding…

Exhale concerns and resentments, guilt and despair…

Inhale positivity, new life and clear, clean fresh air…

Exhale stresses and tension release them back to transform

Inhale lightness and laughter and the innocence of a new-day-born

Exhale old ways of being, habits that limited and held you back

Inhale a feeling of your chest opening with butterfly wings ready to fly

Exhale the strain of controlling of holding on far too tight

Inhale the power of love unconditional, of trust in life, of laughter to bring light

Exhale toxic thoughts and feelings from your belly towards the grounds

Inhale a smile that infuses you with lightness and open your mouth wide (as if to singggggg)

Exhale fear of the future and all pain of the past

Feel your feet on the earth, raise your arms above your head to the sky…

Feel gratitude and thanks for being born with this gift of potential in life…

…and feel your smile sparkling from the inside….to the outside… radiating

For breathwork and meditations to yoga and life & wellness coaching email us to experience the magic of these experiences to help you breathe for life…  here in Ibiza’s beautiful nature… info@ibizaretreats.com