Summer Solstice

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June 21, the longest day of the year, is the Summer Solstice. This auspicious day and the weeks leading up to it, have been celebrated throughout time among yogis and in many cultures. In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly established June 21 as International Yoga Day.  This year in our Western curture, June 21 is also Father’s Day. Thus, we have many overlapping reasons to celebrate and recognize that life is precious.

At the Summer Solstice, we are encouraged to meditate and focus on “light.” Ancient cultures recognized that the sun, which provided energy for our existence here on earth, was in fact Divine light, put there by a Higher Source, and thus much reverence is built around  attention to the Sun. Yogis practice Sun Salutations, in Sanskrit, Surya Namaskar, to celebrate the summer solstice, in increments of 3 or 9 repetitions, building up to 108 rounds. Note: each round is one repetition with the right side leading followed by another repetition of the left side of the body leading.  We must remember “ahimsa,” doing no harm, or nonviolence, so that we do not overdo while building tolerance, gradually increasing the number of repetitions we can do in a practice session. There are so many lessons that we find in our practice of Surya Namaskar, which can travel with us off the mat and into life. There are many variations on the Surya Namaskar and you can see/follow from the Morning and the Strengthening Sequences in our book and DVD, Essential Yoga Practice.  Share what are you discovering in your practice, and inspire others. We’d love to hear from you!