The energy surrounding the upcoming summer summer solstice on June 21st is palpable. An almost physically tangible buzz fuels our nature this time of year, encouraging us to rise up and stretch out, to enjoy earlier mornings in tune with the sunrise, and to catch late night sunsets to close out the day. The vibrant rhythm of early summer touches everything this time of year.
As the longest day, or when we enjoy the most daylight hours because the sun has reached its zenith at the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere, this celestial event has been celebrated for millennia. On summer solstice, Stonehenge in England aligns with the sunrise and the great pyramids of Egypt, when viewed from the ancient sphinx, squarely line up to perfectly frame the sunset. In ancient Greek calendars, summer solstice was celebrated as the start of the new year. Many ancient calendars marked May 1 as the start of summer, so the June solstice was the midway point, which become known and celebrated as Midsummer.
How to Celebrate the Summer Solstice:
Lucky for us, modern revelers of all backgrounds can engage with solstice celebrations that both honor ancient customs and enjoy a modern twist. Below are a few ways to honor and celebrate this annual event:
Plan a Social Gathering — Heart centered energy rules this time of early summer. Nurture joy and love through connection with others.
Bonfires — Not only are bonfires a great vehicle for social connection, but as a physical manifestation of the Fire element, they naturally stoke our own inner fire. Early solstice revelers believed that midsummer was a strong time for magic (like in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream) and used bonfires to ward of evil spirits. The ashes were then spread across their gardens to bring a bountiful harvest.
Engage with Nature — Honor that natural pull to go outdoors on this longest day of the year. And to clarify, this counts for city dwellers just a much. Engaging with nature is not limited to wide open spaces, forest hikes, or beach walks. Enjoy a city walk through a bustling downtown. Take time to feel the outdoor temperature, the light of the sun, the shadows created by the builders, the kiss the wind, and even the window boxes that may bring a splash of greenery or color to the cityscape.
Laugh — "Hah", as in laughter and "hahahaha!" is the healing sound vibration for Fire element and the sound of the season in the Taoist 5 Element system. It vibrates in resonant frequency with the heart organ, clearing out emotional anxiety induced from over-stimulation, making room for our natural state of unconditional love.
Sing — Singing embodies the seasonal elemental energies:
It taps directly into the seasonal emotion of unconditional love
It encourages the use of "ah" as in "hah," the sound of the season which is believed to specifically nourish the heart center.
It activates the tongue, the sensory organ of the Fire element. (So does kissing by the way, so if you have a loved one who feels the same way, smooch away on summer solstice!)
Pray — Sending out a heartfelt prayer (in any form of personal faith, image, idea, or deity meaningful to the sender) creates a state of openness, compassion, love, forgiveness, and tolerance with the heart of sender and can be just as powerful for the person praying as it may be for the prayer recipient.
Find Creative Expression — Fire element embodies creativity. What sparks your creative side? Make a flower arrangement, cook, decorate, write poetry, or create a new yoga flow. Be fearless to try something new. Have fun and be bold! After all, red is the color of the season if you need more inspiration!
Set Intentions — Much more than winter, which has an inward and downward energy of reflection and hibernation, summer's energy is bright and expansive, like the flame of a match bursting into being upon striking. This natural characteristic of an outward and spreading energy flow makes summer prime time set intentions and to go out and make them true! To more effectively harness this natural energetic flow of expanding and spreading, share your intentions. Say them out loud. Giving your intentions voice and a vibration in the physical world starts generating the movement necessary to bring them to fruition.
Summer Solstice Yoga Practices:
Personally, I love connecting yoga practice with summer solstice and I’m excited to be teaching a live workshop again this year, my first since the pandemic. Here are ways to channel midsummer’s Fire into your own yoga practice and lifestyle:
Find Movement — In Taoism and Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Fire element rules the body‘s circulation of both blood and qi, or prana. If you naturally gravitate toward a still, yin practice, try out a yoga flow or find a way to add movement to your practice. Break a sweat in yoga this summer solstice!
Incorporate Nature into Yoga Practice — For many years I led a rooftop sunset yoga and meditation practice on summer solstice. Students were able to connect with nature and experience a new perspective. How can you take your own practice outside this solstice?
Energize the Heart-Chakra — Focus on leading energy into your heart center during your asana and meditation practice.
Chant — Just like singing, chanting uses sound vibration to connect with the season, the Fire element, and the divine energy within us and surrounding us. If you're uncomfortable chanting yourself, find a soundtrack you enjoy that incorporates chanting, mantra, or kirtan to play in the background before, during, or after your yoga session.
Practice Anjali Mudra — I’ve been really into channeling mindfulness into this simple and commonly practiced hand seal to maximize the benefits. For an easy how-to guide on Anjali Mudra, please click here.
Practice with Friends — Nurture the community aspect of summer solstice with friendship. Invite a friend to practice or coordinate with your yoga studio community to celebrate the solstice. If you prefer a solitary home practice, direct the loving kindness your practice cultivates. Expand the loving kindness outwards with the intention to embrace your loved ones near and far.
In Conclusion
Summer solstice, early summer, and the Fire element embody so much of yoga’s inherent nature: unity, love, soulful joy, creative expression, manifestation. Through yoga, we experience ourselves as a microcosm of the macrocosm of the universe. In other words, yoga allows us to experience ourselves as one complete expression of the universal flow, perfectly complex, mysterious, and infinite. Celebrating natural seasonal rhythms, like summer solstice, allow us to embrace and embody these energies both on and off of the yoga mat. Doing so informs our life experience and enriches our yoga practice.
Thanks for reading!
Namaste,
Lara
PS
If you have a favorite way to celebrate midsummer that you’d like to share, please comment below!
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