10 ways yoga will beat the post-summer blues

Check out these 10 ways yoga will beat the post-summer blues – from yoga teacher and co-founder of East of Eden studio, Naomi Costantino. Discover tips on how to transition effortlessly from one season to the next and lift your mood…

Practice santosha

Santosha is one of the 5 Niyamas in yoga that outline the yogi’s positive duties.

Santosha means contentment. In times of transition the sense of contentment can waiver, so finding a feeling of gratitude for change can really shift your perspective.

Practice saucha

Saucha is another of the 5 Niyamas in yoga that outlines a yogi’s positive duties.

Saucha means cleanliness and purification. The clearing out of the body, your physical space and letting go of negative influences can really help you step into a new season or chapter of your life.

Practice dynamic yoga

Rajas in yoga means activity and fire. If you find that you are lacking energy in this transition between the seasons, now is a good time to get your energy moving with some Rajasic (dynamic) Vinyasa flow or Ashtanga yoga.

Practice restoratative or yin yoga

Sometimes all that fun in the sun and holiday time can leave us a little frazzled. If you find yourself feeling literally burnt out, it’s time to go inwards and take a slower approach to your physical yoga practice with restorative yoga or yin yoga.

Practice meditation

We all now know about the benefits of meditation. Times of transition are perfect for sitting down and taking some time to tune in. Sitting comfortably, straighten the spine and follow the breath. Thoughts popping in are inevitable, but when they come try and direct your focus back to the breath.

Practice pranayama

Most of us don’t breathe properly let alone deeply. Our breath and quality of it affects our nervous system. The majority of strung out westerners are operating from their sympathetic nervous system. This system is responsible for the release of adrenalin and cortisol into the system, putting us into ‘fight or flight’ mode.

Slow deep breathing allows you to move into your parasympathetic nervous system, slowing the heart rate down and coming into a place of rest and recovery.

Have a gong bath

Why not welcome the change of season with an evening of immersive yoga? Ommersion is a two-hour immersive yoga experience fusing the transformational power of Yin Yoga and vibrational healing qualities of a gong sound bath. You can book here.

Do morning sun salutations

This is a very traditional start to the day – salute the sun! Four yoga postures or asanas are linked together with the inhale and exhale breath. Stretching and strengthening the body in equal measure to wake you up and get your prana moving for the day.

Have a bedtime ritual

Halasana or plough pose is a great way to prepare yourself for sleep. Often we go to bed looking at our mobile phones and wonder why we can’t switch off or have a restful night of sleep. But practicing this inversion – gently and slowly – allows your body to unwind, your breath to slow and your parasympathetic nervous system to take over.

Practice self-care

In any transition or change in life – whether it be season, a move of home, an ending or beginning requires you to be strong within yourself. Practice self-care; consider how can you best nourish and look after yourself?