Summer Solstice Movement & Meditation

There’s something so nourishing about aligning with seasonal rhythms. This Summer Solstice practice starts with soothing, stretching movement, then finishes with a guided meditation. It's designed to help you tap into summer’s vibrancy, abundance, expansiveness, and growth and—like all living beings—luxuriate in the warmth and stretch toward the light!

Transcript

Hi,

This is Paige and today I have a special summer solstice practice for you.

There's something so nourishing about aligning with the seasonal rhythms around us.

It allows us to tap into our more instinctual rhythms and it reminds us on a deep level that we are not separate from the energies and cycles of the natural world.

And that can help us feel profoundly connected and at home.

On the day that this recording comes out,

Our bodies here in the northern hemisphere,

Like all the living things around us,

Are reaching and stretching toward the warmth and light of the summer solstice,

Which is in just a few days.

So today's practice invites you to luxuriate in and celebrate that energy.

We'll start on our backs.

You can be on a yoga mat,

You can simply be lying on a rug or carpet,

Or maybe even stretched out outside.

Wherever you are,

Let your body take a wide shape as if you are stretched out on a bed of grass,

Arms wide,

Legs wide,

Basking in a sense of sunlight.

Let yourself feel our half of the earth slanting toward the sun,

Toward the longest patch of daylight of the year.

How does your body feel resting here?

How does the light,

Whether it's real or imagined,

Feel on your skin?

Let yourself breathe in the sense of flourishing and abundance around you and then exhale into your own expansiveness.

Let's let the body from here move a bit.

Let your right hand and your right foot simply stretch away from each other so the whole right side body feels some length and opening.

And then let yourself relax back to the shape you started in.

And then do that same thing with the left side.

Left hand,

Left foot,

Gently reach away from each other and then let them relax back to where they started.

We'll do that a few more times on the breath.

Inhale,

Stretching through the right side,

Right hand,

Right foot away from each other.

Exhale,

Relaxing back.

Inhale,

Stretching through your left side,

Left hand,

Left foot reaching away from each other.

Exhale,

Relaxing back.

One more time each side.

Inhale,

Maybe right arm,

Right leg,

Stretching away from each other,

Whole right side body spacious.

Exhale,

Relaxing back to neutral.

Inhale,

Left side body stretching,

Left arm,

Left leg,

Reaching away from each other.

Exhale,

Relaxing back.

Draw your knees in toward your chest.

Maybe rock yourself side to side a bit.

And gently roll to one side and press your way up,

Making your way to your hands and your knees.

From here,

We'll move into some gentle variations of on the floor or on the ground sun salutations,

Stoking the lush creative vitality of this time of year.

We'll start very simply.

You're in a tabletop shape with your wrists underneath your shoulders,

Knees underneath your hips.

Feel your body inhale.

And as you exhale,

Feel your hips simply sink back toward your heels,

Toward a child's pose.

And then inhale,

Draw yourself right back up to your hands and your knees.

And exhale,

Let your hips sink,

Maybe even sway their way back to a child's pose.

And that's it.

We'll simply move along the breath a few more rounds.

Inhale,

Hands and knees,

Maybe a gentle arch to the spine.

And exhale,

Gentle rounding back,

Hips to heels,

Child's pose.

Inhale,

Gently rise,

Hands and knees,

Maybe arch the spine.

Exhale,

Round your way back,

Child's pose.

And one more.

Inhale,

Drawing up to your hands and your knees,

Maybe arching through the spine.

And slow exhale,

Sinking back,

Maybe swaying back toward a child's pose.

Pause and breathe.

Let your body take in that circulation,

That energy.

And then simply rise up to your knees.

So you're standing on your knees,

Just as if you were standing on your feet,

But your knees are right underneath your hips.

And when your body is ready to inhale from here,

Sweep your arms out and up,

Make a big wide circle with your arms.

And as you exhale,

Sink your hips back toward your heels again.

Arms can sweep back so that they rest right in the small of your low back.

So you're in a child's pose again with the arms resting in the small of your low back.

I'll talk you through that again.

As you inhale,

Rise back up to standing on your knees,

Sweep your arms out and up.

And as you exhale,

Sweep the arms around,

Shift your hips back all the way back toward that variation of a child's pose where your hands are resting right back in the small of your low back.

Inhale all the way up to the knees,

Arms reaching up.

Exhale all the way back down toward that child's pose variation,

Arms sweeping around,

Hands resting in the small of the low back.

A few more like this,

Just a moving meditation on the breath.

Inhale all the way up to the knees,

Arms reach up to the sky.

Exhale,

Bowing back down to the earth as the body rests back toward a child's pose,

Hands resting in the small of the low back.

Twice more.

Inhale,

Reaching up toward the sun.

Exhale,

Bowing back toward the earth.

Inhale,

Up to the knees,

Arms sweep up toward the sunlight.

Exhale all the way back toward that child's pose,

Head bows,

Arms sweep,

Body rests.

From here,

We'll make our way back up to hands and knees and step your right foot forward into a lunge.

So the right foot will come right up between your hands,

Situate your foot right under the knee and if you like you can walk the left knee back a little bit,

Hands on either side of that right foot.

And then your left hand might walk off to the left just a little bit more so that you could put your right hand right on your right thigh.

So the left hand is on the ground,

Right hand on the right thigh,

That right leg in a lunge.

And then see how it feels to gently begin to spin your right chest,

Right shoulder up toward the sky.

So you're opening up your chest,

You might feel a little squeeze of the shoulder blades behind your heart.

You might even turn your gaze up toward the skies if you're basking in the sun.

Let your body take a couple of breaths right here,

Just opening up the chest.

And as you exhale,

You can bring that right hand back down to the earth,

Frame up that right foot again,

Step your right knee back to meet your left knee.

So you're back on hands and knees and it might feel nice just to bring the knees together and gently let your hips sway side to side before we do the other side.

So you're simply on your hands and knees,

Maybe the knees are touching,

Hips swaying side to side,

Whole body responding to that swaying action.

Body move back into stillness,

Let the knees get as wide apart as your hips again and step your left foot forward for a lunge.

So the foot steps up,

You might help it up right up in between your hands,

Left knee right over the left foot,

Hands framing that foot.

And then walk your right hand off to the right a bit,

Put your left hand on your left thigh.

So then you have a little bit of leverage to begin to spin the left side of your chest and heart up toward the sky,

Right hand pressing into the earth,

Left hand gently anchoring on the left thigh,

Whole chest spinning open,

You might feel a little squeeze behind the shoulder blades,

Heart spinning up,

Even the gaze drifting skyward,

Sensation of sunlight on the body,

Real or imagined.

One more breath here.

Bring yourself back through neutral,

The right hand,

Left hand,

Both on the earth,

On the earth,

The left knee can step back.

So you're back in a tabletop shape.

And from here,

Sink your way back again to a child's pose.

You might bring your big toes together,

Let your knees widen,

Sink your hips back toward your heels,

Arms wherever they're comfortable,

Either stretched up alongside your ears or just resting softly by your sides,

Allowing your whole system to rest in abundance,

Your own capacity in the season of growth and beginning to let the system quiet down.

As you're ready,

You can gently peel yourself up and we'll move toward a seated meditation.

So make your way into any seat that's comfortable.

Of course,

If you would prefer to lie down or move your body into another shape that's more comfortable,

That's just fine.

Come to a place where you can settle in.

Begin to envision a place that's in full bloom,

Maybe a garden,

A field,

Blanket on the grass,

Surrounded by wildflowers.

Let the setting effortlessly emerge.

Just enjoy following your imagination there.

Let your senses be a part of this.

Maybe you can smell flowers or fruit.

Perhaps there are sounds,

Birds or the flow of water nearby.

Can you imagine the warmth of sunlight on your skin or even feel a soft breeze?

The word solstice comes from the Latin for sun,

Still.

For about a week or so around the date of the summer solstice,

The sun does appear to stand fixed at its highest,

Brightest spot in the sky,

Reminding us that in the midst of all of this expansiveness,

We can find a point of stillness,

A seat of tranquil contemplation.

We can draw this energy in,

Capturing,

Almost bottling and storing the warmth,

The light,

All of the flourishing,

The season's quality of thriving.

So we have it there to draw on.

As you simply sit or lie here,

Breathing,

The whole system to soak up this bountiful time.

As you inhale,

Let the essence of sunshine,

Warmth,

Nourishment,

Growth seep in.

Seep in and then simply settle as you exhale.

See the inhale,

Sunshiny light,

Smell of blooms of life ripening.

Exhale,

Settling.

Inhale the essence of sunshine,

Warmth.

Exhale you,

Settling into your place in all of this.

If there are aspects of your life that are naturally growing and expanding and reaching right now,

You might allow these last few breaths right here to simply nourish them,

Acknowledge them,

Feed and nurture them,

Soaking up the natural energy of expansion,

Growth,

Light and abundance all around.

As we finish,

If you would like,

You could put one hand on your heart,

The other on your belly,

Allowing yourself to feel the ebb and flow of life in your body,

Recognizing your place in the cyclical rhythm of things.

Times of abundant growth and flourishing,

Times of harvest,

Others of complete rest,

Times of expansive brightness,

Times of stillness and quiet,

Just like the rise and fall of your breath.

Thank you so much for making this time for yourself and I'll be with you again soon.

Reviews

So soothing, yet powerful and energizing as well ❣️
I will return to this practice over this next week leading up to the Summer Solstice.
With deep gratitude 🙏

Dear Teacher I do really enjoy your voice and insights. My mood and perception have changed during your sessions and I feel nurtured and calm. And positive. Grazieee 🙏🏽

Beautiful combination of gentle movement and guided seated meditation. Thank you!

Amazing! The perfect balance of movement and meditation, and her voice is so gentle and kind. A great way to celebrate the Summer Solstice 🌞 I will definitely be looking for more of her offerings.

Beautiful moving meditation that honors the energy of summer. A very gentle practice. Loved it— thanks!

What a wonderful way to start the day any time during the summer! Thank you!

Gorgeous gentle movements with just the right amount of contemplation on what the season and cycle is. Thank you ❤️🔆🙏

⭐️🧡⭐️ Thanks! A great way to start the day and the new season ⭐️⭐️