Wheel Of The Year: Celebrating The Summer Solstice

This five-day course includes meditations and exercises for celebrating and aligning with the Summer Solstice. The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year and occurs between the 19th and 22nd of June in the Northern Hemisphere and the 19th and 22nd of December in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Celtic calendar, the Summer Solstice marks the peak of summer, after which the days gradually become shorter until the Winter Solstice. The Summer Solstice is a time to celebrate light, abundance, manifestation and growth and to acknowledge potential for the future. During the course, we'll explore some ways to celebrate midsummer in your own life. We'll look at some Ayurvedic diet and lifestyle considerations around how to best support your body during the summer heat, practice some sun salutations, and do some reflection and meditation connected to the themes of the season.
The Summer Solstice is a time of abundance, celebration and joy. The long, warm days mean that we naturally feel more active and optimistic, and this course is intended to bring you some inspiration and joy at this time.

Background music by Jumping Bunny at Pixabay.
Image by Shiho.

Leçon 1: The Longest Day

The Summer Solstice, Midsummer Day, is the longest day of the year after which the days start to shorten until and gradually become shorter for the next six months. In the middle of summer, nature is abundant, the days are long and warm, and the fruitful harvest season lies just around the corner. After an introduction to the course, we begin with a meditation to see this time of year through the eyes of our ancestors and understand the importance of the longest and lightest day of the year.

Leçon 2: Celebrating The Summer Solstice

In this session, we'll look at some of the things that are often celebrated at the Summer Solstice, and some ways to celebrate these in your own life. We'll explore the significance of the oak tree, the importance of sunlight and fire, and some of the animals and plants that have a connection with Midsummer, and you're invited to celebrate the season by bringing some of these elements into your life.

Leçon 3: Staying Cool And Calm in Summer

In Ayurveda, the summertime is the season of the pitta dosha, the fire element. In this session we'll explore some Ayurvedic diet and lifestyle principles to help you to stay cool, calm and comfortable during the summer heat, including seasonal fruit and vegetables to add to your diet and some ideas for pitta-balancing summer exercise and activities.

Leçon 4: Sun Salutations

The sun salutation is a 12-posture sequence that is traditionally practiced in devotion to the sun. This session guides you through a simple version of the sun salutation sequence, which is suitable for beginners, starting off slowly and gradually speeding up as you get used to the postures. If you'd prefer a video demonstration, I've uploaded a video of this practice called 'Surya Namaskar | Simple Sun Salutations' to give you some visual guidance if you need it.

Leçon 5: Aligning With The Summer Solstice

In our final session, we'll look at how the themes associated with the Summer Solstice are manifesting in our own lives with some reflective questions. We'll then do a guided meditation to acknowledge, give thanks for, and receive blessings in the areas of our live that are now beginning to come into fruition.