Chapter Four
June 20–23 in the Northern Hemisphere
December 20–23 in the Southern Hemisphere
The summer solstice is a doorway into the second half of the year. It is a fiery, fertile, exuberant, passionate time, when the earth’s loveliness just seems to go on and on. Energy-wise the summer solstice is like the full moon; it is pregnant with possibility.
The Sun Bows Down to the Moon at the Summer Solstice
At the summer solstice the sun has ripened to its fullness and the earth is at her most fertile and productive. It is a peak time that can be compared to ovulation within the menstrual cycle. Now the earth is as ripe as the full moon, and she dazzles us with her ability to give birth to beauty: blossoms in the sunshine, the perfume of honeysuckle blown on the breeze, swallows swooping and diving through a clear blue sky, and fruit ripening on the bush. In some traditions motherhood and the mother aspect of the Goddess are honored at this fertile time.
It is a dual celebration: as well as celebrating the power of the sun, we are also welcoming back the darkness. The expansion of the light, which began at the winter solstice in December, reaches its fullness at the summer solstice, and thereafter the sun’s powers will begin to wane. The year has turned and gradually the days will begin to get shorter and the nights longer. The waxing cycle of the darkness has begun.
At the summer solstice there is a shift in the earth’s energy. We are moving from sun to moon, yang to yin, light to dark, sunlight to shadow, fire to water, action to contemplation, and outer to inner. Once we have accepted and relaxed into this transition, it is rich with possibilities. Between now and the winter solstice is the time to incubate ideas, spending time considering which seeds we wish to nurture in the dark half of the year, ready to send up new green shoots next spring. The second half of the year is not a time for action; it is a time for dreaming our ideas into being, and our yoga practice can support and enhance this self-reflection.
It is natural to want summer to go on forever, and many of us feel pangs of regret that it won’t. And although summer isn’t over yet, there are still warm, sunny days ahead; yet at the same time the year has turned, and gradually the days will shorten and the nights get longer. At the winter solstice in December we wholeheartedly celebrate the return of the sun and the rebirth of the light; however, at the summer solstice, we may feel more ambivalent about welcoming back the waxing cycle of the darkness. We balance this by remembering that the dark half of the year gives us the opportunity to take stock, to plan, and to gestate ideas, ready to be delivered out into the world during next spring and summer’s growing season.
At the solstice the sun appears to stand still before it changes direction. We too stand still, pause, and take time to reflect. We have reached the top of a mountain and stop now to take in the view. We look back over the journey we have taken since the winter solstice and look ahead to the path that leads us into the darker half of the year.
Thank You, Sunlight; Thank You, Shadow
Although we enthusiastically welcome back the sun at the winter solstice, it somehow goes against the grain to celebrate the return of the darkness at the summer solstice. The sun is a star at the center of our solar system; its light powers the photosynthesis that plants need to grow, and plants in turn give us the food and oxygen that we need to breathe. The sun has a lot going for it, and it’s easy to see why we should celebrate its powers at the solstices, whereas advocating celebrating the return of the darkness at the summer solstice is a harder sell!
Fear of darkness seems to be built into our DNA. This makes sense when you consider that before the advent of electricity, when night fell, there would have been total darkness. The darkness of night naturally would have struck a chord of fear into our ancestors, as in darkness they were vulnerable to attack. Those starry nights when the full moon lit up the night sky must have been precious and welcome.
Culturally, religiously, and in our psyche, the light has come to be associated with goodness, and darkness with evil. However, when we demonize darkness, we miss out on the healing, nurturing qualities that darkness brings. So many good things happen in the dark: a baby grows in the darkness of the womb, a seed begins life in the darkness of the soil, the darkness embraces us and gives us rest at the end of each day. The darkness offers a refuge where we can rest, sleep, and dream. Sunlight and shadow create balance in our lives. Light without shade becomes harsh, relentless, and overpowering. In our towns and cities light pollution confuses birds and animals and disturbs our own circadian rhythms.
During the first half of the year, between the winter and summer solstice, when the light is expanding, our focus is upon action, achievement, and getting things done. At this time we follow a path that spirals from our center outward into the world. Now, at the summer solstice, as the light begins to wane, we change direction and turn to face the path that spirals back into our center. We welcome back the dark half of the year because it gives us the opportunity to rest, recuperate, and regenerate after the frenetic activity of the growing season. We begin a return journey home to a peaceful place within, where we can find solace and regeneration. Now is the time to bring our outward achievements inside, to a place of sanctuary, so they can be processed and transformed.
The yogic concept of withdrawal becomes relevant at the summer solstice when we gradually turn from an active, outward focus to an inner, more contemplative focus. Withdrawal of the senses (pratyahara) is the fifth of Patanjali’s eight limbs of yoga (Yoga Sutras 2.54, 2.55).11 It involves training the senses to quieten down and not to get carried away by outside stimuli. Other yoga texts compare yogic withdrawal to a tortoise withdrawing its limbs into its shell. Withdrawal prepares the yogi for the last three limbs of yoga: concentration, meditation, and pure contemplation.
There is to be found, within each of us, an island that is our refuge from the storm. We all know this place, and we all know how to find it, although we may have temporarily forgotten how. It is our birthright. Maybe your way of accessing this place is through yoga and meditation, or perhaps you find it when you’re gardening, dancing, running, listening to music, making scones, making love, or daydreaming. It’s good to practice coming home to this place when times are calm, because then when stormy weather arrives, it will be available to you.
At the summer solstice, as the year turns, we are given a chance to pause and reflect, both on our outer journey since the winter solstice and on how we wish to use the inner journey that lies ahead in the darker half of the year. By working with the ebb and flow of the year in this way, we balance shadow and sunlight in our lives—our inner and outer lives, private and public, and activity and rest. In this way we create the conditions for a healthy and wholesome way of life.
The Earth as Mother at the Summer Solstice
Mother Earth is parent to us all. We come from earth and eventually return to earth. She is the ground we walk upon—supporting us, providing us with food and shelter, giving us water when we are thirsty and rest when we are tired. She is a gentle, kind, loving mother and at the same time she is also a fierce mother who can kill us with earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and erupting volcanoes. She is to be loved, respected, and feared!
The Indian Goddess Kali Ma mirrors this dual aspect of earth as both creator and destroyer. She is the Hindu Triple Goddess of creation, preservation, and destruction and is known as the Dark Mother. In the West she is mainly known as a destructive goddess. However, in India she is also recognized primarily as the fount of all love and compassion (karuna), and this compassion flows into the world through women, who are her agents on earth.12 The goddess Kali Ma is a wonderful metaphor for the passage of the seasons that also go through a cycle of creation, preservation, destruction, and rebirth. At the summer solstice the very moment when we celebrate the sun’s fullness is also the pivotal point when the sun’s powers start to wane.
Kali Ma also sometimes manifests as Durga, a warrior queen who personifies the fighting spirit of a mother protecting her young. As the goddess of both creation and destruction, Kali Ma provides a good metaphor for the complexity of feelings that we have, both as a society and as individuals, toward our mothers and the concept of motherhood.
Our religious and spiritual organizations, including yoga, have a deficit of experience if they have been created exclusively by those who have no experience of menstruation, pregnancy, giving birth, breastfeeding, or even childcare responsibilities. Our challenge now is, how do we reclaim and reintegrate this essential feminine part of human experience and bring it back into the mainstream of our spiritual life?
The summer solstice is a good time to explore how you feel about your own experience of being mothered, how you feel about parenting (or choosing not to be a parent), and how to go about “mothering” yourself. How you reflect on fertility and motherhood will depend on which season of your life you are in. For some of us creativity is expressed through physically giving birth and parenting children, while others make a positive, conscious decision not to have children at all, preferring to nurture, sustain, and protect life in other ways.
Learning how to “mother” ourselves well is an essential part of our spiritual practice. Of course, we must also remember that nurturing, nourishing, and caring skills are not exclusive to one gender. If we are to be good enough parents, to our children and our grown-up children, then it is essential that we learn to model good self-care to them.
Below are some ideas on how to incorporate this component of nurturing and nourishing into your yoga practice:
• At the start of your yoga session, imagine that you are drawing a circle of light around yourself. This is a circle of safety and protection. Consciously place your everyday concerns and preoccupations on the outside of the circle.
• During your practice, monitor your internal dialogue. Is it harsh and self-critical? If so, cultivate a way of talking to yourself that is kind and compassionate. In this way you will always feel welcomed when you step onto your yoga mat.
• Like a loving mother, give yourself the gift of presence. Be present to and aware of bodily sensations, thoughts passing through the mind, and feelings as they arise; respond accordingly by adjusting your practice with kindness.
• Above all be aware of the breath, as the breath is the umbilical cord that connects us to life itself.
Like a loving parent, we can create a safe and supportive yoga environment within which we feel safe and confident enough to take risks, make mistakes, and so develop and grow. When we feel supported and cared for in this way, we will want to return to our practice often, as it is sweet like mother’s milk.
Three Mother Mantras to Nurture and Nourish You
Ma, Om, and Sa’ham are three nurturing and nourishing mantras that can be incorporated into your yoga practice. Mantras are an excellent way of stilling the mind and uplifting the spirit. They can be vocalized or silently repeated.
The Mantra Ma
Repetition of the mantra Ma induces a sense of well-being and connectedness. Ma is the basic mother syllable of Indo-European languages. In the Far East Ma represents the “spark of life” and was often defined as intelligence.13
The Mantra Om
In the Upanishads the mantra Om is referred to as “the supreme syllable, the mother of all sound,” and sound was the Great Goddess’s tool of creation. The meaning of Om was something like “pregnant belly.” Om was the mantra matrika, the Mother of Mantras, and is considered to be the first of all the creative spells spoken by the Goddess to bring the world into being.14
The Mantra Sa’ham
Sa’ham can be translated as “she I am.” It was conceived by Tantric poets who worshipped Kali Ma as the Mother and the basis of all creation: “All is the Mother and She is reality herself. ” 15 This yogic mantra is pronounced so-hum and is said to be the sound made naturally with each inhalation and exhalation. The in-breath naturally makes a so sound, and the exhale naturally makes a hum sound. Sa’ham can also be translated as “I am that.”
This practice enables you to stand still, pause, and regather your energy following the busy activity of the growing season. We use asanas such as Tortoise Pose (Kurmasana) to honor the change of direction initiated at the summer solstice from outward activity to inner contemplation.
The summer solstice is a time associated with earth as mother, and we use the mantras Ma and Om to nurture and nourish.
The practice is inspired by and designed to be used around the time of the summer solstice. It’s also fine to use it any time of year. It has a calming effect and is perfect for those hyper-busy times when you need to withdraw from the world to regather yourself. It is the go-to cooling practice for hot summer days when you don’t want to do anything too energetic.
Allow 15 to 20 minutes.
1. Mantra Ma and Arm Movements
Find a comfortable seated position. Rest your hands on your belly. Inhale and take your arms out to the side. Exhale and bring your hands back to the belly, chanting the mantra Ma. Stay for one breath, with the hands resting on the belly. Repeat 6 times.
Mantra Ma and Arm Movements
2. Ma-Om Kneeling Sequence
Come to tall kneeling, hands in the Prayer Position (Namaste). Inhale and raise your arms. Exhale and fold forward into Child’s Pose (Balasana), with arms outstretched along the floor. Inhale and come onto all fours. On the exhale, chanting Om, sit back into Child’s Pose. Inhale and come back to tall kneeling with arms raised. Exhale and bring your hands into prayer position. Repeat the sequence 4 to 6 times.
Ma-Om Kneeling Sequence
3. Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)
Sit tall, legs outstretched (bend the knees to ease the pose). Inhale and raise your arms. Exhale and fold forward over the legs. Inhale and return to starting position. Repeat 6 times and on the final time stay for a few breaths in the pose.
Seated Forward Bend
4. Tortoise Pose (Kurmasana)
Sit tall, legs just over hip width apart, knees bent. Lower the torso into a forward bend. Slip both arms under the knees and behind you to rest on the lower back. Or, for an easier alternative, catch hold of the outside of the ankles. Stay for a few breaths, drawing your awareness inward, and if you wish, silently repeat this affirmation: I find peace within.
To work more gently, skip this pose.
Tortoise Pose
5. Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana) with arm movements
Lie on your back, knees bent and hip width apart. Inhale and slowly peel the back from the floor and raise the arms above the head. Exhale and lower the back to the floor and simultaneously lower the arms. Repeat 6 times, staying for a few breaths the final time. Coordinate the breath with these phrases: Open heart (inhale) and Blue-sky mind (exhale).
Bridge Pose with arm movements
6a. Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)
Come into Bridge Pose as in step 5 but keep the arms by the sides. Clasp the hands under the body and stay in the pose for a few breaths. To ease the shoulders, just leave the arms by your sides, palms facing down.
6b. Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana) with leg raise
Come into Bridge Pose as in step 6a. Bend one knee into the chest and then straighten the leg, heel toward the ceiling. Stay for a few breaths. Do not allow the pelvis to tilt to one side. Repeat on the other side.
To work more gently, skip 6b.
Bridge Pose with leg raise
7. Full-Body Stretch into Curl-Up
Inhale and lengthen tall along the floor. Exhale and bring the knees to the chest, curling the head and shoulders off the floor, and bring the hands to the knees. Inhale and return to Full-Body Stretch. Repeat 6 times.
Full-Body Stretch into Curl-Up
8. Supine Twist (Jathara Parivrtti) modified
Bend both knees. For an easier pose, keep both feet on the floor. For more challenge, bring knees onto chest. Lay arms out to the side, just below shoulder height, palms facing downward. Exhale and lower both knees toward the floor on the left; turn head gently to the right. Inhale and come back to center. Repeat 6 times, alternating sides, and then stay in the pose for a few breaths on each side.
Supine Twist modified
9. Knees-to-Chest Pose (Apanasana)
Hug the knees into the chest and rest here for a few breaths.
Knees-to-Chest Pose
10. Waterfall Breathing
This can be done sitting or lying down in the Relaxation Pose (Savasana). See page 70 for instructions.
Waterfall Breathing
Autumn Equinox Yoga Practice Overview
1. Mantra Ma and Arm Movements. Inhale: take arms out to the side. Exhale: bring hands back to the belly, chanting Ma. Stay for one breath with hands resting on belly. Repeat × 6.
2. Ma-Om Kneeling Sequence. Chanting Ma, come into Child’s Pose from tall kneeling. Chanting Om, sit back into Child’s Pose from all fours. Repeat × 4–6.
3. Seated Forward Bend. Inhale: raise both arms. Exhale: fold forward. Inhale: return to starting position. Repeat × 6, staying for a few breaths the final time.
4. Tortoise Pose. Affirmation: I find peace within. Stay here for a few breaths, drawing your awareness inward. Skip this pose for a gentler sequence.
5. Bridge Pose with arm movements. Inhale: Open heart. Exhale: Blue-sky mind. Repeat × 6, staying for a few breaths the final time.
6a. Bridge Pose. Clasp hands under body and stay for a few breaths.
6b. Bridge Pose with leg raise. Stay for a few breaths. Repeat on other side.
7. Full-Body Stretch into Curl-Up. Inhale: lengthen tall along floor. Exhale: curl up. Repeat × 6.
8. Modified Supine Twist. Exhale: lower both knees toward floor on left, turn head right. Inhale: come back to center. Repeat × 6, alternating sides, and then stay for a few breaths in each pose on each side.
9. Knees-to-Chest Pose. Rest for a few breaths.
10. Waterfall Breathing.
Exercise
At the summer solstice waterfall breathing provides a watery counterbalance to the fiery, frenetic energy of the season. It can also be used at any other time of year.
Waterfall breathing, or the divided out-breath, can be used to calm a restless, agitated mind, inducing a state of deep calm and peacefulness. It soothes anxiety and dispels panic. It helps promote a good night’s sleep.
If you prefer, this breathing practice can be used without using the waterfall imagery and will still be deeply relaxing.
Once you are familiar with the practice, you can do a shortened version, anywhere, anytime, over a few breaths. For the version below, allow about 10 minutes.
Find yourself a comfortable sitting position, spine tall and erect, shoulders relaxed down away from your ears. Soften your facial muscles with a half-smile.
Bring your awareness to your breathing. You do not need to control the breath. Just allow the breath to establish its own natural rhythm. Now become aware of and focus more on your exhale. Over several breaths begin to gently lengthen the exhale. Never strain with the breathing.
If it feels comfortable, begin to divide each exhale into two equal parts, with a pause in between each part. It looks like this:
Inhale
Exhale, pause, exhale, and pause.
Inhale …
Imagine that with each part of the divided out-breath you are stepping down a step and then briefly pausing before stepping down another step.
If this feels comfortable, you can then go on to divide the out-breath into three equal parts, with pauses in between each part.
Now, for the time being, let go of dividing the breath and go back to your normal breathing.
Imagine that you are in a beautiful, peaceful place watching a gently cascading waterfall. Picture the water flowing down steps of rock into a calm pool below.
Keep this image of the cascading waterfall in your mind as you return again to the divided out-breath. Imagine that each part your out-breath is like water flowing down a waterfall and onto a ledge, where you pause briefly, and then exhale again, each part flowing down onto another ledge, before finally reaching a peaceful pool, where you pause briefly and then inhale. Repeat over several breaths.
When you feel ready, let go of the divided out-breath and the image of the waterfall. Simply observe the natural flow of the breath for a few more breaths.
Now let go of following the breath. Become aware of where your body is in contact with the floor or your support. Notice how you are feeling and observe how the waterfall breathing has affected you.16 Resolve to take this calm, peaceful, open, and spacious awareness with you into your everyday life and the next thing that you do today.
Tree Wisdom in Summer
Spending time around trees in summer connects us to the fertility and fullness of the season.
Summer is the perfect time to take a walk through the woods, forest, or park and enjoy the shade that trees provide. What effect does being amongst the trees have on your mood? Use all five senses to mindfully enjoy the scene; notice colors, smells, sounds and use your sense of touch. You might even find some edible forest fruit to take home and taste. Be aware of the diversity of life in the forest that trees support, such as insects, animals, and birds. Later, during a few quiet moments, close your eyes and recall this scene and enjoy a few moments of tranquility remembering this special environment.
Exercise
Trees and Creativity during Summer
You can use the time that you have spent mindfully amongst trees as a springboard for your creativity. If you are stuck for ideas, here are a few to get you going:
• Find a leaf that you find interesting because of its shape, color, texture, and so on. Then spend some time looking closely at it, and then draw it, either from observation or from memory.
• Make a list of five reasons why you feel grateful to trees.
• The breath is a key component of yoga. How much do you know about how trees breathe? Use the resources available to you online, in books, from a knowledgeable friend, and so on to find out more. Once you have done this, observe whether your newfound knowledge adds or detracts from your enjoyment and appreciation of trees.
• Compose a short guided visualization inspired by your walk in the forest. Make a recording of yourself reading this visualization and use it during a period of relaxation. If you have children, they might want to help you with this project. The recording you make can be relaxing for both of you.
Meditation upon an Oak Tree at Summer Solstice
Near where I live is a grand stately home surrounded by acres of parkland, open to the public. The area is a site of special scientific interest because of its ancient oak trees. Deer graze and wildflowers grow around the trees; on the horizon you can see the silhouette of the Welsh hills.
We can learn from the oak tree about the strength and generosity contained within the circle of life, death, rebirth, and renewal. Below is the tree prose poem that I wrote in response to meditatively spending time around oak trees.
Ancient oak tree, you connect me to the strength and courage to be found within me. From you I learn how to weather life’s storms with grace. An acorn nestled in the soil, from small beginnings you grew into a mighty oak tree. Today, sunshine streaming through your crown creates a thousand emeralds of your leaves. Around your silver-gray trunk grow golden buttercup, purple clover, and pink vetch. Swallows fly overhead. The fragrance of orange blossom is carried on the breeze.
Oak tree, across the century, you have given sanctuary to insect,
animal, and bird. In your warm, fissured trunk insects make
their home. In your high branches birds build their nests. Wild deer take refuge in your velvet shade. Caterpillars feast upon your leaves and purple butterflies flit above your canopy. As you breathe out,
you breathe life into me. My inspiration is your generosity.
Summer Solstice Meditation Questions
These questions are designed to be used around the time of the summer solstice. It’s fine to use them a week or two before or after the actual date of the solstice. Guidance on how to use the seasonal meditation questions can be found in Chapter One.
• Who brings sunshine into my life and how do I show my gratitude to them for this?
• Who lights my fire and who am I passionate about?
• How will I go about spending time with them this summer?
• Looking back over the past half year, what have I achieved? (This might include achievements at work, home, or study).
• What has gone well and has come to fruition? How will I celebrate my success?
• Which seeds failed to germinate and how would I do things differently next time to ensure success?
• Who has helped me realize my dreams and how will I thank them?
• Where is the fiery passion in my life?
• Over the past half year have I found time for doing the things I love to do?
• What is on my love-to-do list for the remaining summer months?
• Summer solstice is a time associated with motherhood and fertility.
• What was my own experience of being mothered/parented?
• How would I be acting if I were to be a good mother/parent to myself?
• (If you are a parent) How do I strengthen the bond between myself and my child (or grown-up child) in a supportive, loving, and healing way?
• At this fertile time, what am I creating in my life?
• How do I nurture, nourish, and tend my creativity and my creations?
• What blocks my creativity and how can I get my creativity flowing again?
• How do I celebrate and enjoy my body and its natural rhythms in a loving and healthful way?
• At the summer solstice there is a gradual shift in energy from outward action to inner reflection and contemplation.
• Which outward actions do I wish to bring inside to my inner sanctuary to be processed and transformed?
• Do I value both my inner and outer worlds in equal measure?
• Which seeds do I wish to incubate during the darker half of the year?
• What do I want to nurture and develop in myself over the coming months?
• Following the summer solstice, the days will gradually begin to get shorter. How do I feel about moving into the darker half of the year?
• How do I balance light and dark in myself?
• How do I celebrate the return of the darkness? What value is there to be found in darkness?
• How will I go about bringing warmth and sunshine into the lives of friends, family, and the various communities that I am a part of?
• How will I go about connecting with others this summer?
• How can I lovingly shine my light out into the world?
• Are there any actions, big or small, that I can take this summer to make my neighborhood and immediate surroundings more beautiful, welcoming, or environmentally friendly?
• How do I plan to get out in nature and enjoy the beauty of the season?
11. Barbara Stoler Miller, Yoga: Discipline of Freedom; The Yoga Sutra Attributed to Patanjali (New York: Bantam Books, 1998), 59.
12. Barbara G. Walker, The Women’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets (New York: Harper Collins, 1983), 490.
13. Barbara G. Walker, The Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets (New York: Harper Collins 1983), 560.
14. Barbara G. Walker, The Woman’s Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects (New York: Harper Collins, 1988), 99.
15. Barbara G. Walker, The Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets (New York: Harper Collins, 1983), 490.
16. Donna Farhi, Yoga Mind, Body and Spirit: A Return to Wholeness (New York, Henry Holt & Company, 2000), 250. Farhi uses waterfall imagery in her description of the Pacifying Breath.