Cool Down & Find Your Center: A Quick Yoga Sequence to Beat the Heat and Lower Your Heart Rate
🌿 Why Practice Cooling Yoga and Breathwork Regularly?
Incorporating a cooling yoga and breathwork practice into your routine—especially in hot temps or after intense activity—helps regulate your nervous system, lower heart rate, and reduce core body temperature. Practices like Sitali breathing, gentle forward folds, and legs-up-the-wall activate the parasympathetic system, calming your body and mind.
Over time, regular cool-down sessions can:
Improve recovery and reduce post-ride fatigue
Enhance sleep and digestion
Lower stress levels and inflammation
Increase resilience in both body and mind
It’s a simple way to reset and reconnect—on and off the bike.
Here’s a short practice you can use post ride/ run/ hike or just when you need a moment of clarity
Cool-Down Yoga + Breathing Practice (10–15 min)
1. Seated Cooling Breath (Sitali or Seetkari) – 2 minutes
Sit comfortably with a tall spine.
Option 1: Curl your tongue into a straw shape and inhale through the tongue, exhale through the nose.
Option 2: If you can’t curl your tongue, gently clench your teeth, part your lips, and inhale through the teeth, exhaling through the nose.
Breathe slowly and steadily. This cools the body and calms the nervous system.
2. Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana or Standing Fold) – 1-2 minutes
Let your upper body drape over your legs (seated or standing), knees can be bent.
Let gravity help slow your heart rate.
Focus on long exhales.
3. Legs-Up-the-Wall (Viparita Karani) – 3–5 minutes
Lie on your back with your legs extended up a wall.
Arms out to the side or resting on your belly.
Let your breath slow naturally. This pose supports circulation and relaxation.
4. Reclined Twist – 1 minute per side
Hug your knees into your chest, then drop them to one side.
Extend the opposite arm and turn your head that direction.
Breathe deeply into your belly.
5. Final Relaxation + Box Breathing – 3 minutes
Lie in Savasana or stay reclined.
Use Box Breathing (Inhale 4 – Hold 4 – Exhale 4 – Hold 4).
Repeat slowly for 5–6 rounds.
Whether you're coming off a long ride, feeling the weight of a hot day, or simply needing a moment to reset, these practices are here to support you. Cooling breathwork and grounding poses offer a powerful way to tune in, slow down, and honor what your body needs. The more consistently you return to these simple tools, the more they become second nature—helping you stay balanced both on and off the bike.
