Summer embodies the fire element. The sun is hot, the days are long, and the world vibrates with agni.
With summer's end weeks away, and fire slowly being doused in autumn's water, we are charged to carry the torch between now and next June. In a yoga practice, fire is purifying, core-empowering, and cardiovascular; it's the element that's emphasized in a power class and muted in a restorative class. Plank, boat, arm-balances, yogic push-ups, and, most glaringly, sun salutes all honor the fire in a practice. The heat purifies us, we sweat, and we overcome the initial urge to react negatively to the fire element, resisting it as too hard, too exercise-y, too unyogalike.
The purpose of any yoga practice is to create a space for self-transformation and self-transcendence. Fire destroys that which no longer serves us- bad relationships, damaging inner mantras, etc.- and opens up room for change. Fire is not only a destructive force, however, as it also generates light and warmth. Humans gravitate toward fire, unconsciously recalling how integral the flame used to be to our lives before it was harnessed in bulbs and wires. Fire is primal, and it feeds our souls.
Carrying the torch throughout the year in our yoga practice means cultivating the bandhas, invigorating the core, allowing solar energy to fuel our surya namaskar, and relishing the sweat. Fire is a key element to integrate into our sadhanas, but it becomes even more valuable in autumn and winter. The seasonal fire is dying for now, and so we must stoke our inner embers to maintain the balance.
