Yoga and Hydration: Poses to Keep You Cool and Hydrated

The summer sun is heating up every day, and we all look for ways to relieve some body heat. Heat can alter your mood, body, and well-being, especially when overheating hits the town. 

Previously, we explored the benefits of practicing yoga outdoors, learned how to build a home yoga studio on a budget, and discussed why the best yoga props are essential for beginners and advanced yogis. Today, we’ll talk about yoga and hydration—how they work together to keep your body cool and balanced.

If you’re a yoga practitioner, you only need a few cooling poses in your routine to beat the heat and feel refreshed.

So, how does yoga and hydration go together? Let’s talk about it. 

How Cooling Yoga Poses Work?

Cool-down yoga poses are based on a scientific theory that considers the body’s ability to respond to heat and overall stress. When the body is subjected to temperatures above normal, the fight-or-flight reaction (the sympathetic nervous system) is engaged.

This causes the heart rate to rise, the blood vessels to constrict, and the sweat glands to start producing perspiration. Cooling yoga positions stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. 

This can slow down the pulse rate, dilate blood vessels, and allow the body to relax. This shift can offset the body’s stress reaction, allowing it to release heat more efficiently.

Using yoga to battle the heat can also promote more effective circulation of oxygen and blood throughout the body, resulting in improved heat transmission.

What Yoga Poses Help with Hydration?

Cooldowns help to prevent lightheadedness or dizziness, which can occur if you exercise at a high intensity but then stop abruptly without allowing blood flow to return to normal. So, grab your yoga activewear and try the poses below to stay cool during summer: 

• Palm Tree Pose

This pose helps to improve focus and concentration. It also promotes grounding by transferring your weight to one leg, which can help you focus away from the heat. Grounding can also promote a sense of peace and stability.

To practice this pose, stand on one leg and extend the other leg out to the side, like a palm tree. 

• Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)

Paschimottanasana, often known as the Seated Forward Bend pose, is another effective yoga exercise for regulating body temperature. This traditional forward bend cools and calms the nervous system. It relieves stress, weariness, and intestinal discomfort, which is often exacerbated by heat.

• Shavasana (Corpse Pose)

Shavasana (also known as Corpse poses) is a yoga practice that promotes cooling and overall relaxation, making it an excellent method for reducing body heat. Lying flat on your back on one of your yoga mats with your arms and legs slightly apart maximizes the body’s overall surface area, allowing heat to drain more quickly.

This position stimulates the parasympathetic nerve system, allowing the body to return to a more balanced and relaxed condition. This also allows the body to lower its metabolic rate, resulting in a cooling effect. 

• Matsya Asana (Fish Pose)

Lie on your back with your arms folded underneath your body. Lift your head and chest, breathe in, and then place the crown of your head on the ground while arching your back. Use your elbows to maintain overall body equilibrium. Inhale and exhale deeply, expanding the chest. Maintain this position for as long as you feel comfortable.

• Corpse Pose

Savasana is the perfect way to end any yoga regimen, particularly one with a high level of intensity. This pose aids recuperation by bringing your body to a peaceful condition and serving as a transition back to your everyday routines.

Scoot away from the wall and lie down on your back in preparation for savasana. Separate your legs slightly and allow your feet to fall to either side. Turn your palms upwards. Make sure you are not touching anything and are able to completely relax. Set a timer and stay for ten minutes.

• Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

Lie down on your stomach, head on the ground. Place both hands on either side of your shoulders. Slowly apply pressure to your palms and lift your body from the torso, stretching your back and tummy. 

Straighten your arms and squeeze your shoulder blades into your back. Fix your eyes on a spot on the ceiling and hold this pose for around 15-30 seconds before exhaling and returning to your starting position.

• Practice Sheetali Pranayama 

While you choose specific poses, you also need other best yoga practices to prevent dehydration, such as Sheetali. 

In Sheetali, inhale via a curled tongue and exhale through the nose. During each exhalation, lightly touch the tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth, allowing the cool tip of the tongue to chill the upper palate. 

Swallow every now and then if your throat feels dry.

Watch What You Eat:

While you get your yoga props and practice the poses, remember to focus on what you eat, too. 

Staying relaxed can be as simple as eating the correct meals.

• Enjoy sweet and astringent seasonal fruits such as apples, berries, grapes, and peaches, as well as vegetables with high water content such as watermelons, cucumbers, kale, and spinach.
• Stay hydrated, but try to avoid chilled beverages. Room temperature or warm is ideal; it may seem paradoxical, but it allows your body to sweat and cool down more quickly.
• It doesn’t get easier than incorporating cooling herbs and spices into your meals: fennel, dill, mint, cumin, coriander, or cilantro, your choice.

Conclusion 

Yoga and hydration work hand in hand to help your body stay balanced, especially during the intense summer heat. By practicing cooling poses like Shavasana, Paschimottanasana, and Fish Pose, you activate your body’s natural relaxation systems and promote internal hydration. Pair your yoga routine with water-rich foods and calming breaths like Sheetali Pranayama for best results. 

Whether you’re a beginner or experienced, it all starts with the right gear. Made by Tory offers premium quality. Buy yoga mats in Dubai that support your summer flow and keep your wellness journey grounded. 

Stay cool, stay hydrated, and keep moving mindfully.