Happy Summer! It’s officially here as of June 21 and the Summer Solstice.
It was the longest day of the year and the annual maximum amount of sunlight day made me happy.
In yoga it’s customary to d0 108 Sun Salutations on solstices.
Why you ask?
The practice of sun salutations honors the change of seasons, as they help remove toxins in the body. We honor our primary source of energy: the sun.
From this source:
Why is the number 108 special? It is considered sacred in many Eastern religions and traditions. The mala beads (a string of 108) are often used for rituals and worn either around the neck or wrapped around the wrist. Here are some of the significances and facts of 108:
- 1, 0, 8. 1 stands for higher Truth, 0 stands for emptiness or completeness in spiritual practice, 8 stands for infinity or eternity.
- Hindu deities have 108 names. Mala beads are used to count each one of the deities in meditation.
- In Advaita Vedanta, there are 108 authentic doctrines in the Upanishads aiming to approach the truth and to destroy ignorance.
- In the Hindu chakra system, there are a total of 108 energy lines converging from the heart chakra. One of them, sushumna, leads to the crown chakra, and is said to be the path to Self-realization.
- In Tibetan Buddhism, it is believed that there are 108 sins.
- In Japan, at the end of the year a bell is chimed 108 times to finish an old year and welcome a new.
- In Indian relgions, nirvana is only reached once you overcome 108 earthly temptations.
- In Ayurveda, there are 108 pressure points in the body.
- In karate martial arts, the 108 figure is prominent. Suparinpei literally translates to 108.
- In astronomy, the diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth.
- In the Sanskrit alphabet there are 54 letters, each having a masculine and feminine, totaling 108.
- With time, some say there are 108 feelings, with 36 related to past, 36 related to present, 36 related to future. 36X3=108.
- In Astrology, there are 12 constellations and 9 arc segments. Also, there are 12 houses and 9 planets. 9×12=108.
- In Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism, atman refers to the Self, or the soul. Atman goes through 108 stages on the journey.
So there are many reasons to celebrate the Summer Solstice and the number 108.
When it’s officially summer, it’s also time for easy meals that use what’s in seasonal abundance like:
I like to dip mine in 60-second homemade creamy honey mustard dressing
Or try Raw Taco Salad with Raw Taco Nut “Meat” for a quickie and fresh meal.
This “meat” always impresses even those meat-loving die-hards and takes 30 seconds to make.
Or if zucchinis are coming out of your garden like crazy, or they’re cheap and plentiful at your farmers market like they are at mine,
make Raw Pasta Salad with Creamy Lemon & Herb Dressing
So easy. And it uses up the zukes that are coming out of your ears this time of year. Need a spiralizer or info about what I use, here.
And for dessert, Vanilla Avocado Banana “Ice Cream”
Thank you to everyone who has commented or emailed me that you’ve tried this recipe and really enjoyed it! Field reports are wonderful to have!
And from my last post, it was fun reading what Smells Good to you and if you have a sensitive sniffer or not.
Questions:
1. Have you ever done 108 Sun Salutations or did you celebrate the Solstice in any way on the 21st?
I did about 54 sun salutations (half) at home. I ran out of time to do any more!
I also don’t hold my downward dogs, but move continuously through each sun saluation, one into the next, until I feel I really need a breather, and then I’ll hold a downward dog, catch my breath, and then repeat continuous loop style, so to speak.
And I have been to solstice parties before. Usually with yogis, free spiritis, and creative types. The food is always vegan and potluck style and delicious, the conversation is groovy, and the vibe is mellow.
But this past solstice, no such parties for me. I had a flat tire I was dealing with! No time to party.
2. What foods are you loving now that it’s Officially Summer?
P.S. Thanks for the continued support and entries for the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Giveaway.
108 sun salutations sounds like an awful lot. I did about 5 yesterday (not realizing 108 was the standard for the day!).
Foods I’m loving now that it’s summer…basil, tomatoes, corn and anything else that I either can’t get or tastes horrific out of season.
I love every. single. thing. about summer. I seriously need to move somewhere with more even temperatures throughout the season, vermont just doesn’t cut it. Barbequeing, driving with the windows down, barefeet, hiking, i love it all.
i didnt do 108 sun salutation yesterday…i did do it ny day though back in january!
oh i love summer foods!!! my fave right now: all the berries, corn, cantaloupe!!
gosh i love summer! all the kids are out playing, days are long, nights are warm… :)
yay that you did it even once in your life. bucket list thing :)
Happy Summer :)
I’m particularly loving all the summer fruits like berries, watermelon, peaches, and pineapples!
Thanks for taking the time to explain the significance of the 108 salutations. I’ve often wondered. It’s fascinating to me. Happy Summertime to you!
I don’t have the patience to do 108 of anything. My exercise routine of late has been to do 1- minute rounds of such things as jumping rope, mountain climbers, step-ups, etc. I can do anything for 1 minute!
I’m not swimming in zucchini yet! I picked my first one yesterday; the plants got a late start because of the crappy weather.
You’ve not really talked much about yoga lately – it’s nice when you do b/c you can tell that you’re passionate about it. I am loving strawberries and boatloads of pineapple.
I realized that not everyone is as into it as I am and so when I do mention it, it’s really something special. Trying to find that blogging voice, blogging balance, a never ended journey :)
I have never done 108 sun salutations in a row before, and I don’t know if I can manage it right now. Wow!
I am totally loving summer produce right now! Stone fruit+cucumbers+whatever…
I’ve been eating a lot of fruit lately. Also, a lot of salads – anything that doesn’t require me turning on the oven when it’s really hot out! We’ve also been taking a lot of walks to get ice cream and italian ice!!
I never knew the reason why yoga was so popular on the Summer Solstice. I didn’t have a chance to do yoga last night but I am definitely going tonight.
Wow, I wish I would’ve read this yesterday! I could have celebrated by doing sun salutations until my arms fell off! But yesterday I did celebrate with an extra-long walk late in the evening, and I did something that scared me. I dared myself to go the the boxing gym around the corner and ask about classes. Seems simple, but I’m not the kind of person who just goes out and talks to people. I got a tour (they even have a yoga studio!) and a free day pass, so soon I’m going to go try out the yoga classes and boxing or martial arts. I need to learn some sort of self defense and this is also part of my new goal to live THROUGH my body, not just in it. I want to learn to express with it and feel strong and powerful with it.
And summer food? I’ve been eating a watermelon and several cantaloupes a week. All by myself. Yup.
good for you for branching out of your comfort zone. and you can still do the sun salutations today. the universe won’t mind you’re a smidge late :)
i didn’t do sun salutations so i’ll have to make up for it today, but i took advantage of the sunlight and stayed out raspberry picking until 9pm! it was glorious and actually very relaxing :) my favorite things now are raw veggies + berries!
raspberry picking…how fun!
I’ve never completed the 108 salutations but I imagine it would feel very refreshing to do it. Speaking of refreshing, I am loving watermelon and tomatoes now that it is summer. I just love how fresh and juicy they are!
Wow–that ice cream looks delicious!
Jeez, I’d kill for someone to whip me up a batch of that avocado ice cream before my tooth surgery tomorrow!! I actually had a dream about it last night….
Love the summer, even though I’m not a kid anymore which means I don’t get 3 months off from life, it’s a totally different state of mind. Beautiful things.
good luck w/ your surgery!
I am LOVING summer foods! I’m sitting here working on a paper for school snacking on a platter of cantaloupe, watermelon, and pineapple. So fresh and tasty! You know what’s weird? I usually never crave, or even really enjoy, fruit that much, except for my morning smoothie. I’m a veggie lover. But lately, veggies are totally not doing it for me and I’m all about the fruit!
I’m also loving my latest addiction – Triscuits! If I had known these little suckers were so good I would have started eating them years ago. I think I’m in love.
I grew up LIVING on Triscuits. I love them. Like I swear to god when I stopped eating gluten 6 yrs or so ago, I went thru withdrawals and even though I eat small amts of gluten now, unfort the gluten in triscuits just does a number on me and I really can’t indulge in them but oh, slathered with Peanut Butter…that was dinner many, many nights in college washed down with some adult beverages, too :)