Whether you’re looking to cool down on a warm day or simply nourish body and mind, yoga and pranayama (breathwork) offer many ways to settle and slow. Cooling sequences are especially lovely as the seasons turn from summer toward autumn, when the heat of pitta dosha — the fiery energy that tends to accumulate through summer — can leave a feeling of excess warmth in the body. Whatever draws you here, I hope you find ease in these gentle suggestions.

Poses to Cool the Body

Yoga can be either heating or cooling, depending on how we practice. Its cooling quality lives in longer-held postures that draw the body’s energy downward — like legs up the wall. The slow, receptive nature of Yin yoga is cooling, too. As you move through the following poses, let your inhale and exhale lengthen and soften.

Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani)

Lie on your back with knees bent, feet planted, and toes touching the wall.
Slide a bolster or folded blanket under your hips if you’d like.
Walk your feet up the wall until your legs straighten. If the backs of your legs feel too tight, scoot a little further from the wall.
Rest your arms out to the sides, palms up, and feel the gentle downward sensation in your legs.

Stay for 1–15 minutes. To release, walk your feet back down and roll up into a seat.

Knees to Chest (Apanasana)

Lie on your back with legs and arms extended.
On an exhale, draw your knees toward your chest and wrap your arms around your shins, as if hugging yourself.
Keep your back and the crown of your head grounded. If it feels good, rock gently side to side.

Hold for about a minute, breathing into the expansion of your ribs.

Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

Stand with feet hip-width apart, arms by your sides, palms facing forward.
Root down through your feet, lift gently through your legs, and lengthen your spine.
Soften your shoulders, open your heart forward, and imagine a thread drawing the crown of your head skyward.

Stay for 30 seconds to a few minutes.

Tree Pose (Vrksasana)

From Mountain Pose, shift your weight onto your left foot.
Draw your right foot to your inner left thigh (or calf, for a gentler version), knee opening to the side.
Bring your hands to your heart in Anjali Mudra (prayer hands), and root down through your standing foot.

Hold for 30 seconds to a minute, then repeat on the other side.

Butterfly Pose (Baddha Konasana)

Sit with legs extended, then draw the soles of your feet together, letting your knees fall open.
Hold your feet or ankles. Rather than forcing the knees down, let gravity do the work.
Keeping a long spine, gently fold your chest forward.

Stay for 1–5 minutes.

Corpse Pose (Savasana)

Lie flat on your back, feet spreading toward the edges of your mat, arms resting a little away from your sides.
Let everything soften and rest completely.

Stay for at least 5 minutes to receive the full restfulness of the pose.

Gentle Twists

Twists are a wonderful, grounding way to wring out tension. Many people find that holding a twist for a few minutes feels both settling and quietly cooling. Hold each of these for 3–5 minutes on average — or whatever feels right in your body.

Marichi’s Pose (Marichyasana I)

Sit with legs extended. Bend your right knee and plant the foot near your right sitting bone.
Place your right fingertips on the floor behind you. Inhale and lengthen, reaching your left arm up.
Exhale and twist to the right, bringing your left arm to the outside of your right knee.
Lengthen on each inhale; deepen the twist on each exhale.

Hold 1–3 minutes, then repeat on the other side.

Supine Spinal Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)

Lie on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor. Shift your hips slightly to the right.
Draw your right knee toward your chest, then cross it over your body to the left, extending the opposite leg.
Open your right arm out to the side; turn your gaze toward your fingertips if it’s comfortable.

Breathe here for 1–5 minutes, then repeat on the other side.

Restorative Twist (with a bolster)

Place a bolster (or stacked pillows) on the floor and sit beside it, resting your right thigh against one end.
On an exhale, lower your torso onto the bolster and turn your head to rest your right cheek down.

Relax for 3–5 minutes, then repeat on the other side.

Cooling Pranayama

Two cooling breath practices, Sitali and Sitkari, are traditionally favored in the warmer months. Both are described in the Ayurvedic tradition as cooling and soothing — Sitali for adding a sense of moisture and ease, Sitkari for a refreshing lift. Many people find them quietly settling.

Sitali Breath

Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Breathe into your diaphragm for a few moments.
Curl your tongue lengthwise and let it extend just past your lips, mouth shaped like an “O.”
Inhale slowly across the tongue, as if sipping through a straw, feeling the coolness of the breath.
Draw the tongue in, close the mouth, and exhale fully through the nose.

Repeat for 2–3 minutes, then return to easy breathing.

Sitkari Breath

Sit comfortably with eyes closed, breathing into the diaphragm.
Gently bring your upper and lower teeth together and part your lips, exposing your teeth.
Inhale slowly through the gaps in your teeth.
Close your mouth and exhale gently through the nose.