Practising yoga in the Coimbatore heat

Coimbatore is milder than much of Tamil Nadu, but April and May still bring afternoons above 35 °C. Practising through the hot months is entirely possible, with a few changes.

Choose the time of day well. Our 6 am batches are the coolest and the most popular in summer. Evening classes after 6 pm are the next choice, once the room has cooled. We keep the studio ventilated with filtered air and do not heat it.

Drink water through the day, not just during class. A glass of water an hour before practice helps more than a litre gulped afterwards. Tender coconut or buttermilk after class replaces salt as well as water. Avoid heavy meals and very cold drinks just before you practise.

Adjust the practice itself. Longer holds and slower flows build less heat than fast sequences, and seated forward bends and twists are naturally cooling. Breathing practices like sitali, where you breathe in through a curled tongue, can feel refreshing. In the hottest weeks we shift some vinyasa classes to a gentler pace. Most of all, listen to your body. Dizziness, a headache or nausea are signs to stop, rest and drink water. There will always be another class.