Rio Grande Valley summer temperatures are here, but rather than head to the pool to cool down from the heat, come to the mat.

Yes, there are many cooling yoga poses and breathing exercises that will actually help your mind and body chill out, turning on your internal A/C. Many yogis even have entire sequences dedicated to helping students cool down through restful moves, longer breaths and decompression.

Using pranayama is also a great way to cool the body. Practicing Sitali, the cooling breath, is a good way to start or end a practice. To do sitali, come to a comfortable cross-legged position, take two or three deep cleansing breaths. Roll the tongue, curing the sides in toward the center to form a tube and stick the end of the tongue between pursed lips, or purse the lips as if using a straw making a small “O” shape with the mouth. Inhale through the “tube” or lips. To exhale, close the mouth curling the bottom of the tongue to the roof of your mouth exhaling through the nostrils. Repeat five to 10 times.

Some of the most cooling poses are forward bends in general, especially seated forward bends. This sequence by Jason Crandell, for Yoga Journal, is a great forward bend practice we have used in some of our open-level classes.

Here are some poses to keep in mind for summer practice, (please note pose difficulty increases with the number. Poses further down the list are recommended for more advanced students only):

1. Savasana (corpse Pose): Lying on the floor, being your legs about hip-width distance apart, let your feet fall to the sides. Extend your arms about six inches away from the body palms facing the ceiling, allowing the fingers to curl naturally. Relax every muscle, close the eyes and breath normally.

2. Virparita Karani (legs up on the wall): Lying down near a wall, extend your legs up the wall. Move your hips in as close as you can to the wall so the legs do not have to work to stay up. Close your eyes and rest in the pose. MODIFICATION: If the hamstrings are tight, move the hips far enough away so not to strain them. Also, a bolster under the hips will provide additional support and relaxation.

3. Balasana (childs Pose): Kneel on the floor, knees spread open further than the hips and big toes touching. Take your hips back toward your heels and bring your torso and head to the floor. Either extend your arms resting on the floor above your head, or bring them alongside your legs. MODIFICATION: Bring a block or cushion between your feet to rest the sitting bones on, or fold a blanket under your knees for extra padding.

4. Supta Baddha Konasana (reclined bound angle pose): Lying on the back, bend the knees to where they face the ceiling and bring the feet to the floor. Start to bring the soles of the feet together pushing into one another and slowly let the knees fall outward toward the outer edges of the mat. Bring your hands either to your belly or inner thighs. Rest here. To come out of the pose, push again through the soles of the feet to bring the feet back to floor and knees bent toward the ceiling. MODIFICATION: Use blocks, cushions or blankets to support your knees and legs as you rest in this pose.

5. Ado Mukha Svanasana (downward-facing dog): Come to the floor on your hands and knees in table position. Spread your fingers so your index fingers are parallel and curl your toes under. Lift your knees away from the floor as you start to raise your hips upward and back simultaneously, still keeping a bend in the knees and pushing through the palms to fully extend your upper body. Begin to bring the heels toward the floor, pushing your thigh bones back and straightening the knees. Keep the neck relaxed. ADVANCED MODIFICATION: Extending through the arms back toward the hips, bring your forehead toward the floor resting on a block.

6. Paschimottanasana (seated forward bend): Sit on the floor with both legs straight and flat on the floor. Pushing through the sitting bones back, while moving through the chest forward, slowly fold from the hips to bring the torso toward the legs. Take a few slow breaths here. MODIFICATION: Bend the knees in this pose to properly stretch the hamstrings and alleviate pain and stress in the lower back. A bolster can also be used to resting on top of the legs to support the torso.

7. Janu Sirsasana (head-to-knee forward bend): Sit on the floor with both legs straight in front of you. Bend the left knee and bring the sole of the left foot to the inner-right thigh. Square your torso over the extended leg and begin to fold forward from the hips pushing through the sitting bones back, while moving through the chest forward. Hold the pose for a few breathes and Repeat on the other side. MODIFICATION: You can sit on a blanket if the hips are too tight or bend the extended leg.

8. Halasana (plow pose): Great pose for advanced students to practice: Lying on the floor, inhale and extend your legs toward the ceiling straight above your waist supporting your back with your hands. Exhale slowly and bend your legs bringing your knees to above your face and beyond your head. Slowly extend the legs and start to lower them to the floor over your head. Breath here with your chin resting against your chest. To come out of the pose, slowly bend the knees and lower them to the floor. DO NOT TURN YOUR HEAD IN THIS POSE. MODIFICATION: While still lying on the floor, place a zafu, or meditation cushion, under your hips. Extend your legs toward the ceiling and breathe here.

*Photos courtesy of www.yogajournal.com