Pilates Self-Care Saturday: The Light of the Summer Solstice

Golden sunlight glistens over the Solway Coast’s rocks and sea, capturing the essence of summer.

Today is 21 June, the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year and a turning point that offers us something far more profound than just extra sunlight. It is a natural reminder to pause, reflect, and reconnect with ourselves, both emotionally and physically.

A Moment to Rebalance

In the rhythm of the year, the solstice is a pause, a chance to notice how far we have come and what we might need to feel whole again. Often, we are moving at full speed by this point in the year. Today invites us to slow down, to breathe more deeply, and to recognise our own seasonal energy.

As teachers, it is easy to give out more than we restore. Today’s sunlight reminds us that self care is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Taking time to feel grounded, centred, and replenished allows us to show up more fully for our clients and ourselves.

Summer Solstice Self Care Practices

Here are a few Pilates inspired ways to honour today’s solstice with care and presence:

• Move in the sunlight – Take your mat outdoors or simply begin your movement practice near a window. Let the sun guide your breath.

• Ground through your feet – Incorporate standing footwork or foot fascia release into your practice. Feel your connection to the earth.

• Focus on expansion – Use the breath to create space across the chest and ribs. Open and energise the front of the body.

• Reflect and journal – What do you want to hold onto from the first half of the year? What can you let go of as we move forward?

• Rest with intention – End your session in stillness. A supported rest position, eyes closed, simply noticing the breath.

What the Solstice Gives Us

• A time to reconnect with light, within and around us

• A reminder that self care supports sustainability

• Permission to celebrate life, vitality, and renewal

• An invitation to realign with our purpose

So today, whether you are teaching, moving, or simply being, let the sunlight fill you up. Care for your energy as you would your clients’. Honour the turning of the year with a moment of presence and a breath of clarity.

The light is here. Let us use it well.