I was standing in the grass doing my little “connect with the dawn” thing, and by the time the sun got halfway up, I was doing a spiritual practice of a different kind—heat exhaustion. I had that classic wobbly-knees, fuzzy-brain, why-is-my-skin-sweating-like-a-haunted-swamp feeling. I tried to power through it because I had a vision of being serene, but the universe apparently had a different vision: sit down, drink water, and stop trying to channel enlightenment while your insides are staging a protest.

Now I do outdoor spiritual practice with a cooler, a hat, and a very realistic plan. I still like the sunrise, but I also like being conscious enough to remember what I was meditating on. If you’re doing outdoor practice in heat, treat hydration like a sacred offering, not an afterthought. The spirits can wait. My blood pressure, apparently, cannot.