Yoga for All Seasons: Spring
by: Nichole Golden
The season of new beginnings is upon us. With the arrival of Spring, we shift from the hibernation of the winter months to an awakening of rebirth. Spring invites us to open back up, delight in warmer days, and cultivate a spirit of aliveness.
As sunlight paves longer days, warm, damp spells have the potential to leave congestion and upper respiratory conditions in their wake. Spring is the time for releasing deep-seated emotions of sorrow and sadness. Support your body through this transition with the following recipe for balance as we embrace this upcoming season.
An Ayurvedic approach to Spring
Spring is the time for cleansing the body from the winter’s slumber. In the winter, we have a tendency to get sluggish, and so Spring becomes the opportune time to shed heavier layers and clean the body of excess toxins in the tissues. We are all naturally drawn to spring-cleaning our homes, and so we must also be inspired to spring-clean our bodies!
The Kapha dosha, which is the water and earth element, is highly accumulated in the body from the winter months. This can be experienced as winter weight gain and feeling lethargic. With a few daily rituals you can start to liquefy that buildup and release it from the body.
5 Spring yoga poses
Your yoga practice this time of year should be stimulating and invigorating. This helps to jump-start sluggish digestion to get your lymph moving, prevent congestion and aid in the detox process.
- Sun Salutations: This sequence will help pump prana (breath) throughout the body, filling you with oxygen and livening your inner-body zest.
- Backbends: These heart-opening asanas are energizing and revitalizing. Three to try are Bridge Pose, Wheel Pose and Camel Pose.
- Twists: Twisting the body helps to detoxify the organs and strengthen metabolic fire.
- Dynamic Forward Folds: Poses such as Seated Forward Fold, Rabbit Pose and Standing Forward Fold help to tone the kidneys and bladder, which regulate water and emotions in the body.
- Wind-Removing Pose: This pose will help to stimulate the large intestine, aiding in detoxification.
Spring foods and beverages
A spring diet calls for more bitter, spicy, and astringent tastes. These tastes help to open the channels of elimination in the body. In order to clear mucus and moisture from the body, avoid sweet, sour, and salty foods (which cause water retention). Favor warm and lightly cooked meals.
- Grains: millet, quinoa, barley, buckwheat, rye, millet and long-grain brown rice
- Vegetables: alfalfa and bean sprouts, asparagus, bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, corn, collard greens, garlic, green beans, kale, mushrooms, peas, onions, radishes and spinach
- Fruits: dried fruits, berries, apples and pears
- Herbs: parsley, cumin, black pepper, cayenne and clove (Use these flavorful herbs to help reduce your salt intake)
- Protein: legumes (bean sprouts, goyas, kidneys, lentils, limas, mung, adzuki, garbanzos, favas, split peas) pumpkin and sunflower seeds, white meat (chicken, turkey), fresh water fish and eggs (poached or hardboiled)
- Oils: reduce your intake of oils, and use mostly corn and sunflower oil
- Dairy: avoid altogether
- Sweeteners: avoid altogether, except raw honey
- Herbal teas: cardamom, chicory, cinnamon, cloves, dandelion, ginger, hibiscus, orange peel and strawberry leaf
Lifestyle choices: Put some spring in your step
It is best to wake prior to 7 am so that you can start your day around the same time as the rising sun. Sleeping in late has a tendency to aggravate Kapha, so waking earlier is ideal to balance this dosha. Dry skin brushing is a great home remedy to stimulate your lymphatic system. Use a neti pot as a means to rinse the nasal passage and ward off colds.
Exercising in the morning is perfect for this time of year! This helps to excite your circulation and gives your immunity a boost right at the beginning of the day. Spring is the best time of the year to do a cleanse. There are so many varieties and options for cleanses, but as a general rule of thumb, cleanse for no more than ten days and eliminate processed foods, sugars and caffeine.
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