Spring has arrived....
Spring has arrived at my house….baskets of flowers, Easter grass , bunnies and eggs, decorate the main floor, along with pussy-willow and forsythia branches….and sheer white curtains that have replaced the heavy burgundy ones from Winter. Even though it’s still cold outside… the tulips and daffodils have popped their little heads up and are beginning their glorious blooming sequence for Spring. It always feels like a new beginning. We clean out closets and dresser drawers….throw away the ‘junk’ that has accumulated on the back porch, and get rid of the old heavy bedding and blankets … opening windows and inviting in fresh air to cleanse the musty smell of being closed up all winter.
Our minds and bodies also feel the need to cleanse and restore balance after winter, where our gallbladders and liver get overloaded with large meals and an increase in ‘socializing’ with hot drinks and heavy foods. According to Ayurvedic traditions, the spring season is a time when the Kapha dosha (composed of Earth and water elements) moves into the Pita dosha phase (composed of fire and water elements.) This transition time is nature’s way of melting and releasing energy into all living things. It’s important for us to cleanse and detoxify our lives with fresh intentions, plant seeds to ensure vital energy is focused toward our future crops, our creative projects and dreams. This month we will focus in our Yoga and Pilates classes on postures and exercise routines that reduce inflammation around the digestive organs and use breathing techniques to cleanse the lungs, as well as twists for detoxification. (I have added a new de-tox yoga flow to the list of you-tube videos you can connect to here on my site!) It’s a good time to focus on working the inner and outer legs where earth and water elements may have accumulated over the winter. Join me at the Y or other community classes to restore balance after winter and begin our spring cleanse through yin poses as well as challenging ones that move the chi through our bodies and minds. Don't forget to get outside and enjoy the beautiful spring days with all of their brightly colored flowers and newly budding trees.
