Making the most of the morning light
I feel like I’ve been truly hibernating, or hermit-living, all winter and for sure I am ready to emerge from whatever that deep state was and move into spring. Honestly, I do feel a little heavy and sluggish and I have to be quite determined to get myself outside, especially early in the morning - it's been really nice, most mornings, to get out for even just ten minutes and look towards the rising sun. Podcaster and ophthalmologist Dr Huberman recommends taking in early morning light, and plenty of light in general all day till sundown, then turning the lights down after sundown, then darkness and sleep from 10pm for optimal wellness. Despite not having shaken winter off entirely, and despite the wind, fire and snow, I'm feeling like there's a little more room to move and fertile ground to grow, lifestyle wise.
Moving on from Winter
So, what's a good plan to shake off a little of this extra weight that we've (?) put on over winter (if you're the winter to spring part of the world) and get our joints and muscles feeling free again? According to Ayurveda, there's no need for fasting or super restrictive diets (that we're unable to sustain) but rather to simply
move more onto a spring harvest diet - and fewer grains and fats, more seeds and sprouts, and whatever vegetables are growing in you're in now.
explore kapha balancing foods - bitter and pungent flavors, warming spices to reduce blood stagnation, dry grain like corn and barley
get regular good sleep - going to bed before 10pm ideally, and up with the sun, to balance hormones and blood sugar.
Move your body (exercise?) with a little more intensity and determination to break out of the slow winter vibe.
My own yoga practice, and subsequently the classes I'm leading, are becoming about waking up the chi, switching on the core and 'squeezing out' the sides of the body and spine. Now that it's warmer, I'm getting outside more to practise. And I’m drinking my dandelion coffee without milk, for the sake of my liver.
Spring Harvest
As for growing things, there’s a pretty lean supply of local (not imported) produce currently which is a phenomena intrinsically linked to how much food our bodies generally require in spring - not that much, if we've been well fed over winter!
Ayurveda advises consuming in harmony with nature and the spring harvest is low-fat, low carb, high in warming and invigorating spices like turmeric and ginger. Ayurveda describes late winter and early spring as ‘Kapha’ season. Kapha refers to an excess of earth and water energy - think ‘mud’ - that results from not enough fire - warmth - and air - movement. So to balance kapha we can shift towards a diet that is drying, warm and movement/metabolism inducing.
Minimise salty, sour and sweet;
Increase bitter and pungent (turmeric, ginger, black pepper, mustard)
Increase Warming spices like ginger and turmeric to ward off blood stagnation.
Increase Warming bitters like endive, dandelion and arugula to aid fat metabolism.
Drying grains such as barley and corn
Take triphala to keep bowels clear and aid the cleansing process.
Avoid heavy, oily, sweet and salty foods such as red meat and dairy.
Favor apples, especially green ones, over bananas.
Grapefruit for increasing metabolism.
Some dried fruits (better in Spring than other seasons)
Increase beets, asparagus, carrots, fennel, kiwi, kale, lettuce, bean sprouts, bell peppers, cabbage, mustard greens, spinach
Avoid snacking
Avoid ghee and oil (though vata types need ghee all year round)
Fewer nuts
Try eating twice a day, instead of three times.
Essential oils perfect for spring include juniper berry, douglas fir, eucalyptus and grapefuit for increased circulation and detoxifying.
September Events
There's a bit going on in September with our local yoga classes. Apart from the regular Monday night classes There's also -
Two evening yin sessions: Deep Peace (Oct 3) and Yin & Tonic (Oct 19)
Spring Ayurveda & Yoga half-day retreat Saturday October 7 at the Twizel Marae (Te Whare Mahana) on Oahu Rd.
The yin sessions invite you to leave your cosy socks on, drop onto your mat and into your breath and whatever you're feeling, and hold a few gentle, though sometimes intense stretches to get through some of the deep tension storied in the muscles and joints, allowing the body to soften and the chi to flow. With a few different mindfulness and meditation moments, we can move somewhat beyond the stresses of mundane existence, from mind-centred to more soul-centred awareness.
What I'm contemplating the half-day retreat October 7 is Qi Kung for vitality, yoga for weight-balancing and detoxification, and and Ayurvedic recommendations on taking advantage of spring time energy and harvest. I'd like to dive deeper in the concepts of prana, tejas and ojas, (which relate to the better known vata, pitta and kapha energy states) and explore the notion of 'Right Living', which inspires a way of living that is harmonious with nature and our humanity., to reach our full potential as energetic, compassionate beings. Finally, I'll guide you to create a plan, or simply a set of intentions to take you through to summer, with optimal heath and preparedness for all the possibilities and opportunities that are on the way.
Taking Care of You (so you can take care of others)
The change of seasons is also a good time to revisit what we're doing for our self-care and see if that needs to change a little. What about picking three things that you can do every day just to 'take care of yourself?' Self-care is not a self indulgent exercise - its really about doing what we actually really need to do just to keep body and soul together to be able to feel at ease and cruise through the day as busy as we may be; about bringing comfort and inspiration to the whole being, more than what a comfortable chair or a good view can bring. And self care is so, so, so much more meaningful when you have a higher purpose just taking care of you - there are other people and creatures in the world who could use our love and care so we need to fuel up - on water, nourishment, play, movement, social connection and soul connection.
So whether its -
taking the time to plan something nourishing to eat at midday
going somewhere known or unknown to breathe fresh air and take in sunlight
making sure you've got enough good water in your thermos or bottle for the day or some nice herbal teas you're going to want to drink
having a chat that's not too short nor too long with a friend, one you haven’t connected with for a while…
moving your feet onto your yoga mat, or your lawn, find your way into your breath and the sensations in the body, listen like you're listening to a really good friend and respond accordingly
seeing what we can do for someone else, your community or the wider world.
- its an investment in our day, our week, our year, an investment in growing our selves as conscious, caring beings with inherent, natural and 'spiritually organic' self worth. That is, deep, long lasting feelings of self worth don’t come from material designations like our nationality, net-worth, or material qualifications (including our mental and physical abilities) but rather as the mind becomes less agitated, we begin to detect or realise our nature as ‘spiritual sparks of the super soul’ with the qualifications of eternality, knowledge and bliss (expressed as ‘sat cit ananda’ in sanskrit). We start to see others beyond their net worth and material qualifications too, and it becomes easier to be kind to all. And it seems that's where happiness actually lies!
Transcending Mood & Mundanity
Before I go, here's a couple of gems of wisdom from Bhagavad Gita (the 5000 year old jewel of the Maha Bharat) that I shared on International Yoga day. The theme of transcendence carried us through the morning - the idea that not only can we transcend (or at least transform) our mood with a few intuitively selected oils and yoga asana, but that through yoga meditation we can transcend happiness and distress to discover an inherent state of equanimity and even blissfulness of being.
So here goes, from Bhagavad Gita, As it Is (1972)
BG 2.48: Be steadfast in yoga, O Arjuna. Perform your duty and abandon all attachment to success or failure. Such evenness of mind is called yoga.
BG 2.56: One who is not disturbed in spite of the threefold miseries, who is not elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind.
Oh yes! To be a sage of steady mind! Much love to you, keep me posted on your wellness journey, and hopefully see you soon.
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