We’re continuing our series on news you can use from Yoga and Ayurveda to have a healthy Spring. This is part two on movement. Movement is SO important in the Spring because Spring is the slowest and heaviest season of the year. It makes sense, right? Just like when we are first waking up in the morning, moving slowly, wiping the goop from our eyes, Spring is also taking its time to yawn and stretch and get going.

According to Ayurveda, the two main elements that make up Spring (or kapha dosha) are earth and water. When we mix earth and water in Nature we get mud; when we mix these elements in our body we get sticky and dense. If we don’t shake off that mud, we’re going to gain weight, get congested in our head or gut, and probably feel sad or depressed.

Exercise to the rescue! The best part about our body’s need for exercise is that we don’t need a lot to get health benefits. 30 minutes a day of moving around burns calories and boosts the mood. Heck, you can even get your exercise in 3 10-minute segments and get similar results! Here are some suggestions:

Walk for 10 minutes after meals. You’ll get the calorie burn and an aid for digestion.

Work in your garden. Carrying rocks and pushing wheelbarrows, getting up and down from the ground, bending over and reaching provide a full-body workout. Plus you’ll be out in Nature which helps you attune to the circadian rhythms so you can adjust to Daylight Saving Time.

Yoga should be practiced every day too. Even if you can’t get to a 75-minute class each day, 15 minutes a day will keep you flexible in body and mind. The best yoga in the Spring includes
● Sun Salutations to break a sweat (to alleviate the water element)
● Back bends to open the chest and abdomen (these are the places where kapha dosha “live” in the body)
● Twists to stimulate digestion (which gets sluggish in the Spring), and
● Inversions to increase immune function (the lymphatic system benefits from headstand, shoulderstand and legs up the wall)

Add these movement ideas to the guidelines for eating from our last post so you can have a happy, healthy Spring.

Today begins a four-part series on news you can use from Yoga and Ayurveda to have a healthy Spring. The four topics are Spring Eating, Movement, Breathing and Meditation. Return in two weeks for part two!
 
One of the mistakes people make with regard to food is eating the same things all year. In Nature different foods grow at different times of the year for a reason. For instance, in the winter foods are heavier and we eat more protein. Why? To give ourselves a fat layer to keep us warm during the cold months.
 
But something HAS to change in the Spring. If we continue to eat the way we ate in the winter we will continue to put on weight, get sluggish and tired, and suffer from seasonal allergies, sinus congestion, coughs and post-nasal drip.
 
In the Spring, Nature provides us with food that is pungent, bitter and astringent. Bitter greens detox the liver and spices help to wake up a slow, sluggish metabolism. The best foods to eat are lentils, beans, apples, pears, berries, artichoke, radicchio, radishes, broccoli, asparagus, beets, spinach, salad greens and sprouts. Grains that are slightly drying are much better in the spring than white bread and pasta. Instead, eat barley, quinoa, buckwheat, rye, millet and corn. Use a wide variety of spices and herbs especially ginger and turmeric, but go easy on the salt because it can make you hold on to too much water.
 
Another important thing to remember is that the earth is not providing much food at this time so that is a sign to eat less. As much as possible, try to avoid dairy and wheat products in the spring to prevent weight gain.
 
Whatever your Spring symptoms, this guidance from Ayurveda can help you manage them more naturally.