The birds are singing and the trees are blooming, but I am stuck in full hibernation mode. I am clutching my soft cozy blankets, craving warm comforting foods, and feeling like I STILL need lots of rest. Spring sounds good on paper. Endless poetry describes its beauty as everything wakes up and comes to life. Yet, I am feeling less than animated and under-inspired. Spring overwhelm is creeping in and I’m still frozen in winter. I am among the deepest of the introverts kicking and screaming. “Don’t make me go out there and see all those people and do all of those things.” Dramatic? Yes. Truth? Yes. That is the truth of how I feel and it feels dramatic.
What I know is different. Even the earth takes some time to thaw. Everything goes through its process to fully emerge. I don’t have to be the first one front and center to salute the sun. I have my own timing, rhythm, and routine. It is, however, valuable to take my emotional pulse and begin to navigate seasonal changes. It’s also healthy to go with curiosity and investigate why this resistance is showing up. If this resonates, explore how yoga and ayurveda as lifestyle medicines can support you through nature’s transition.
In ayurveda, spring is the season of Kapha. This time of year, the surrounding energies and qualities most shifting us out of balance are cool, damp, heavy, slow, static, dense, dull, and sticky. We feel the heaviness, the cloudiness, and the slowness both mentally and physically. The remnants of winter leave us in a state of accumulating more of what we no longer need. Lifestyle medicines ask us to address our routines, choices, and behavior.
Feeling heavy? Rev your digestion.
Start at your taste buds. Bitter, pungent, and astringent flavors can reduce water retention, and leave you feeling lighter and cleaner.
Steer clear of dairy to cut down on congestion.
Warming spices like turmeric, garlic, ginger, black pepper, chili pepper, and cayenne pepper keep the blood moving and release stagnation.
Stoke the digestive fire with
CCF tea:
½ teaspoons each of cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds
4-5 cups of water
Strain the seeds and enjoy warm.
*avoid if nursery or pregnant or if allergic
Feeling Slow and Low? Amp up your movement.
Even when it feels hard, get active. Boost your cardio to the recommended 30 minutes 3-5 times a week. Start slow, end strong.
Flow a little more in your asana practice. Keep a steady rhythm between breath and body to avoid rushing, but maintain a pace. Try chest openers, backward bends, and forward folds to release rigidity and improve organ functioning.
Take movement breaks throughout the day.
Get moving soon after you get up. Rise and shine, indeed.
Feeling cloudy? Ditch the brain fog.
Go on a walk. Get outside to be in the present moment. Experience your surroundings through the senses. Take in the sight and scent of the earth unfurling around you.
Meditate with a mantra or watch the breath. Tame the mind. Too many thoughts flood our nervous system, drain our energy, and leave us overwhelmed.
Journal to declutter the mind. When we spend some time writing, it brings us to a level of awareness and understanding of what in us needs to be seen and known.
Get crystal clear on your goals. What do you want right now? Don’t linger in indecision. Choose your focus and take action steps to move you in that direction.
We all have Kapha within us, so during the springtime it may be generally best to address these water and earth energies. However, we are all so different in our constitutions. One size never fits all. The key to finding our balance is to not be rigid in our routines, but instead to adapt what we need with how we are from day to day. As you learn to resource this understanding from the inside, tune into the energetic qualities you are experiencing.
Ayurveda is the science of the senses, the sixth sense often the most reliable. Not to oversimplify the 5000+ year old wisdom (there are so many deep layers), but tend to the imbalance of what you feel by addressing its opposite. If you are cold, regulate your temperature with layers of clothing or warm food. If you are too dry, hydrate outside and in. If you feel heavy, eat lighter. If you feel static, get moving. What choice could you make to relieve the discomfort you feel now? Be intuitive in your remedy.
Bonus tip:
*Vata is also a vulnerable constitution during the spring. It may be most balancing to find some stable grounding, keep warm, work with concentration practices and meditations, and hydrate.
