Darkness Before the Light of Spring

By Jeanne Heileman, Yoga Teacher Trainer
 


Welcome to Daylight Savings and the beginning of the end of winter.

During this time when it’s not yet really Spring (except in L.A. where we have seasons on a more subtle level) and the effects of winter linger, the Ayurvedic Dosha of Kapha starts to prevail. The qualities of Kapha are dark, dense, heavy, sturdy, and moist. These are great and so needed, especially in the fall when things start to get cold and dry. However if you are starting to feel lethargic, struggling with a cold that is either mucus forming or mostly in the chest, or tend to get sad around this time; all of these qualities indicate an excess of Kapha. What we need is some spice to burn the accumulation of fall and winter. So look for ways to bring spice into your life. Add some peppers to your food to help ignite the digestive fire. Add some red and other bright, energetic colors to your clothing; change your bedspread if you have options. And add some spice to your practice.

In my classes this month, we will be going upside down more to help shake things up and change our perspective. Come join me as we play with poses, breathing, visualizations that lift us out of our bootstraps and help us see the light at the end of the tunnel. Around now it’s especially hard to get the energy to go to a yoga class for the bed or couch is much more tempting. Sometimes honor that temptation, and be a human being. And care for yourself by not honoring it too much, for feeding into the pull downward can increase the darkness not only into the body, but into the mind and emotions when it’s not necessary.

Within all of us is a light so divine, waiting to be noticed and honored. Bring some spice into your life during these thick days so that your own inner light can shine.

By Jeanne Heileman, Yoga Teacher Trainer