Just like the rest of nature, we are closely linked and affected positively and negatively by the seasonal changes of the year. Yoga is the perfect practice to help you enjoy a healthy spring. The practice has the capacity to accommodate the shifts and changes of the seasons and can support us physically, mentally and emotionally.
Nature Of The Spring Season
Spring is a very expansive season, the complete opposite of the dreamy, sleepy months of Winter. Nature is waking up and soon we will see an amazing surge of new life and activity.
Spring is all about bringing in the new and getting rid of the old. It provides us with a way forward and helps us to bring our dreams or future goals into reality. It is therefore a great time of year to take action whether it is in our work or personal life.
Spring is an opportunity for:
- Reawakening and looking forward.
- Turning outwards – feeling more energetic and needing to ‘get out there and do things.’
- An opportunity to put dreams into action.
- An opportunity to cleanse and declutter both our lives – inward and outwards.
Yoga can support a healthy spring transition.
Below I share how you can adapt your yoga practice and your lifestyle to give you a ‘spring in your step.’
Simple Diet Changes For A Healthier Spring
Our bodies are working hard to clear out what we no longer need. The liver is the primary organ for this job – detoxifying and re-energising the system. If the liver has too big of a job to do we can experience some not so nice symptoms including congestion, achy joints and headaches. You may even experience high levels of anger, stress or irritability.
A few simple changes to your diet, (as well as our yoga practice), help the liver to keep on top of things as it does its magic. Try the following diet hacks:
- Drink warm water or warm water with lemon each morning. This is something that I have committed to for the last four years. It is an amazing way to wake up the organs and give them a quick cleanse before you eat anything else for the day.
- Eat more green and more bitter foods – think kale, lettuces etc. If you are a fan of smoothies then go green. Adding chlorophyll, spirulina, watercress or similar bitter greens will go a long way to detox the liver.
- Cut down on alcohol, sugar and (if you are sensitive to it), dairy over a couple of weeks around the spring equinox. This will help to give your body a break and speed up the detoxing process.
Spice Up Your Yoga Practice for A Healthier Spring
- Try some energetic movement flows to get the joints and circulation going.
- To stimulate the liver try poses that lengthen out the sides of the body. Triangle, side angle, standing half moon are all good examples.
- Include lots of standing poses and balances to build strength and confidence.
- This is the season to twist and twist again. Twists are great for helping the body detox as they improve blood flow to the organs.
Lifestyle Hacks For A Healthier Spring
- Have a good declutter – it is so liberating.
- Get rid of old air by opening the windows.
- Try using natural cleaning products. I have made my own for a long time now using vinegar, lemon juice and a couple of essential oils (tea tree oil and lavender are my favourites)
- Take a moment to check in with what you want and need in your work and personal life. Journalling can help.
- Try some other detox tools like dry skin brushing.
Closing Thoughts
Yoga is great along with a few simple lifestyle changes to help you enjoy a healthier Spring.
I wrote a slightly more detailed blog about this a while back. If you are interested in reading it just click here.
I am running a Yoga For The Spring Equinox workshop to help kickstart your detox journey so you can move into Spring with a ‘Spring in Your Step’. Click here for more details.
Below is a class I created just focusing on using yoga to detox and reset the body. It is suitable for all levels of experience.
