I know the weather can really be hit or miss these days, but there is enough proof around in nature to confirm that spring is here, and it is time to consider shifting your yoga practice to compliment the season.

Over the winter we have been doing yoga classes that emphasize Sun Salutations to promote circulation, extra twists to strengthen metabolic fire, and dynamic forward and backbends to tonify the kidneys and urinary bladder, which are the organs that regulate water in the body as well as our emotions.

Now that the winter has passed and spring is near, it’s time to start sending some T.L.C. to the liver and gallbladder, which may have been working overtime during the winter with diets heavy in fat, protein, caffeine, alcohol or sugar. The springtime is about cleansing the liver and gallbladder, which do many helpful things for our health including: filtering toxins from the external environment and food, aiding in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fat, and protein, helping to break down fats in the body, and processing our anger. These are exactly the organs that tend to get overloaded in the winter with extra socializing, large meals, decreased exercise, not enough rest, and other behaviors typically associated with the winter months.

It makes sense that many of us are drawn to the idea of cleansing and purging this time of year—it’s time to lighten our load. Spring is really a time to THRIVE and it’s difficult to thrive if you feel weighted down by your inner or outer world. In order to feel your best, perhaps a little cleanse is in order to get rid of any winter weight, clutter, or material possessions that keep you in the past or limit your freedom in the moment.

Now is the time to decrease heavy, oily, cold, fat foods, and increase spicy, bitter, and astringent foods to promote wellness such as arugula, mustard greens, kale, strawberries, blueberries, and sprouts. Sprouts and early dark green vegetables are a great way to increase your vitamin, nutrient and chlorophyll intake. Sprouts are even known to be a natural blood cleanser. In general, eat light, eat local.

When it comes to your asana practice, the inner legs and outer leg lines correlate to the meridian lines that feed into the liver (inner legs) and gallbladder (outer legs). It’s a great time to deepen your relationship to poses such as Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (pigeon), Garudasana (eagle), Prasaritta Padottanasana (wide leg forward bends, Gardasana (cow face), as these poses help you to connect to and activate the liver and gallbladder meridians.

Example of a Yin/Restorative Practice for the Spring:
Lying on your back:
Supta Baddha Konasana, Happy Baby Pose, Wide Leg Splits (while supported by the floor), Easy Twist with bent legs, “Thread the Needle”
On the knees or seated:
Wide Leg Child’s Pose, Spinx, Pigeon, Ardha Matysendrasana, Gomukasana, Upavista Konasana, Padmasana

Example of a Spring Vinyasa Yoga Practice for the Spring:
Supta Baddha Konasana, Happy Baby Pose, Wide Leg Split, Supta Padangusthasana (standard and twist), Abdominal work with Twists, Abdominal work with legs in Garudasana, Lion’s Breath, Fire Hydrant, Spinal Rolls, Uddiyana Bandha, Agni Sara, Sun Salutes with Salabhasana, Squats, Surya Namaskar B, Garudasana, Prasaritta Padottanasana Series, Sirsasana, Bakasana, Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (pigeon), Gomukasana, Double Pigeon, Pursvottanasana, Mayurasana (peacock), Bharadvajasana, Maha Mudra, Janu Sirsasana, Setu Bandha, Halasana with Padmasana…finishing poses.

Posted by: Melina Meza
Melina will teach a Summer Seasonal Vinyasa Retreat at Breitenbush Hot Springs in the Oregon Cascades July 30 – August 2, 2010.

Here are some basic health tips to maintain your fire during the winter. In Ayurveda, winter is the kapha season. The earth and water elements accumulate in our body (adding excess weight) as well as in the organs (stomach and lungs) which can remain damp. The cold dries out the skin, and darkness promotes hibernation or time to converse with the creative muse.

Early Winter Ayurvedic tips to stay healthy:
1. Increase your physical exercise
2. Stay hydrated with warm beverages
3. Add omega-3 rich foods to your diet
4. Rub sesame oil on your body before showering
5. Avoid foaming soaps – they dry out your skin
6. Apply honey to your face, leave on 10 minutes, rinse with warm water
7. Meditate, take time for reflection
8. Practice visualization exercises, draw from your inner muse
9. Moderation with sugar, alcohol, and coffee
10. Sleep like a bear – retreat

Posted by: Melina Meza

Early Winter You Tube Mini-Sequence with Melina Meza

“Air, fire, water are the 3 principles most fundamental to life. They appear in the body as Vata, Pitta, Kapha. They represent the cosmic urges to movement, transformation, and stability.”
– Ayurvedic Sutra

The fall season in Ayurveda is associated with the dosha – uneven energy pattern – called Vata, which promotes movement. As essential as Vata is to our well-being and life, it can become chaotic during the months September-December, when Nature is in an unstable place, transitioning from hot (light) to cold (dark).

Within each season, unique gifts unfold as Nature transforms with the five elements. We too will thrive when we discover how to live harmoniously with Nature. We can do this by adapting our physical practices, mediations, food choices, and lifestyle to complement the seasonal changes.

A few tips on how to manage your Vata (Air + Space element):

• Stay hydrated with warm non-caffeinated beverages.

• Get eight hours of sleep on a regular basis.

• Eat soup, often.

• Practice yoga poses that are stabilizing for your body/mind/spirit. Extra TLC should be given to your legs, colon, lungs, and bones, where Vata can be in excess or depleted. (View my DVD*, “Yoga for the Seasons – Fall Vinyasa” for a full asana practice devoted to stabilizing Vata.)

• To protect your skin from the dryness of Fall, apply sesame oil over your whole body before showering. The massage enhances circulation, add nutrients, and act as an extra layer of skin to protect you from the drying nature of wind.

• Take time to meditate and retreat.

Posted by: Melina Meza

If you are interested in learning more about seasonal practices for Fall, join Melina at 8 Limbs Wedgwood, Saturday, Oct. 10th, 12:30-4:30pm. Mention this blog post to get the early registration rate. Melina will also bring her Ayurvedic knowledge into her Thanksgiving Week Yoga Retreat at Haramara Retreat Center.
*Yoga for the Seasons – Fall Vinyasa DVD can be purchased at 8 Limbs Yoga Centers.

Ayurveda, the sister health science to Hatha Yoga, suggests numerous ways to regulate your body and mind during a typical hot summer day in the Pitta season (June-August). One of the classic Ayurvedic sutras indicates, “like increases like and opposites balance.” This ancient wisdom can be extremely helpful when creating your daily rituals around the seasons.

During hot Summer days, for example, try to avoid adding more heat to your body and mind (like increases like) and skip the arm balances, fast vigorous sun salutations, or other challenging poses that raise your core temperature and potentially create frustration or anger. Instead, explore seated postures, use the wall for support, visualize cool cucumber water being poured over your head or into your body as you practice, and embrace Shitali or left-nostril breathing before meditation.

Other ways to maintain balance and prevent over heating are to eat frequent meals (avoid low blood sugar moments), drink plenty of cucumber water (thin slices of cucumber soaked in water for a few hours), fresh coconut milk and mint tea.

Give yourself a full body massage before showering. Coconut oil is best to use during the summer.

Last but not least, spend time in Nature, swim, and enjoy the moonlight!

Posted by: Melina Meza

It may not seem like it today, but yesterday showed spring at its best: Mother Nature is busy unthawing from winter and growing new shoots. Guess what? Our bodies are doing the same thing! To help you release the winter (damp/cold) in your muscles considering adding these following asanas into your daily practice until the sun can warm your skin.

Prasarita Padottanasana (standing wide leg forward bend)
Virabhadrasana II (warrior 2)
Garudasana (eagle)
Parsva Utkatasana (revolved chair)
Upavista Konasana (seated wide leg forward bend)
Gomukasana (cow face)
The inner and outer leg muscles are addressed specifically as they relate to the organs most likely to be stressed; the liver and gallbladder. Hold each pose until you feel the muscles release heat.
Learn more about creating seasonal practices for your wellbeing on May 9th and June 13th at 8 Limbs Wedgwood.

Posted by: Melina Meza

Back home in New Orleans, March means that you can go to the St. Patrick’s Day parade and catch all the ingredients you need for a stew, including water (if it rains). I remember scoring my first cabbage as a kid. It was losing leaves in the air and felt like catching a big ball. All of a sudden “cabbage ball” made sense. The aha moment I take from this memory now, 30 years later, is that whatever life throws out, we’ve got to make soup!
Here’s my soup recipe, complete with a great tip I got from Conscious Choice Magazine (a favorite) this month: use bouillon instead of store-bought stock to reduce your environmental impact.

Lentil Soup
Soak 1½ cups of beans in water for few hours or overnight
Chop and saute one onion, 2 stalks of celery and 3 carrots
Add Salt and ProVata Seasoning from R-U-Ved (Cardamom, Ginger, Cloves, Cumin, Coriander Seeds, and Fennel)
Add soaked beans and water to cover beans by 2 inches
Dissolve bouillon cubes or paste to taste
Cook til beans are soft but not falling apart (unless you like it like that)
Optional: add fresh tomatoes and/or yogurt or sour cream when serving

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, all 8 Limbs Members get 10% off anything in our Boutique that is “green” (eco) or the color green for the month of March!

Posted by: Anne Phyfe