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.

I recently returned from Bhubaneswar, India where I was studying and performing Odissi dance and teaching yoga to mostly dancers and musicians. Odissi is a classical dance that has its roots in the yogic temple rites of the tantrik priestesses of ancient Orissa or Kalinga. The dance was nearly lost during British rule because the sensual nature of the dance made the English uncomfortable.

Odissi has been reconstructed from existing traditions, the study of ancient texts like the Natya Shastra and from the study of temple sculptures. The Natya Shastra could be from 1500-3000 years old or even older according to some. It offers not only a general theory of aesthetics (often compared to Aristotle’s Poetics) it is also a detailed compendium of the technical details of the arts of dance, music, dramaturgy, costuming and all arts relating to the stage. It is often called the Fifth Veda. It describes performance as a kind of yoga or means of liberation (mokshya) for both performers and informed spectators.

This tradition of dance/music/theater/yoga has traditionally been open, unlike many other yogic traditions, to women, non-brahmins, and other “impure persons”. Though the state of Orissa is now largely Vashnaivite it was for many years a stronghold of tantrik Shiva/Shakti worship and there are a number of well-preserved temples from this period in Bhubaneswar, Puri, Konark and elsewhere. It was interesting to witness these temples with their many graphic sculptures not only depicting an acceptance of sexuality but celebrating its power in contrast to the pervasive shyness about sexuality in contemporary Indian society. It was a great gift to be learning the dance while living with a group dancers and feeling, at least momentarily, woven in to the spiritual fabric of their daily lives and practice. It seemed that many people had a practice with a strong spiritual focus or one which utilized dance and music as a means, but few people had a yoga practice which supported their physical well-being and complemented their other activities. So, I ended up being very much in demand as a yoga teacher – with students ranging from teenagers to a woman in her late 80’s. I was able to work in trade for room and board, dance study with teachers there, and a new silk costume! The overall experience was encouraging, invigorating and humbling. I can’t wait to go back in December!

Posted by: Douglas Ridings
Douglas will perform Odissi at 8 Limbs Capitol Hill on Saturday, May 15 prior to our scheduledd Kirtan with Gina Salá. He is also teaching in the 8 Limbs Yoga Immersion and will offer classes on Hindu Mythology and Home Practice.

I promised a weekly chakra blog in February but Superbowl Fever got in the way last week! Apologies, and back to the plan.
Let’s take a look at the whole chakra system from root to base, which is called the “liberating” current, or direction. The first three chakras, located at the perineum (Muladhara), navel (Svadisthana), and belly (Manipura), are considered to be our physical foundation. They are connected to the elements earth, water, and fire (in that order), and are related to our most physical needs and desires.
The fourth chakra (Anahata) is located to the right of our physical heart, and is the bridge between these three lower chakras and the three above it, the three connected more with spirit. The heart is connected to the element air, and is the seat of our emotions.
The three upper chakras are our connection to spirit, through expression, at the throat (Vishuddha), intuition at the third eye (Ajna), and deep knowing at the crown of the head (Sahasrara). While Vishuddha is associated with ether, that two upper chakras are beyond the elements.
This current is called liberating as it moves from the densest to the lightest, from earth-bound to the cosmic, from our earliest stage of development to the freedom of wisdom. We can also follow the chakras from the top down, which is called the manifesting current.
Join me on Capitol Hill on Monday, February 22, 7:15 – 8:30pm for the monthly chakra focus class. This month we will focus on the fifth chakra, the throat (Vishuddha). There will be no chakra focus class in March, and we’ll resume the last Monday of each month on April 26.

Posted by: Anne Phyfe

The last Monday night of each month I teach the 7:15 – 8:30pm Capitol Hill class with a focus on the chakras. It is a cycle I so enjoy, moving through the chakras once a year to address the unique characteristics, issues, and energy of these levels of consciousness that we all hold within our physical bodies. I began this study with one of my two main teachers, Shari Friedrichsen, back in 1999. She opened me to a whole world within my body, and a potent way to physically move through sticky psychological issues.
Chakras are energy centers, places where the lines of energy that run through our bodies, called nadis in Yoga (similar to meridians in Chinese Medicine), intersect. There are thousands of chakras, but the one we most hear about are the seven main chakras, or wheels, that are just in front of the spine from the root to the throat (1-5), in the third eye center (eyebrow level but set back in the brain), and the crown of the head.
In February our focus of the month is the Chakras, so you may hear your teachers bring their perspective of this way of viewing the energetic body in their classes. We chose this as our way to embrace Valentine’s Day, a day so connected to the heart chakra. May you have a sweet sweet Valentine’s Day, and fall deeper in love with your Self, your Soul, and through this, everyone in the world. I’ll be posting weekly blogs on the chakras throughout February, so stay tuned, and let me know if you have questions or comments I can address by posting a comment.

Posted by: Anne Phyfe Palmer

I am a runner only in as much as I do run, but I wouldn’t call myself a “runner” runner. On a good week I may clock around 20 miles. Over the past year I started running again to vary my physical activity (biking, weights, and yoga). I enjoy the solitude and physical benefits, and I ultimately arrive in a place of meditation as I run.

With the Seattle Marathon in the not-so-distant future, and due in part my already being — for me — in, “running shape,” I decided to sign up for the half marathon. All was going well; a nutrient-rich diet match for my dosha, a balance of asana targeting the maintenance of an injury-free body, a short run two or three times during the week along with a longer run during the weekend…The pieces were falling into place in such a way as to lend to an enjoyable, relatively effortless half marathon in which I would attain my desired time of 1hr 40min. or less. That is, all the way up to about a month before the race.

I came down with a cold that I could not shake and ended up with the flu. As a result, I cut way back on my running and between both feeling run-down and the ultra short days filled with incessant rain, had little to no motivation to lace up the running shoes.

The race day arrived and though I was feeling much better, I knew that I was not in the physical condition I had been a month prior. I think I may have bailed had the weather not turned out to be ideal for the run; 47degrees, slight mist early on drying up by mid morning.

Doing a pranayama practice while running is not new to me, per se; I often focus on the breath while running and say over and again the mantra, “breath is energy” as I deeply inhale and exhale. But I knew I was going to have to reach deep and pull out all the stops for this run. I started out setting a good pace for myself then measured out the breath count matching my inhale and exhale in a sama vritti fashion. I maintained this meditation throughout the run and though I had to modify the count as I ran up the many hills on the course, this focus informed my gait. I was also able to hear my breath (sans ear buds and music) and though my mouth was open I could still cultivate ujayi, a slight audible quality to the breath that worked to calm my mind, maintain my focus on the breath, and worked to encourage me to continue when I hit any one of a few walls.

I completed the run in 1hr. 43min, a time I am most satisfied with. What I found interesting later was comparing my time in the first half 52:39 with the time of the second half 52:06. I believe because of the steady count and sound of my breath practice, I was able to run at a steady pace. At the end of the run and for the rest of the day I had a feeling of utter bliss I attribute to such a deep, prolonged meditation. I realize the benefits of pranayama extend far beyond the confines of our mat, our studio, perhaps our mind.

Posted by: Jeff Wildenstein

“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.

The 8 Limbs of Yoga (see previous posts for more information on the 8 Limbs) begin with the Yamas and Niyamas. The yamas begin the process through disciplined actions we take towards the world around us and encourage us to be kind, true, respectful, self-controlled and efficient. Eventually through practice these qualities become our natural response to the world and the distraction of effort it took to become more noble diminishes, while the doorway of consciousness enlarges.
The niyamas represent five observations we apply strictly to ourselves to reduce the friction between outer action and inner attitude, helping harmonize the journey inward. They are saucha, purity of body, santosha, contentment of mind, tapas, intensity of practice, svadhyaya, self-study and isvara pranidhana, surrender to that which is greater then the self.

Saucha is the practice of physical cleanliness and bodily purity that helps us develop an indifference, or non-attachment, to our own body and paves the way towards the empirical experience that we are not this form even though we are housed in and often distracted by it.
Santosha is the practice of purifying one’s thoughts. It can be considered as a weeding of the mental field, where the root causes of mental disturbances are sought and removed to bring around the steadiness of mind necessary for continual concentration, the basis for lasting meditation.
Tapas encourages us to maintain an austerity of practice to help remove impurities from the body and sense organs so that we can sit in meditation undisturbed by the inner functions of the body, again a prerequisite for meditation.
Svadhyaya is the means with which we observe ourselves and begin the process of surrendering to who we really are, right at this moment. This prepares us to accept that we are more then our experiences, however acutely we may feel them, and heralds in the next stage, isvara pranidhana.
Isvara Pranidhanana is the complete surrender to that which is greater then our selves and still remains unknown. It requires a certain degree of faith and trust in the unknown which props the door of possibilities wide open and continually provides us the opportunity to discover more of ourselves in everything we do.

Simple, right? Try putting them into practice, that’s where the dizzying effect takes hold and spins you right ‘round. But yoga is an empirical practice, (that’s what drew most of us in, right?) so pick one and see for yourself. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Posted by: Jen Yaros

Jen Yaros teaches the Yoga Sutras within her asana classes at 8 Limbs Capitol Hill, Wedgwood, and West Seattle. She will offer her perspective on the 4th and 5th limbs of yoga in her workshop at 8 Limbs West Seattle on October 3rd: Pranayama & Pratyahara. Preregistration only: 206.933.9642.