hostmelissa
03-23-2009, 07:17 PM
Ayurveda is an ancient, 5,000 year old holistic system of medicine attached to yoga and the culture of India. In Sanskrit the word ayurveda means “science of life.” Ayu means daily living and veda is knowing.
Within the Ayurvedic system of healing there are three basic body constitutions or “doshas.” The idea is to balance each the vatta, pitta and kapha in our bodies. Usually one dosha is dominant in our nature. Vattas are said to possess properties of air such as dryness and lightness. PIttas are the fiery constitution and are known for good digestion. The kapha dosha has to do with water; those with a kapha constitution usually have a lot of phlegm in the body.
Spring is known as the kapha season because the wet, cool weather reflects the nature of the kapha dosha. Look outside in the spring season. The snow is melting, the rain is falling, and the rivers swell. There is a huge influx of water; the earth is moist and heavy.
During the winter we tend to hibernate and fill our bodies with sweet and heavy food. According to ayurvedic medicine, the indigestible food creates an accumulation of “ama” – a toxic bi-product of indigestion. I’ve often heard ama described as a mucous-like substance in the body that builds up in the intestinal tracts. When it is not released through the digestion system, it moves up through the lungs and respiratory system as an alternative way out of the body. Because of the build up of mucus in the body you are more susceptible to seasonal allergies or head colds. Additionally by the end of the winter you may literally feel weighed down, kind of lethargic and emotionally depressed.
By spring it becomes important to lighten up and stimulate our digestive system to get it moving again. Spring is time to lighten up with an energetic practice designed to release toxins from our body.
In your yoga practice choose postures that create heat, increase circulation and assist with digestion and elimination. Because ama is essentially the bi-product of indigestion, I prefer to start a spring yoga practice by stimulating the digestive system to encourage ama to be eliminated through the digestive system first.
Poses such as apanasa or knee to chest pose, which press on the ascending and descending colon help to improve elimination. Reclined twists are also a great way to start your practice – not only to release your low back, but also to stimulate the digestive system. From there we can practice poses that help to increase circulation in the body such as sun salutations and uttkatasana or chair pose. Allow your yoga practice to support your body in the natural cleansing practice that comes with spring.
To overcome the wet, damp and heavy nature of kapha from the winter as we move into the spring we can cultivate fire in the body. Breath practices such as skull shining breath or kapala bhati help to increase internal heat, aid in digestion and burn off excess mucus. Toning and strengthening the chest with poses like cobra and bow are also very useful in the spring to help move mucus out of the body.
Follow nature’s lead in the spring. Just as nature becomes more active, allow yourself to become more dynamic and get out and enjoy. Choose vigorous exercise that encourages heat in the body and an increase in circulation.
The three videos I would recommend for spring from my collection (http://www.melissawest.com/index-16.html) (in order of importance) would be 1) Yoga Detox 2) Yoga for Digestion and 3) Decentering Depression with Yoga.
Within the Ayurvedic system of healing there are three basic body constitutions or “doshas.” The idea is to balance each the vatta, pitta and kapha in our bodies. Usually one dosha is dominant in our nature. Vattas are said to possess properties of air such as dryness and lightness. PIttas are the fiery constitution and are known for good digestion. The kapha dosha has to do with water; those with a kapha constitution usually have a lot of phlegm in the body.
Spring is known as the kapha season because the wet, cool weather reflects the nature of the kapha dosha. Look outside in the spring season. The snow is melting, the rain is falling, and the rivers swell. There is a huge influx of water; the earth is moist and heavy.
During the winter we tend to hibernate and fill our bodies with sweet and heavy food. According to ayurvedic medicine, the indigestible food creates an accumulation of “ama” – a toxic bi-product of indigestion. I’ve often heard ama described as a mucous-like substance in the body that builds up in the intestinal tracts. When it is not released through the digestion system, it moves up through the lungs and respiratory system as an alternative way out of the body. Because of the build up of mucus in the body you are more susceptible to seasonal allergies or head colds. Additionally by the end of the winter you may literally feel weighed down, kind of lethargic and emotionally depressed.
By spring it becomes important to lighten up and stimulate our digestive system to get it moving again. Spring is time to lighten up with an energetic practice designed to release toxins from our body.
In your yoga practice choose postures that create heat, increase circulation and assist with digestion and elimination. Because ama is essentially the bi-product of indigestion, I prefer to start a spring yoga practice by stimulating the digestive system to encourage ama to be eliminated through the digestive system first.
Poses such as apanasa or knee to chest pose, which press on the ascending and descending colon help to improve elimination. Reclined twists are also a great way to start your practice – not only to release your low back, but also to stimulate the digestive system. From there we can practice poses that help to increase circulation in the body such as sun salutations and uttkatasana or chair pose. Allow your yoga practice to support your body in the natural cleansing practice that comes with spring.
To overcome the wet, damp and heavy nature of kapha from the winter as we move into the spring we can cultivate fire in the body. Breath practices such as skull shining breath or kapala bhati help to increase internal heat, aid in digestion and burn off excess mucus. Toning and strengthening the chest with poses like cobra and bow are also very useful in the spring to help move mucus out of the body.
Follow nature’s lead in the spring. Just as nature becomes more active, allow yourself to become more dynamic and get out and enjoy. Choose vigorous exercise that encourages heat in the body and an increase in circulation.
The three videos I would recommend for spring from my collection (http://www.melissawest.com/index-16.html) (in order of importance) would be 1) Yoga Detox 2) Yoga for Digestion and 3) Decentering Depression with Yoga.