With the official beginning of Spring, the warmer weather fills us with a sense of wakefulness and inspires us to follow along. It is time to renew our take on life and the transitional steps include spring cleaning, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Ayurvedarecommends spring cleansing as a way to “fertilize” all areas of life so as to nourish the soil for well-being in the summer. Please refer to your copy of Essential Yoga Practice book (on Amazon and at www.essentialyogapractice.com) and DVD which further explain our following recommendations, and include a detoxifying asana practice:
1. Clean the air in your home, car and workspace. Use a diffuser with any of the citrus oils as they are both cleansing and emotionally uplifting!
2. Make your own cleaners using citrus oils and melaluca to clean and purify. In a spray bottle mix water, a few teaspoons of vinegar and 10 to 15drops eachof a citrus essential oil and melaluca and use as an all surface cleaner.
3. Declutter so as to practice of Saucha, cleanliness, the first Niyama of the eight limbs of yoga (see page 6 in your Essential Yoga Practice book). This ideal includes being neat and tidy, being pure in thoughts, as well as using pure products in how you care for body, mind and spirit.
4. For the next month, try using a couple drops of a pure, internal-grade citrus oil in a glass of water once daily – this can support healthy functioning of the GI Tract.
5. Through the practice of Ayurveda, oil the body daily before showering to pull toxins to the surface that will then wash away. Refer to pages 22-24 of Essential Yoga Practice for more information, or simply use coconut or sesame oil. Massage toward the lymph nodes to assist lymphatic drainage.
6. Support the skin, your largest organ, after showering by using nourishing oils or lotions. Consider making your own blend with aromatherapy to support vata dosha, as we all need to pacify vata tendencies in the spring. See pages 15-16 of the book.
7. In your yoga asana practice, use poses from the categories of folds and twists to detoxify the body.
8. Get enough sleep. Springing forward sometimes takes a while to get our body clock back in sync with the time change. Allow yourself to be prepared and ready for bed by 10 pm, when melatonin production is at a peak and falling asleep is easier.
9. Start or renew a meditation practice to include attention for spiritual growth.
10. Find an fun and inspirational way to learn something new for enhancing your wellness practice. Need an idea? Our Yoga Sangha, a two week training will begin April 17, 2017! Be among the first to join us as we build the movement to learning and introducing the merging of two ancient practices: yoga and aromatherapy! Signup at https://essentialyogasanghaapril17.eventbrite.com
Seasonal cleansing allows us to clear away old habits andtoxinsand to introduce new ways to bring balance to our daily wellness practices, leaving us feeling renewed with more energy and joy!
Want to win a bottle of pure lemon essential oil? Like, comment and share on any of our social media pages and then tune in on April 1 as we announce the winner!
