Spring Awakening: Ayurvedic Practices for the Seasonal Transition
Written by Julia Clarke
Photo by Jack Affleck
The first signs of spring never fail to ignite a glimmer of hope in all of us following a long and dark winter.
A smattering of tufted poppies brightens the palette of the meadow. The sun setting after 7:00p.m. The sweet smell of the earth as winter releases its icy grip. A deafening dawn chorus as the birds make their northbound pilgrimage once again. Right on cue, nature is stretching, unfolding and beckoning you to switch gears from your cozy, introverted winter pace to a more expansive way of being in the world.
The problem is, it’s just so hard to get moving again.
It’s easy to want to stay in winter’s embrace, curling up under the blankets and enjoying the contemplative space of short days. Perhaps the late sunrises of winter have lulled you into a rhythm of delicious, deep sleep that you’re loath to give up and it’s common to feel heavy and sluggish even as the days begin to lengthen and brighten.
Spring: An Ayurvedic Perspective
According to Ayurveda, spring season – known as vasanta ritu – is marked by heaviness, as the elements of earth and water collide with increasing heat from the sun to create a process of liquefaction both in nature and in your body. Just in the same way the melting snow up high fills our rivers and lakes with water, spring can find your sinuses filling with mucus.
Your body may mirror nature’s great thaw in the form of colds and allergies, brain fog, lethargy, sluggish digestion, and seasonal weight gain. Basically, heaviness on the outside means heaviness on the inside.
The answer isn’t to sleep more, even though that may feel like just what you want. Instead, Ayurvedic science applies the principle of opposites (vishesha) to cultivate balance, and recommends balance that heaviness you feel with lighter food, the cold that lingers with heat and sluggishness with increased movement.
Now is the time to take advantage of the earth’s tilt towards the sun, awaken earlier, move more, and start to shed some layers to dissolve winter’s heaviness in order to stay light, energised, and inspired this season.
Suggested Seasonal Rhythms for Spring
Rise and Shine
This time of year it can be especially hard to get up, but those birds tweeting outside your window have the right idea. As the sun rises earlier, set your alarm earlier and aim to wake up about a half hour before sunrise. Try to be outside during sunrise even if it’s just for a walk around the block or to sit out in your back garden and soak up the early morning rays. Seeing the dawn of a new day will help reset your circadian rhythm in alignment with nature, and skipping any naps you’ve got in the habit of taking will help too.
Get Busy Brushing
Ayurveda’s cornerstone text, the Charaka Samhita, encourages dry massage at this time to help improve circulation and move lymph. This is a really easy and powerful ancient technique that’s appropriate as long as you don’t have very sensitive skin.
Stand in the shower or bath and use a dry brush or gloves to vigorously massage your skin, starting from your feet and working up toward your heart, then massaging from your hands to your heart and finishing with your chest and abdomen. Use circular strokes on joints and your belly, and long strokes on your limbs. Take your shower or bath when you’ve finished.
“The answer isn’t to sleep more, even though that may feel like just what you want. Instead, Ayurvedic science applies the principle of opposites (vishesha) to cultivate balance, and recommends balance that heaviness you feel with lighter food, the cold that lingers with heat and sluggishness with increased movement.”
Kindle Your Digestive Fire
Digestion is seen as the root of all health in Ayurveda, powering your body the way a furnace that powers a machine. However, your digestion may be a little weak and sluggish in the spring which can result in low energy and unwanted symptoms of indigestion.
In Ayurveda, spring is the ideal time to do a seasonal cleanse and take a break from processed foods, but this isn’t about calorie restriction. There are a few traditional practices you can implement straight away to help stoke your digestive fire so that it can take care of some inner housekeeping:
● Start your day with a cup of warm water mixed with a spoonful of honey
● Sip hot water with a few slices of ginger throughout the day
● Take a pinch of fresh ginger mixed with a little honey, lemon juice, and salt before meals
● Make breakfast and dinner both a little lighter, while making lunch your main meal of the day
Eat For The Season
At the table, cut back on the indulgent sour, heavy, oily, and sugary comfort foods that got you through the winter and increase pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes. That means ample digestive spices like black pepper, cumin, ginger, turmeric, coriander and fennel, lots of steamed leafy green vegetables, and legumes. The best grains at this time of year are barley, wheat, and rice. Incorporate seeds and seasonal fruit and vegetables into your diet like asparagus, artichokes, and baby spinach.
Pick Up The Pace
Science has spoken and for everyone, daily exercise is important – but there are times of year when you can overdo it and deplete yourself. Spring is not one of those times. Now is the perfect time to enjoy more vigorous and dynamic yoga practices to promote lymph circulation and boost immunity. Break a sweat with robust sun salutations, twists, and standing balance poses to experience levity.
Off your mat, get out on the hiking trails as soon as it’s safe to do so, take brisk walks and go running, and biking with friends to boost your energy—especially when the sun is out and on milder days.
A love note from Balanced Rock: We absolutely adore Julia, who has been part of the Balanced Rock community for many years! She has been bringing her students to Yosemite on incredible camping retreats that offer restorative yoga and Ayurveda. Make sure to learn more about Julia and her offerings by following the links in her bio below.
MEET JULIA CLARKE
Yoga Instructor • Ayurvedic Practitioner • Writer • Published Author • Lover of Mountains, Sunset Yoga, & Spicy Curries (with a cool wine)
Julia is a writer and a teacher of yoga and Ayurveda. She recently returned home to Glasgow, Scotland after 20 years living in the US where she was able to be many things, including: radio presenter, wine maker, yoga studio owner, university teacher, magazine writer, and waitress. Today, Julia is the author of two books: Restorative Yoga for Beginners and Living in Balance with Maharishi Ayurveda. She is also an outdoors journalist for Advnture.com and can often be found exploring mountains in pursuit of her next story.