healing yoga Archives

"Ayurveda recognizes winter as a kapha season with strong vata undertones. It is characterized by cold weather, a sense of heaviness, increased moisture (usually in the form of rain or snow), cloud-covered days, and the grounded, slow feeling that sends many animals into hibernation. These are all qualities shared by kapha dosha, which is why winter is considered—primarily—a kapha season. However, if your climate is exceptionally cold and dry, or if you tend to feel more isolated during the winter months, vata will also be a strong component of your winter season, and you will want to actively keep vata placated as well. How to Create a Supportive Winter Diet Winter is actually the season when the digestive fire is strongest. The body requires more fuel to stay warm and healthy in the winter months, and the cold weather forces the fire principle deep into the core of the body—igniting the digestive capacity. Our bodies, therefore, crave a more substantial, nutritive diet at this time of...

“There is just enough suffering to get you in the door,” writes Michael Stone in The Inner Tradition of Yoga, “so that is our starting point.” I love this viewpoint - it highlights the simple fact that some discomfort, be it mild or intense, is often what first propels to yoga. For some, it may be physical suffering, such as a sore back, tight shoulders or hips, and for others it could be discomfort on a mental level, such as anxiety, worry, or restlessness. You might have been drawn to yoga because of a major life shift, including changing relationships or illness. Whatever the reason may be, most of us come into the arms of yoga seeking some relief, and for the most part, yoga meets us exactly where we are at and then graciously offers us more. I first came to yoga because I was finding my new job as a Montessori preschool teacher quite stressful. Days of trying to...

Tag: healing yoga

Winter: Kapha Season

Going Beyond the Doorway: Yoga’s Abundant Offerings – Tanya Riley