Adjusting to winter

With the cold weather upon us, it is time to adjust our routine to maintain health. With shorter, colder days advancing we may be prone to feelings of sluggishness, cold, stiffness and the low mood.

To maintain seasonal balance, ayurveda tells us our priority is to stay warm. We can achieve this by wrapping up well, avoiding draughts and taking hot baths. Spending an hour or two gardening or taking a brisk walk provides the benefits of fresh air and daylight, which helps to regulate our circadian rhythms, promoting sleep and keeping the winter blues at bay.

Nutritionally, one should avoid heavy, fatty and greasy food, opting for lightly spiced dishes and warm herbal teas. I personally recommend the Yogi Tea brand which has been developed in accordance with ayurvedic principles, is organically produced and widely available.

Consider taking a massage. At this time of year the benefits are considerable: alleviating stiffness, assisting digestion, circulation and lymphatic drainage, boosting one’s mood and generally leading to a feeling of increased well-being.

Kavi in concert at the Shekinashram

Tuesday evening I attended a wonderful and uplifting concert at the Shekinashram in Glastonbury. Kavi is a soulful singer and musician and for a little over an hour he delivered a beautiful and intimate acoustic set of his songs. The themes of his work are divinity, bliss, self-knowledge and love. I would recommend that you check out his work. I was particularly touched by his humility and grace.
This is a link to his MySpace page : www.myspace.com/kavihockaday
Enjoy!

Dedication to the practice

"Do your practice and all is coming," 

The words of Sri K Pattabhi Jois of Mysore. It has become a well-known yoga aphorism. Discipline is required to maintain our practice, in the context of our busy lifestyles.

I am preparing to teach this evening and it is raining heavily, it has been all afternoon. I am moved to wonder if the weather might affect attendance levels in class, the British autumn is in full swing and it is dark well before class begins at 7.15pm.

So in advance of this evening's session I salute my fellow yoga students who will be expressing their dedication to the practice and joining me later.

Om shanti

Yoga as part of Olympic training schedule?

I have been approached by an athlete who is in training for the 2012 Olympics. He wishes to integrate yoga into his training schedule. Its a wonderful thing that yoga has become so well known and respected, that its' benefits are being sought by our most talented and dedicated sportsmen.

Naturally one thinks of the increased flexibility as an outcome, which can deliver increased athletic performance and prevent injury. However yoga is a complete spiritual science delivering across all areas of experience; increased concentration, a calm, focussed mind and an elevated sense of general wellbeing.

Full Moon yoga tonight

Tonight the moon is full and this of relevance to our yoga. Tim Miller, a well respected and highly experienced pracitioner and teacher of ashtanga vinyasa explains:

"Like all things of a watery nature (human beings are about 70% water), we are affected by the phases of the moon. The phases of the moon are determined by the moon’s relative position to the sun. Full moons occur when they are in opposition and new moons when they are in conjunction. Both sun and moon exert a gravitational pull on the earth. Their relative positions create different energetic experiences that can be compared to the breath cycle. The full moon energy corresponds to the end of inhalation when the force of prana is greatest. This is an expansive, upward moving force that makes us feel energetic and emotional, but not well grounded. The Upanishads state that the main prana lives in the head. During the full moon we tend to be more headstrong."

In the ashtanga vinyasa method, practice is suspended at the time of full moon, due to the risk of over endeavour and injury. Other traditions celebrate the full moon, integrating goddess wisdom and using this time for the purposes of spiritual expansion. 

Gloria Drayar runs full moon yoga sessions in New Mexico, she explains,

"I believe we have this amazing ability to create what we want in our lives. During the full moon, asking for what we want is very powerful. So we have this powerful way of creating whatever we want or need and the moon adds to that." 

I will be teaching class later this evening in Glastonbury. My approach will be to acknowledge the full moon, its grace, beauty and power. To use nadi shodona pranayama to cleanse and balance. Perhaps in a warmer climate we would take the opportunity to enjoy an extended savasana outside, lying on the earth and bathing in the moon light. 

Full moon blessings to all yogis. 

Om shanti.