January Newsletter 2018

Have a happy,relaxing

and prosperous 2018             

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

Yoga

The way we exercise should change with the seasons and yoga is no exception. When our bodies are already struggling to keep cool, sun salutation will only make us hotter and it can take a couple of days for us to recover from a 40 degree day. More if you go for a run, practice heating yoga postures and generally pay no attention to what your body and mind are trying to tell you. Did you know there is a moon salutation which is calming, cooling and energising? I have been practicing over the holidays and loving this more intuitive sequence and will gradually and safely teach you over January. There are many standing, cooling postures to explore which still work on strength and lovely yin/restorative and sitting postures for strength and flexibility.

Holistic Health for Summer                 How to balance   Pitta- Fire Energy

As the weather becomes hot it places stress on our bodies for example you might notice rings become tighter. This is due to fluid retention and is an indication that our organs are struggling in the heat. The kidneys are responsible for removing fluid from the body. Yoga is a part of Ayurveda, a holistic system of medicine. Disease is understood to be attributed to many factors including the weather and simply prescribing medication is not enough. A lot of this is common sense…...you need to stay cool, wear loose, comfortable, breathable clothing, rest more especially in the hottest part of the day...put your legs up the wall, practice yin/restorative yoga. Laze in the shade and watch the world go by at the beach. Have a lovely swim. Our summers and beautiful beaches are the things most people in England can only dream about visiting. We live in a holiday destination but often forget what is on our doorstep and life goes on as if the weather does not effect us...but it does !  If you do not listen to your body and minds warning signs of a Pitta imbalance it will lead to “dis ease”. Body symptoms such s indigestion, any illness ending in itis such as cystitis, skin problems, diarrhoea. Mind symptoms such as aggression, anger, irritability, frustration, insomnia, headaches.

Food and Drink.

Ayurveda recommends a change  of diet as the seasons change. Eat more raw foods lots of salads and fruit. Eat meat only 3 times a week, it is heating and acidic and causes inflammatory changes which are aggravated by Pitta or fire energy. There are 6 different tastes. Sweet, bitter and astringent taste are cooling in nature. Google food for Pitta and you will find lists of  cooling foods.

I thought it would be good to mention what we drink this year. Coffee is very heating to the body. Try some cool/slightly warm teas such as fennel, green, chamomile, liquorice and mint. Avoid all sweet bottled drinks, particularly those with artificial sweetener and energy drinks. Red wine is very heating and all alcohol. Do not have icy cold drinks either these put out our digestive fire, agni leading to digestive problems and auto immune diseases. Drink plenty of filtered water.

A simple effective detox or cleanse. Drink ONLY filtered water and herbal teas for 1 day or forever.... Eat normally.

Ayurveda

Are you a pitta person? It is not just the seasons but everything around us has the 5 energies space, air, fire, water, earth including ourselves. These give us our characteristics and disease tendencies. Some of us have a dominant pitta (fire and a little water) dosha or constitution. Red hair is an indication and red heads are renowned for having a temper and skin that burns easily. Some people feel the heat more than others, flush easily and suffer more from acne, inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema, indigestion, peptic ulcer. Summer is more likely to make these health problems worse….anger and irritability are the emotional signs. Holistic health treats the whole person rather than the disease. A pitta imbalance would be  treated with cooling yoga asana, cooling food and herbs, lovely swims in the ocean, lazing around in the shade, resting the hottest part of the day, moving slowly, slow calming music, wearing cooling colours or gems - blues and purples.

This time last summer I was studying Yin Yoga which is perfect for cooling and calming the body and mind. There are many strengthening asana too that are cooling in nature and we are going to spend the next couple of months learning alignment  and how to adapt these postures. Moon salutations are lovely but much less well known. I have never been to a yoga class where we were taught a moon salutation and we will be gradually linking postures together and learning how to adapt so we can flow through this much more intuitive and calming vinyasa or flow sequence.

Namaste  Julie