Day 1 – Root to Rise!
Overload, overwhelm, and endless choices can leave you feeling stuck and frustrated in the spring. Just walk into a Lowes and see the crazy confusion as people peer over plants, mulch, and fertilizer. Where to start? The yard surely needs love after a long winter, your house needs to be cleaned, taxes, graduations, weddings, where does the madness end? Next thing you know, you find yourself saying, “Just one more thing….I can squeeze it in, really. Coffee will give me the false energy to keep going.” I’m twitching already!
How do you avoid this frenzy? Because you don’t want to push yourself so hard that you get sick or injured. You need a happy back for spring gardening and hikes through the woods with your puppy!
Here’s what you need to do:
Make some time for yourself in order to restore you energy levels and your belief in yourself. Because often the overwhelm comes when you’re stretched too thin and you don’t have the energy to make positive choices. Next thing you know, you start to doubt yourself and overthink everything. Let’s skip that experience and make some time to breathe.
As you pause, breathe and soften the chaotic noise in your head will begin to subside. Really. You have to give it a chance. Because simply forging ahead will only create more distress and disappointment. Here’s a link to a breath and meditation practice that will remind you just how to do this.
Move your body and flow with your breath! When it doubt, move it out! The yogis knew that if you change the shape of your body, moving through these yoga poses, you will improve your mood and mindset. For the spring, twisting yoga poses are the go to practice.
Why twists for the spring?
Twists are considered to be the intelligent poses in yoga. They know just when to calm you down or get your engines going.
A simple twist can boost your energy and move you out of that sluggish and heavy feeling. And after a long winter of being bundled up and chilly, you need to breakout of that frozen ice block feeling. Twists offer a sweet invitation to release the knots in your shoulders, the tension in your upper back, and the ache that settles into your lower back. Your chest will experience a great opening, which will improve your breath, and ultimately lift your spirits.
Twists will help you:
- Energize
- Improve Digestion
- Detox
- De-Stress and Lose the Anxiety
Twists are considered powerful cleansing poses. They work deeply on the internal organs in a “squeeze-and-soak” action. Just like you would squeeze a sponge to rid it of dirty water, the twists squeeze the abdominal organs, forcing out toxins and waste. Then when you release the twist, fresh blood rushes into those organs, bathing the cells with oxygen and nutrients.
Irena’s Tips for a Happy Twist
- Take a deep breath, soften, listen.
- Make some space for your spine and lengthen from hips to underarms (side bodies).
- With an exhale, initiate your twist from the ‘back body’. (If you’re twisting to the left, relax your left side and allow your right shoulder blade to gentle propel you into the twist.)
- Stay broad through your upper back, never force or crank yourself into a twist.
- Release on an inhalation.
- Move slowly and honor the messages your body is sending you. If there’s pain, unwind, come out of the pose, don’t force it.
personal experience
Here’s the thing, spring is a tough time of year for me and I know I’m not alone here. Fall is my favorite season and I settle into it with excitement and anticipation. I don’t have to work at finding my rhythm in the fall, it comes naturally. Not so for spring, it really feels like work to get into a happy flow.
Why is this?
Spring can be a bit of a trickster. It teases with warm, sunny days and then the chilly, blustery winds sneak back. The nights get brighter but at the expense of a later sunrise. The skies are dramatic and imposing and tug on my heart strings. Their striking beauty reminds me of loved ones who have transitioned to heaven. Respiratory illnesses and allergies float around and seem to hover at the edges, ready and eager to make an entrance. And I feel like I’m turning into Debbie Downer.
This is why I rely on my yoga practice so heavily in the spring. Simply moving through the yoga poses with my breath elevates my mood. I feel better. The sluggishness disappears and I have energy to do the yard work or take that hike with all my babies.
Talk to me
Is spring your favorite season? What is one thing that lights you up about spring or challenges you? Join the conversation in our facebook group here!
Come play with me!
INTENTION:
- Plant strong roots in order to create more space and a strong anchor to twist from.
TIME:
- 13 minutes
PROPS:
- A block is nice 🙂 (But you can always improvise with a book or skip the extra height all together.)
ACTION STEPS:
Schedule Your Practice
I’ll see you on your mat!
Thanks for playing with me!
love and light,
xoxo