Spring is a time of awakening, growth  and renewal. After three or more month of resting and stillness the nature is waking up and with it also human body. If we listen to it we feel like moving. Our yoga practice is starting to pick up. We might feel more energized and also willing to start being more active as the days become longer. It is important for us to establish a regular routine and practice at the same time of the day between sunrise and 10:00 am. Of course, we get best results if we keep being consistent. If our schedule doesn’t allow it, any practice is better than none.

Yoga poses that can be beneficial for practicing in the Spring

Warm-up Phase:

We are always staying within our comfort zone.

• Shoulder rotations: We start with back-roll shoulder movement. As we inhale we can take our shoulders up. As we exhale we can  take them back and down. We can repeat this gentle back roll 4 times. If we have healthy shoulders we can add forward-rolls and repeat them 4 times.

• Neck warm-ups: Inhaling looking straight forward, chin tucked in slightly. As we exhale, we can gently look to the one side past our shoulder, keeping our neck tucked in. As we inhale, we are bringing our chin back to a neutral position. On the next exhale we look to the other side over our shoulder. Repeat 4 times on each side.

• Hip circles: Keeping our feet at least shoulder width apart and toes facing forward we are placing our hands on our hips. We start drawing circles with our hips with the breath 4 times in the clockwise direction and then slowly 4 times in the counterclockwise direction.

• Knee circles: We are starting in a position with feet closer together and hands on our quadriceps. We gently bend our knees and draw circles to one direction four times and then the same amount to the other side.

• Ankle rotations: We shift weight to one foot and lift the heel of the other foot to keep possibly 15-20 % of our weight on the ball of the foot. Rotating our ankle to one side 4 times and then 4 times to the other side. Switching weight to the other fool and repeating the exercise with the other ankle. 

Work Phase:

Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation), which is used in many Vinyasa (Flow) focused yoga practices is excellent for Spring. It is made of 12 poses, that can be easily modified. Sun Salutation is a great way to create heat in our body. By practicing it often, we connect to our inner fire and make our body feel more energized and our mind happier.

Cool Down Phase

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose)

Apanasana (Knee to chest): alternating knees to chest or both knees to chest

Supta Matsyendrasana (Supine Spinal Twist)

Happy Baby (Ananda Balasana)

Savasana (Relaxation Pose)

“The Spring”

By Thomas Carew

Now that the winter’s gone, the earth hath lost

Her snow-white robes, and now no more the frost

Candies the grass, or casts an icy cream

Upon the silver lake or crystal stream;

But the warm sun thaws the benumbed earth,

And makes it tender; gives a sacred birth

To the dead swallow; wakes in hollow tree

The drowsy cuckoo, and the humble-bee.

Now do a choir of chirping minstrels bring

In triumph to the world the youthful Spring.

The valleys, hills, and woods in rich array

Welcome the coming of the long’d-for May.

Now all things smile, only my love doth lour;

Nor hath the scalding noonday sun the power

To melt that marble ice, which still doth hold

Her heart congeal’d, and makes her pity cold.

The ox, which lately did for shelter fly

Into the stall, doth now securely lie

In open fields; and love no more is made

By the fireside, but in the cooler shade

Amyntas now doth with his Chloris sleep

Under a sycamore, and all things keep

Time with the season; only she doth carry

June in her eyes, in her heart January.

     “JUST BREATHE…,” they say.

Happy May!

In this post I would like to address the connection between breathing and the way we feel, as well as the similarities of breathing methods in Tai Chi and Yoga.

Firstly, I must admit that May is my favorite month of the Spring season. That is not only because many of my dear family members were born during May or because all mothers can celebrate their special day, but mainly, because we safely made it past the cold days. Everything comes back to life again, birds are back from the South singing happily, bees are starting to come out and collect pollen and new animal babies are being born. Also, it finally feels like Spring is in the air! (Of course, I do not mean it just because all the pollen is flying and causing all possible allergies to us.)

Maybe the last time you walked outside, you noticed the buds on trees and their intricate shapes and colors, such as Dogwood. Or perhaps, you’ve smelled the sweet aroma of Lilac or Honeysuckle. Or you admired the vast variety of Daffodils and  Tulips. The air truly smells like flowers! 

Often, we do activities and move around without even noticing our breath. Only when we have a hard time breathing or are bothered by allergies, we notice the lack of it. Then from being outside we move back inside into the safety of our homes with closed windows, filters and AC, where we can breathe. 

As I am writing this, I have realized how the practice of Tai Chi and Yoga brings our awareness to our breath. Both arts are practiced for health and relaxation reasons. But it is not just the movement from form to form or pose to pose that makes one calm down. It is the breath, Qi or Prana. It is seen as the life force without which our bodies would be just an empty shell. We call it Qigong if we practice moving the Qi and every Tai Chi practice has some Qigong elements in it. In Yoga when we practice different types of breathing we call it Pranayama. 

 Although, we think we know how to breathe, many times we tend to hold our breath at the wrong moment, or breathe too fast or breathe with the upper part of our body tensing our shoulders and neck areas. As Dr. Paul Lam mentions, “Stress tends to increase the rate of breathing. An increased breathing rate leads to taking in too much oxygen and releasing too much carbon dioxide. Since carbon dioxide is acid, the pH levels of the blood rise, disturbing our body chemistry. This can cause the blood vessels to tighten, increasing blood pressure (Dr. Paul Lam, “Teaching TC Effectively,” Tai Chi Production, 2006; (138)). Even though we heard many times that with this kind of breath we are stressing our whole system (activating our flight-and-fight response, causing anxiety, clenching our jaws, etc.) we continue doing it.

And yes, I am not a pulmonologist, but what I’ve learned from years of practicing yoga and tai chi, we have the ability to change the way we feel if we bring our attention or mindfulness to our breathing and in that way take control of our breath.

“More efficient breathing improves gas exchange, massages body tissues, including internal organs, helps regulate the nervous system, improves mood, and balances and moves Qi within the body and between the body and environment”(P. M. Wayne, PhD et al., “The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi,” Shambhala; 2013(30)).

One of the ways to relax is through breathing. It is well known that we can connect our body to our mind through mindful breathing. In Tai Chi and Qigong we practice so-called dan tian breathing or Diaphragmatic breathing to help us sink the Qi. As we focus on an image of an inflating balloon, we are fully inhaling air into our lungs pulling the Diaphragm down. Thanks to this visualization our breathing causes our abdomen to rise and our lungs can expand sideways. With practice, we can enlarge our lung capacity up to 20 %.

In Yoga, one of the first breaths a student learns is the three-part breath. We fill up the lowest part of our lungs and in that way, allow our tummy to rise first, then fill up the middle lungs and expand our ribcage to the sides and lastly, fill up the top lungs. As we exhale we empty the top part of our lungs first and then we descend towards the deeper parts of lungs exhaling the stale air from them. In addition to that, if we focus on the name of the part of our lungs (lower lungs, middle lungs, upper lungs) we can help ourselves stay in the present moment. We can practice three-part breath seated, standing or laying down. This way of breathing is very similar to the above mentioned dan tian breathing. 

As we focus on fully inhaling and exhaling without force, we can extend our breathing-out time, which leads to more relaxation. What always works for me is if I place my hands on my abdomen and my chest, following the rise and fall.

Spring (Kapha) Season Recipe

Quinoa Asparagus Salad:

Pour water into a saucepan and bring to boil

Add quinoa and salt, stir, cover and reduce heat to low

Simmer mixture until quinoa is tender, approximately 15-25 minutes.

Remove saucepan from heat and let quinoa rest for 5 minutes, fluff up it up with fork

We hope to bring a smile to your face. With the motto “Love, Laugh, Yoga and Tai Chi” in our mind, we would like to enrich your days, motivate you, and keep your mind positive.

FALL INTO FALL

We are slowly approaching the middle of fall and as the days are getting shorter and colder, trees are becoming barer, we might start feeling lazier, more tempted to skip exercise, just wanting to bundle up in a cozy blanket with a good book in our hands. Although it is good to listen to our body and maybe decrease the intensity of our practice and pay more attention to relaxing, keeping our daily practice going makes us feel good about ourselves. It will keep us energized and positive for the rest of the day. If we are used to more intense workouts we can possibly change them to more restorative or relaxing yoga or tai chi practice as we go with the flow of seasons. If we do not exercise on a regular basis including 15-20 minutes gentle movement will make our body stronger and our mind more relaxed.

So let us ask, “How am I feeling today? Have I noticed changes in my physical or mental states as we all struggle with Covid pandemic? Did my life change a lot or am I going about my daily routines as usual ignoring all the changes? Do I feel stressed with every morning feeling anxious about what will come next or am I lethargic, not caring what comes, or am I welcoming each day as it unfolds in its natural way?”
Stopping and becoming aware of how we are is a great start to taking control over our lives. Taking time for self-reflection in any form can connect us more with ourselves and help us find a way out of this craziness we are placed in.  We can become aware and acknowledge in our mind our state of being as it is. We can even take a pen and describe it as a note to ourselves in a journal. We can call our friend or loved one and share how we feel today without pretending anything. As we do so we might notice the tiny nuances of our thoughts which might be changing from one moment to the other. We might become aware of how much better we feel on sunny and bright days than on cloudy and rainy days. And as we do, with this awareness in the foreground of our mind we might just simply accept the changes as something natural. We might let go of resisting them, fighting them or ignoring them.

“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”

– Lauren Destefano