Welcome Spring!
Welcome springtime! Here in central Ohio, the signs of new life are emerging as spring flowers unfurl their blossoms, birds are singing, and the sun shines warmer and longer each day. Mother nature makes this transition from winter to spring look smooth and easy, but for people, it may not be an easy transition. We may find ourselves feeling heavy, sluggish and foggy from spring allergies. The wisdom of Ayurveda is here to help us balance the shift of seasons and start feeling renewed so we can enjoy the beauty of spring.
Spring brings the energy of new life, new beginnings, and it’s dominated by Kapha dosha. Kapha presents in your body earthy-watery qualities, providing lubrication for joints, mucous to protect the sensitive tissues of the sinuses, lungs, and stomach. When kapha is in balance, you feel strong, composed, and stable. When kapha is out of balance, you may feel sleepy, dull, depressed, have excess phlegm creating sinus problems, nausea, unhealthy weight gain, water retention, or heaviness in your limbs.
Spring Is The Time To Balance Kapha Dosha
Following these 3 Ayurvedic practices for spring will help you to gradually lighten up physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Spring clean your body and eat light.
Try a nourishing kitchari detoxfor a 1 day, 3 days, or 7 days. Spring is the perfect time for a mild Ayurvedic cleanse to reduce stagnant energy and ama (toxins) from winter. Our liver, one of the major detoxifying organs in the body, works hard in the spring processing allergens that come from pollen and pollution. An Ayurvedic cleanse supports the liver in it’s work.
Reduce or eliminate sugar, alcohol, dairy, caffeine, cooked oils and red meat for 2 weeks.
Increase your intake of water, veggies, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats such as ghee, olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oil.
Eat more bitter green vegetables such as dandelion leaves, arugula, mustard green. They support the liver and gallbladder.
Move daily and rest.
Exercise daily with yoga, walking, cycling or swimming. Physical activity improves circulation, increases heat, releasing, excess waste and ama, balancing kapha dosha.
Spend time moving outdoors. The fresh air and natures energy
will invigorate and restore you.
Equally important is rest and relaxation. Get a good night’s sleep to allow your body to regenerate. Also taking time during the day to be still, to meditate, to reflect creates moments of calm and peace.
Practice pranayama or breathe work daily.
Pranayama is the practice of breathing consciously. In Sanskrit the word pranameans life-force and vitality. The word ayama means stretch, the action part of conscious breathing.
The lungs are one of the main detoxifying organs in our body, so when we breathe, we detoxify our bodies. We inhale life giving oxygen, and exhale carbon dioxide, waste from our body. Conscious breathing or pranayama supports detoxification. With every deep breath we take, our lungs and our entire body receive more oxygen. The expansion of the lower lobes in the lungs activate the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and healing
Try this simple cleansing pranayama practice:
For this breathing pattern the exhalation becomes twice as long as the inhalation.
- Sit comfortably in a relaxed position, with your spine long and tall, but not stiff. Gently close your eyes. For this practice, breath in through the nose and out through your nose or mouth.
- Start by simply tuning your mind into your breathing without altering your natural breathing rhythm.
- After a few breaths, notice how smooth your exhalation is. If it is not smooth, make it smoother by creating an even volume of air being expelled the entire duration of the exhale and an equal amount of pressure blowing out the whole time.
- Next, while trying to maintain a smooth and easy exhale, notice the length of your inhale relative to your exhale. Begin to make the exhale longer. You can count down in your head if that helps.
- Inhale 1, 2, Exhale, 4, 3, 2, 1.
- Gradually work your way up to inhaling for a count of 4 and exhaling for a count of 8.
- Try this practice for 1-3 minutes at first then go for 7-10 minutes at a time.
- Add a visualization: imagine you are expelling anything you don’t want or need with your exhale; visualize expelling anything unneeded that is cluttering up your insides.
- Be patient with yourself. It may take a few practices to achieve the longer exhale.
- Then let your breath return to its own easy natural rhythm for a moment or two.
- Notice your energy level and how your body feels.
- Come back into the room whenever you are ready
Workshops
Here are two workshops to support your wellness practice.
Restore Resilience, Balancing Anxiety with Ayurveda
Anxiety is very common affecting around 40 million adults in the US. Anxiety can disrupt your life, relationships, productivity, and your overall health.
During this 4-week Restore Resilience, Balance Anxiety with Ayurveda workshop series, learn how to restore resilience, bolster physical and mental strength, create a sense of calm and peace with Ayurvedic self-care practices. Ayurveda is a time honored preventative health system, dating back thousands of years, offering each person an understanding of their unique body type or constitution. This knowledge is then used to create health promoting practices that include diet, meditation, exercise, and other healthy life-style practice to restore balance and wellness.
Sundays May 5, 12, 19, June 2, 2019
Time: 1:30pm -3pm
COST: $180
Space is limited to 8 participants.
Location: Vitellas Chun Integrative Medicine + Acupuncture
929 Harrison Avenue, Ste 203
Columbus, OH 43215
Contact: betty@bwellayurveda.com
Linda Chun, MD, Integrative Medicine and
Betty Brown, RN, Ayurvedic Health Educator
Register by emailing betty@bwellayurveda.com
Free Guided Meditation Classes with Sonia Arora & Betty Brown, Ayurvedic Health Educators
Regular meditation can come with a host of benefits: reduce stress, manage anxiety, enhance self-awareness and self-control, generate kindness to others and yourself, decrease sensitivity to pain, and improve your sleep.
If you are looking to create a daily personal meditation practice, meditating in a group can be helpful. If you are an experienced meditator, group meditations will enhance your practice.
Please bring a cushion, towel or yoga mat to sit on. Chairs will also be available. Meditations are non-religious.
2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month : 2/26; 3/ 12 & 26; 4/ 9& 23; 5/ 14 & 28
Time: 6:30pm -7:30pm
Location: Broad Street Presbyterian Church
760 East Broad Street, Columbus OH 43205
A non-perishable food donation for the Broad Street Presbyterian Church is appreciated.
If you have any questions, please email betty@bwellayurveda.com
Ayurvedic Consultations
Special Offers
I am still offering discounted prices for my B Well Ayurvedic Wellness Program and I have openings to see new clients.
C.A.S. Internship Package 4: Purchase the 6-week customized B Well Ayurvedic Wellness Program in April of 2019 to receive 30% off on your 6-week program along with all follow up visits from February 2019 through October 2019. Register Here.
C.A.S. Internship Maintenance Package:Current and past clients will receive 50% off on follow up consultations from February 2019 through Oct 2019. Register Here.
Online Ayurvedic Consultations
If you are interested in consultations, but can’t see me in person, no worries, we can meet online! Clients will need to have access to internet and Skype to participate. My first Ayurvedic consultation experience in 2015 was via long distance over the internet and it worked very well. If you are interested please contact me at betty@bwellayurveda.com.
I greatly appreciate your help in spreading the news about Ayurveda and my practice. Please feel free to share this email with your family and friends.
Peace and Light,
Betty Brown
Peace and Light,
Betty Brown
betty@bwellayurveda.com
www.bwellayurveda.com