Inside Yoga 61 (22/10/12)

Some aspects of life feel like a one-way journey – a linear progression towards something definite – while other aspects of life have a cyclical nature.

Most of us are aware of the seasons in our climate, from winter to spring, to summer to autumn or and back around again; but do we make allowance for the changes and the season we are in? I am not necessarily writing about wearing T-shirts and shorts on winter – though that is a sort of denial or a refusal to give up the summer we never had.

What I am writing about is the way the seasons affect our energy levels, our mood, and our health. This week fog and colder weather has arrived announcing the transition into autumn from summer, heading towards winter.

This week, some people in my yoga classes have mentioned feeling tired. This is understandable, as our weather changes to a colder, damper pattern, and a darker one as the days grow shorter our bodies are also going through a transition – hence the tiredness.

In yoga and ayurveda (science aspect of yoga) the change of seasons is when we adjust our activities and diet. For example, as we enter autumn/winter, we are advised to eat warming foods which are easier to digest, such as one-pot stews and soups. As our bodies work hard to adjust to the changing seasons why make it work hard with what we eat?

If we are more tired than usual we adapt our yoga practice to suit this, for example, a slower practice or perhaps restorative yoga – using postures to sit or lie in them for longer using props to support the body.

It is about going with the flow and not beating ourselves up about how we feel. “Must press on”? There are things we must get done, so perhaps by adjusting our routine and our diet we can manage.

Just a thought as we approach the end of British Summer Time and darkness descends!