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Yogafor Spring

A GUIDE & RESOURCE TO PRACTICING IN THE SPRINGTIME Contents

6 WAYS TO EMBRACE THE SPIRIT OF SPRING IN YOGA 3 SIMPLE CLEANSING TECHNIQUES FOR SPRING 6

YOGA FASHION TIPS AND TRENDS FOR SPRING 11

BEST NEW YOGA BOOKS: SPRING EDITION 16

SPRING CLEANING: GET BACK IN BALANCE 22

TAKING YOGA OUTDOORS 25

SUMMER YOGA FESTIVALS FOR 2017 30

THE YOGA OF FOOD: EATING FOR SPRING 34 6 WAYS TO EMBRACE THE SPIRIT OF SPRING IN YOGA

By Sarah Dittmore

Te fowers are blooming; the letting go of the old to make room birds are singing; and people are for the new. Te spring energy is digging their hands in the soil. all around us, and these six tips Spring is in the air! But is spring will help you harness the spirit of in your yoga practice? Spring is a spring in your yoga practice. time of renewal, transformation, and

PAGE 3! Energize your practice Be playful Winter, a season of hibernation During spring, joy and fun are all and burrowing in, often manifests around as new life begins. Watch within us as lethargy. We carry the animals play in the grass or onto old weight to protect us from listen to the birds chirp in the the cold, harsh season. Spring is trees. New life inspires a sense of the perfect time for us to rise out playfulness that we can embrace in of winter’s lull with fresh energy. yoga practice as well. Embody While you might be in the habit playfulness in your practice by of choosing yin and restorative going for poses you normally shy yoga classes, opt for ferier classes away from, laughing instead of for the next few months: vinyasa, cringing whenever you fall, trying , and power yoga are just laughter yoga, and taking it all a a few options. By building this little less seriously. heat within, you can burn out the old junk you have been carrying Practice outside and set yourself up for a successful It is fnally warm enough to spring. practice outside, so let’s celebrate. It does not matter if it’s in your Detox your gut backyard or in the mountains, April and May are the perfect practicing outside in any way is a time for some hefty spring great chance to connect to nature. cleaning. Most of us hold our old Breath in the fresh air, dig your habits, exhausted emotions, and hands into the moist dirt, and holiday indulgences in our gut. celebrate the incredible earth we Incorporate a few extra twists and have been blessed with. As you (breath of fre) into rest in Savasana (Corpse pose) at your practice to help clear out the end of your practice, enjoy the everything you don’t need special bliss that only practicing anymore or try a deeper spring yoga outside can bring. cleaning cleanse.

PAGE 4! Awaken new vibrations Tose who think and talk about spiritual energy say that spring is a time of intense vibrations. Te entire planet is working to shed the old tired ways of winter and embrace a brighter, more alive state of being. Tis transformation is tangible and contagious. Like a snake that sheds its skin, celebrate spring by shedding your winter layer and opening up to the energy of the season. Start with this simple spring . Embracing the shift of spring and before like paddleboard or acro opening yourself to new yoga. View every yoga class as a possibilities can bring massive fresh start. Forget what came change. before and don’t worry about what might come next. Take every class Keep it fresh —or for that matter every Spring is the perfect time for a and every breath—as a chance to fresh start. Tis spring, try a type be something entirely new.. of yoga you have never done

PAGE !5 SIMPLE CLEANSING TECHNIQUES FOR SPRING

By Kathleen Bryant

After winter’s holiday indulgences isn’t to lose weight or detox, it’s to and kapha-aggravating weather, help us return to a natural state of spring is an ideal time for a fresh balance or . Whether you start. But forget what you’ve decide on a simple tune-up or an heard about celebrity fads and all-out spring cleaning, here are a crazy crash diets. From the few basics to keep in mind: perspective of yoga and , the primary purpose of cleansing

PAGE !6 For optimal effectiveness, choose cleansing, or—if you’re on a a cleansing approach that honors budget—setting up a buddy- your work and travel schedule system within your yoga and your general state of health, community to learn cleansing as well as your or techniques from experienced constitution. For example, if students and teachers. you’re a delicate vata-type with a Be aware of possible cleansing demanding job, think twice before embarking on a restrictive reactions—energy fuctuations, nausea, headaches, etc. fast. Sometimes, as your body releases Te fact is, you don’t need to toxins, things may seem worse undertake a rigorous cleanse to before they get better. Journaling reap serious benefts. Many will not only highlight progress traditional yogic and Ayurvedic but also help you identify and cleanses are easy to incorporate cope with cravings, reactions, or into a daily schedule while doing mood changes. Not everyone wonders for your health and well- experiences detox reactions, and being. Simple changes in you can curb many of these side- everyday routines are more likely effects by “pre-cleansing”— to stick, becoming part of a yogic cleaning up your diet a few weeks lifestyle that leads to cumulative before embarking on a cleanse. rewards. For instance, cut out most processed foods and eat more If you’ve never tried cleansing wholesome, easy-to-digest meals before, start with small steps and that include some leafy greens seek support. Several companies and brightly colored vegetables. offer packaged cleansing Befriend carminative spices and regimens that provide helpful herbs like fennel, cumin and structure. Even better, enlist ginger. support and guidance by joining a yoga teacher training, going on a Keep things moving—not just in retreat that incorporates terms of digestion and

PAGE 7! elimination, but also your lymph your closets—literally and system, which removes toxins on metaphorically. Practice cleansing a cellular level. Drink plenty of such as kapalabhati water and herbal teas and dry- and , and meditate brush your skin daily. Practice to de-clutter the mind. that include forward Most of all, be patient. As part of folding, twisting and laying on a holistic yogic lifestyle, cleansing your belly to stimulate peristalsis and lymph fow. supports shaucha, or purifcation, the frst of the fve Remember that cleansing can (personal disciplines or occur on all levels—physical, observances). Rather than emotional, mental and energetic. offering a quick fx, a simple Take a break from reading the cleanse can lead to permanent newspaper, watching television or change—a sattvic life of inner using social media. Clean out peace and well-being on all levels.

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Japa MalaPAGE 10! Beads YOGA FASHION TIPS AND TRENDS FOR SPRING

By Sarah Dittmore

With fowers blooming and trees spring energy. Give your budding, spring is the season of wardrobe a fresh start with these growth and vibrancy. Fashion is spring yoga fashion tips and no exception to this seasonal trends. shift. As you put your winter coats away, pull out something a little more colorful to match the

PAGE !11 Te colors of spring (and If you’re feeling ready to radiate how to wear them) this spring, opt for some of the livelier colors. Blue is in, so have From vivid pinks and oranges to fun with it and don some vibrant muted earth tones, Pantone’s aqua leggings paired with a funky, Spring Color Report matches the patterned crop top to feel vibe of spring. Tese colors seek confdent and ready to embrace to embody vitality, relaxation, and the great outdoors. What better change head-on. combination can a springtime Embody the playful ask for? energy of spring with your If you’re more attracted to the earthy, muted tones, pair Spring is a time for trying new patterned capri leggings with a things and embracing your inner solid color yoga top for an outft child. Unleash your playful side that focuses on the relaxing and nourishing aspects of the season.

PAGE !12 by adding color to your yoga grandmother’s seafoam rose- wardrobe. Why not go all out and patterned A-line dress. Believe it wear some colorful drop-crotch or not, there’s a modern way to yoga pants? You’ll have a hard wear foral. It is spring after all, time not having fun in something we’ve got to make room for a bit this playful. of blooming.

If you want to add fun to your Embrace the spring wildfower wardrobe, but the drop-crotch look with a modern foral crop look isn’t for you, fnd some top that you won’t fnd anywhere multi-color leggings with unique near your grandma’s closet. Slide and eye-catching designs. Spring on these vibrant foral leggings is the time to push yourself and you’ll be the brightest fower outside of your comfort zone; a in the feld. funky pair of yoga pants is the perfect place to start. Let nature inspire your spring yoga style Change is coming, so When Pantone released the support yourself spring color report they were Before you jump into the wild clearly inspired by Mother waters of spring, support yourself Nature and all her beauty. Once and ground into your foundation. you’ve refreshed your yoga Find a reliable, well-made sports wardrobe, return to where it all bra that will be there for you began. Dig your toes into the dirt, when you need it. Once you have feel the sun on your back, and a base of support, there’s nothing connect to the earth this spring. you can’t do. From the color of your leggings to Downward-Facing Dogs in the Let yourself bloom with grass, let nature inspire your some foral yoga patterns practice this season. I know, I know, foral? Really? I’m not talking about your

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PAGE !15 BEST NEW YOGA BOOKS: SPRING EDITION

By Timothy Burgin

Tere’s something unique and with the season’s promise of new special about holding a new yoga beginnings and abundant growth. book in my hands; I always feel Tis latest collection of new yoga the curiosity and thrill of books spans an interesting and discovering new techniques and wide spectrum of philosophies ideas and the adventure of and techniques. exploring these on my . I feel this especially in springtime

PAGE !16 Bible by a great book to add to your yoga Christina Brown library. Tis is a wonderfully designed Yoga FAQ by Richard book densely packed with Rosen valuable information and great photos—but calling it a “yoga Tis is a creative and interesting bible” and a “defnitive guide to yoga” is a bit misleading. Asana, approach to writing a book the physical poses of , on yoga— takes up over 90% of the compiling questions and book’s contents. Tere is a brief answers that yoga students may ask as they traverse along the introduction to path of yoga. Rosen is quick to yoga and its basic dive deep into the complexities of yoga philosophy, history, and philosophy at the start and tradition, and makes a point to correct common misconceptions several breathing techniques and a few meditation about yoga. Tus, most of the discussion is quite interesting and exercises at the end, but overall fascinating yet is sometimes this book leaves out a huge amount of the history, philosophy, quirky and obscure, like the detailed discussion about if viagra and techniques of yoga. I do love how the book is uniquely divided was named after the Sanskrit name for tiger. Even though this into yang (vinyasa based movement) and yin (long holding book has a user-friendly title, it would be best suited to those of poses) practices. It also with some amount of practice contains a lot of unusual poses and movements that I haven’t and study of yoga under their belts. seen elsewhere. Even though the title is a bit misleading, this is still

PAGE 17! Breathe, Mama, Breathe Chair Yoga by Kristin by Shonda Moralis McGee Te techniques in this book—a Using a chair as a prop for fve-minute daily meditation practicing yoga is especially practice combined with short helpful, and often essential, for “ breaks” throughout the elderly and the day—are simple, easy, helpful for persons and effective. with physical Sixty limitations. mindfulness With over 100 exercises, poses and organized into black and fve chapters, are white photos, based around this book is an ordinary accessible guide to chair yoga. Te parenting poses and movement exercises moments (dinner, homework, range from simple and easy to sibling strife, toothbrushing, etc.). more complex and You can choose a mindfulness challenging and thus will appeal practice for a challenging part of to a wide range of practitioners your day or use a practice to bring and abilities. Since the chair yoga more awareness, aliveness, and poses are arranged by body part connection to ordinary family (upper body, face, low back, etc.), moments. In the end, these this book is easy to use as a exercises all boil down to reference to plan a sequence. remembering to “Breathe, Mama, Breathe.”

PAGE !18 Te Art of Vinyasa by Yoga Twists and Turns by Richard Freeman and Emma Silverman Mary Taylor If your asana practice is feeling Tis wonderful new book is a unique, fascinating and refreshing stale or uninspired, you will fnd this new book approach to the Ashtanga yoga practice and of posture sequences fun philosophy. I relished reading and refreshing. through the Te sequences are built “roots and depth of yoga” around a “challenge in part one, which discusses pose,” which the underlying ranges in level of difficulty and organized into fve themed philosophies, techniques, subtle alignments, mechanics, actions chapters of similar pose types (backbends, inversions, arm and intentions of Freeman’s approach to the Ashtanga system. balances, etc.). Te sequences are on the short side, making them Te yoga postures are taken out of their traditional sequence and easy to accomplish and digest, discussed within related groups and easy to incorporate or combine into a longer practice. (sun salutations, standing, forward bends, backbends, twists, Te hardcover format of the book allows it to lay open while balancings, and fnishing poses). While I do not practice practicing, but unfortunately the photos are a bit small and the Ashtanga, I look forward to taking many of these interesting pages are not laid out with the concepts on my mat to sequences on facing pages. experiment, explore and verify.

PAGE !19 Ayurveda Lifestyle Essential Yoga Wisdom by Acharya by Karena Virginia and Shunya Dharm Khalsa

Ayurveda, India’s ancient healing Tis beautiful yoga book is modality, can be difficult for copiously illustrated with large, Westerners to gorgeous black understand and and white apply to photos and is modern well designed lifestyles. Tis with easy to practical guide follow details simple instructions. and easy ways Tis detailed to apply guide to the Ayurveda through daily ritual, philosophy, practice, and diet, lifestyle, spiritual practices, techniques of and self-care. Tese describes the basic kundalini recommendations are quite movements, , and extensive—ranging from sex to as well as seven traditional sleep to elimination. Te healing kundalini yoga routines. Te very practices are organized by time of enthusiastic and passionate day and seasonal changes, and writing tends to be a bit heavy on also include beauty routines so woo-woo spirituality and that you not only feel good pseudoscience, which admittedly practicing Ayurveda, you look is difficult to avoid when good too. discussing the esoteric yogic elements of , nadis, bandhas, and mudras.

PAGE 20! Te Yoga Kitchen by Tankfully, the chapters have Kimberly Parsons user-friendly titles that make the chapters easier to grasp and navigate: Ground, Flow, Vitalize, Tis lovely hardcover cookbook Nurture, Strengthen, Calm and contains over Pure. Te beautiful (and delicious 100 vegetarian looking!) photos are printed on recipes thick stock and make this specifcally cookbook a delight to read. Many created for of the recipes have creative and by a slightly exotic ingredients and trained combinations—which might be naturopath and off-putting to some—but for avid chef. It’s cooks, this diversity is exciting, uniquely organized into chapters interesting and motivating. based on the recipe’s effect on the seven chakras.

PAGE !21 SPRING CLEANING: GET BACK IN BALANCE

By Kathleen Bryant

As spring approaches, you may types of cleanses, known as the feel the urge to set the stage for . Most of these should new growth by cleaning house or be undertaken only with the cleansing the physical body. guidance of an experienced Shaucha or purity is one of the teacher. However, some yogic foundational principles of yoga, cleanses, combined with gentle and ancient yogis practiced six ayurvedic practices, make an

PAGE 22! effective daily cleansing routine away from this simple and suitable for anyone who wants to venerable practice. If you have release toxins and build , the learned cleaning and drying digestive fre. techniques from a teacher, and you keep everything—water, salt, Start each morning by cleaning pot—squeaky clean, you should the tongue of ama, toxins that have nothing to worry about. have accumulated overnight. A (Don’t use water straight from the tongue scraper is the best tool. If tap.) Jala neti, like most yoga you like, follow this by gargling or cleanses, has both a physical and a , swishing a spoonful of psychospiritual purpose. Nasal oil in the mouth for at least 10 washing removes debris and minutes, then spitting it out. pollutants and stimulates the sinus Before showering, massage your cavities, but also helps open the skin with a dry washcloth or soft third eye, ajna , the seat of brush to stimulate circulation and inner vision. slough off dead skin cells. Use light pressure, stroking toward the Incorporate your cleansing routine heart. Other simple cleanses into a morning , which include washing the eyes using an might include meditation, sun eyecup and purifed water, and salutations, and pranayama. Te cleaning and massaging the gums candle-gazing meditation known with a paste of sesame oil and salt. as trataka cleanses the third eye. Kapalabhati pranayama, taught in If you’ve learned jala neti—nasal many yoga classes, is said to purify irrigation using lukewarm saline the frontal brain regions, as well as solution and a neti pot—you help remove carbon dioxide from know that it’s ideal for warding off the lowest regions of the lungs. allergies or helping control Asana cleanses the body by symptoms of upper respiratory promoting circulation and infections. In 2011, however, news massaging the digestive organs. stories about neti practitioners Twists are especially effective at dying from infections scared some this. Te pawanmuktasana

PAGE 23! digestive series focuses on the aim of cleansing (like the aim building agni and freeing energy of yoga) is to restore balance. blockages in the abdominal area. When purifcation becomes part Tis spring yoga sequence can of an ongoing healthy lifestyle, we help awaken dormant energy and begin to experience balance on release stagnation. ever deeper levels, encompassing body, mind, and spirit. Tis is the Just as the spring equinox marks renewal of spring. the equilibrium of day and night,

PAGE !24 TAKING YOGA OUTDOORS

By Kelly Golden

Te sun is fnally out after what available opportunity. So has seemed like a long dark reluctantly, I drag myself inside to winter, and humanity is heading expound upon the joys of yoga outdoors in droves. In my neck of asana which at the moment is the woods hiking trails are identifying with the natural crowded and creeks are overrun instinct to ditch four walls and get with fsherman. In my out of doors for practice as neighborhood, everyone, and I teachers, students, and studios mean everyone, is outside soaking across the country fnd a space in in the beautiful spring at any nature for their asana classes.

PAGE !25 Asana at its essence is a refection most alive, most green and most of our natural world. Trough the vibrant. So we are subtly but various poses we take the shapes undeniable drawn outdoors at the of animals, angles, and divine dawn of spring to fll our expressions of natural “energetic” cup. We drink in the phenomenon. It seems only smells of grass and fowers that we natural that we would be drawn have almost forgotten during the outdoors as the animals awake cold winter months, and we from their winter sleep and the elevate our aliveness in the trees and fowers unfold their process. greens and reds and pinks to Practicing outdoors brings the explore that which we refect in teachings of yoga and asana into our practice. When we talk about becoming more grounded, there is focus. Te world might be full of distractions, from birds chirping a place deep within us that truly wants to feel the grass and soil to jackhammers pounding, but when we come into contact with beneath our feet. In our often “virtual” world, the realness of our our Self in nature, we are able to dig deep inside to fnd our balance practice guides us to the realness and strength. Getting out of the of our experiences. ordinary element of our yoga So teachers take their classes to studio or gym might be just what public parks, to outdoor spaces, was needed to reawaken our and even to mountaintops. When practice after a long, winter they instruct their students to hibernation. “reach their hands toward the sky,” As practitioners, yogis are moving they are met with a beautiful blue outdoors outside of the context of expanse instead of a non-descript roof over their heads. And the organized classes. Spontaneous asanas may erupt on an afternoon students feel the difference. My teacher says that , the life hike or during a day at the park. Several of my friends and students force that rides upon the breath, is are recommitting to their practice strongest in the places that are

PAGE !26 now that the back porch is baked classes everywhere from Central in morning sunlight. Organized Park to the Rocky Mountains. programs like “Park Bench Yoga” And with a little bit of searching, encourage public displays of asana, you can fnd one to choose from and provide tools to make it more in your area. accessible. Tere are outdoor

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Click here to visit HanumanPAGE Festival !28 website Click here Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to visit Floyd Yoga Jam website Click here to PAGE !29 SUMMER YOGA FESTIVALS FOR 2017

By Timothy Burgin

Attending a summer yoga festival To assist you in your summer yoga is one of the easiest and best festival plans, we have compiled a adventures for yogis of all complete 2017 yoga festival lineup experience levels. You can attend a below! Since most festivals offer festival near or far and be early bird discounts, now is the immersed in yoga classes, time to pick your faves and dish workshops, music, and outdoor out the cash for your tickets. activities for an entire weekend.

PAGE 30! Find your festival focus music will be the main or only As you peruse the long list of yoga evening entertainment, you might festivals below, you will notice want to preview the music of any each schedule has a unique unfamiliar bands on the lineup assortment of options. Te big (especially the headliners). three areas to focus on are teachers Even though yoga and music will and presenters, types of music and consume most of your time, yoga bands, and other outdoor festivals offer other unique activities. activities such as massage/healing Most festivals offer a wide modalities, hiking, rock climbing, spectrum of classes and stand up paddle boards, acro-yoga, workshops, which is great if you aerial arts, hula hooping, and like to dabble and explore mountain biking. Also consider different styles and teachers. the festival’s food options, the size About half of the presenters at the and diversity of their vendor Asheville Yoga Festival are local or village, and if they have a regional teachers while Boulder’s children’s program. Hanuman Festival has more Pick your perfect location national and international teachers Just as students favor a specifc such as Seane Corn, Rod Stryker, yoga studio in town, yoga festival- Annie Carpenter, Amy Ippoliti, and Saul David Raye. If you like goers gravitate towards certain venues based on location, cost, TED-like talks, look for a dedicated speaker/lecture section accommodations, and amenities. If travel time and cost are a big on a festival’s schedule. deciding factor, focus on festivals Te two main music options at a in easy to access locations (near yoga festival are /chanting major airports or close to home); bands and chill or yoga music if not consider a more remote or bands. Many festivals will feature adventurous location. one or the other, while some will offer a diverse mix of all. Since

PAGE !31 Another big factor to consider is campsites (wooded or meadow), where you’ll be laying your head car/RV camping, and a glamping down after a long day of yoga: (deluxe furnished tents) village. local hotels or camping. City- Every yoga festival will be a based yoga festivals take advantage of nearby hotels for unique and fun experience and be heavily favored by its location and accommodations (and may have presenters. Once you have found some or all classes in their ballrooms). In more remote the festival with the right mix of teachers, music, and amenities locations you’ll likely fnd camping or cabins. Te Floyd think about what to pack and what to expect. Yoga Jam has a camping option for just about everyone: two tent

PAGE 32! Summer Yoga Festivals for 2017:

Dates Festival Name Location

April 28-30 Dubuque Yoga Festival Dubuque, IA

May 12-14 Fest Joshua Tree, CA

May 20-21 Downtown Yoga Festival Salt Lake City, UT

June 9-11 Wanderlust Snowshoe, WV

June 10-11 Ozark Mountain Yoga Festival Low Gap, AR

June 15-18 Hanuman Festival Boulder, CO

June 16-18 The Groove Yoga Festival Sydenham, ON CA

June 18-23 Esalen Yoga Festival Big Sur, CA

June 22-25 Wanderlust Bondville, VT

June 23-25 Breathe Yoga Festival Fort Collins, CO

July 7-9 Maine Yoga Fest Portland, ME

July 7-9 Nantucket Yoga Festival Nantucket, MA

July 20-23 Telluride Yoga Festival Telluride, CO

July 20-23 Wanderlust Lake Tahoe, CA

July 27-30 Asheville Yoga Festival Asheville, NC

July 27-30 YogaFest Vanderbilt, MI

Aug 3-6 Wanderlust Whistler, BC CA

August 9-13 Sat Nam Fest Lenox, MA

August 10-13 Denver Yoga Festival Denver, CO

August 24-27 Wanderlust Mount Tremblant, QC CA

August 26-28 Santa Fe Yoga Festival Santa Fe, NM

Aug 31 -Sept 3 Floyd Yoga Jam Floyd, VA

September 6-11 Fest Joshua Tree, CA

PAGE 33! THE YOGA OF FOOD: EATING FOR SPRING

By Timothy Burgin

Te transition from winter to to winter’s excess toxins and our spring can be quite dramatic, minds depressed from winter’s outside in nature, as well as inside cold days and long nights. Luckily our bodies. Our tender hearts yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda, easily fall in love with spring’s offers plenty of helpful guidance promise of birth, new beginnings, for us to gracefully move into and renewal, and growth—yet our harmonize with spring, including bodies are tired and sluggish due

PAGE !34 tips for how to eat and nourish grains, and steamed or stir-fried our bodies for the season. vegetables. Minimize the use of high fat ingredients like nuts, One of the core principles of dairy, and animal protein. Instead Ayurveda is that the energy of the add more beans and legumes to body mirrors the energy of the your meals. Be mindful of earth. Springtime creates an overeating in springtime and abundance of water—the earth is especially avoid consuming heavy with the moisture of excessive amounts of bread or melting snow and spring showers. pasta. Minimize snacking and try Kapha, “that which fourishes in to eat only three meals per day. water,” is the Ayurvedic dosha (bio-elemental energy) that is Purify and renew dominant in the spring. When You don’t have to undergo an kapha becomes excessive in nature onerous “spring juice cleanse” to your body may feel heavy, swollen, purify your body from the excesses cold, or overweight and your mind of your winter diet. Instead slowly may feel sleepy, slow, dull or add more cleansing vegetables to depressed. We can keep spring’s your diet focusing on dark leafy strong kapha infuence in check by greens (kale, collards, chard, following some simple and arugula, spinach, etc.) and intuitive Ayurvedic dietary advice. cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, Lighten up broccoli, brussel sprouts, etc.). While eating these veggies raw Slowly transition between winter’s will be more purifying, this is not thick, heavy and dense foods advised in springtime as too much towards lighter fare. Avoid rich raw food in your diet can weaken sauces, cream-based dishes, and digestion. Instead, lightly cook oily or fried foods. Shift away these veggies, use simple food from heavy vegetables like combinations, and cook with the avocado, olives, sweet potato, and foods that are the easiest for you winter squash to lighter options to digest. Adding a little lemon like berries, green veggies, cooked

PAGE !35 juice to your drinking water and the heat of summer, transition steamed veggies will also support away from hot and excessively detoxifcation. warming foods towards a more warm-neutral temperature diet. Minimize dampness Consume more warm-neutral Be mindful of your veggies such as carrots, water content in potatoes, mushrooms, this kapha turnips, beets, and dominant season asparagus. Slowly taper —not only of off cooking with warm what you drink spices such as onions, but also the garlic, leeks, ginger, moisture content black pepper, turmeric, of your meals. cumin, cinnamon, clove, Minimize consuming cardamom, and nutmeg. Cold, high water content veggies like refrigerated or frozen cucumber, zucchini, foods or drinks celery, and tomato and should be avoided. watery fruits like grapefruit, peaches, oranges, All of the above is and melons. Consuming too general advice and should only much sugar and sweets will also be considered as a starting point create excessive dampness. for changing your diet for the Include some diuretic foods like spring season. Experiment and oats, parsley, carrots, asparagus, make adjustments based on your and seaweed to further reduce individual constitution, local excess dampness. seasonal foods, and the specifc weather conditions where you live. Avoid cold and hot, seek Most importantly, pay attention to warmth how the weather and the food you Since spring is a transition eat affects your prana, digestion, between the cold of winter and and overall sense of health and well-being.

PAGE !36 About YogaBasics.com

YogaBasics.com was launched in 2001 to provide a comprehensive online resource for yoga. Since then we have continued to refne and expand our site’s offering of yoga postures, sequences, yoga therapy, and articles covering a broad range of subjects. We hope that you enjoy your time exploring our site and that you fnd valuable information to help you deepen your yoga practice. Mission Statement Our deepest desire and wish is to make the world a better place. Our highest goal is to remove the suffering, misery and unhappiness of the people of the world, and to remove the causes of this suffering. We are here to serve, in our highest capacity, to spread the knowledge and wisdom of the ancient path of yoga to all who desire these tools. We pray that our work helps others to learn, grow and develop spiritually, physically and mentally. May peace, love and joy reside in the hearts of all. Good Business Yogabasics.com is operated using the yogic principles of the and niyamas. We embrace the yogic teaching of Ahisma (nonviolence) in our relationship to the earth. At YogaBasics.com we have a strong commitment to protecting the planet by becoming a carbon neutral and green company. Trough Samtosha and Asteya we practice generosity through contributing over 5% of our profts to non-proft organizations.

PAGE 37! E-book Credits

Yoga for Spring: A Guide and Resource to Practicing Yoga in the Springtime was created and compiled by YogaBasics.com. All contents are copyright © 2001-2017 by YogaBasics.com Inc. All rights reserved.

Tis eBook or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Te cost of producing and distributing this eBook was offset by the generous support of our sponsors: Buddha Pants, MyYogaWorks, Japa Mala Beads, WACCES, Floyd Yoga Jam, Hanuman Festival.

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