It definitely looks like winter out there. It is, but we’re still carrying the Autumn (Vata) qualities of instability, especially with the stressful holiday season upon us. It’s also windy and cold, which often lodges in the joints and tissues.
Three things to do every day:
- Wake up your spine. Consider Table and Cat/Cow variations to move the spine in all the ways it can move. Move with intention and focus. The spine is the core of the nervous system pathway, so moving the spine daily supports the nervous system (this means de-stressing the mind) as well as supporting structural stability of the bones and muscles. I also love Downward Facing Dog this season to lengthen the spine and as a practice for integration of the body, mind, and spirit.
- Churn all the joints. A good go-to are the ten churnings (Dasa Chalana). Start with the toes, then work you way up. Move the ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, elbows, wrists, fingers, neck, and (of course) the spine.
- Gentle inversion, like legs up the wall or legs up supporting the sacrum with a block (supported Reverse Process). These poses help alleviate the natural pull of gravity that draws everything downward into the feet (blood, lymph, Ama). It also helps realign the natural and appropriate flows of movement in the body (Vayus). These are also sweet, restorative poses for the stressful season.
Three focuses. Three to four poses–that’s it. Now, do them every day and see how great you feel. Seriously, this can take a mere FIVE minutes…get out of bed, drop onto your hands and knees, and start moving.
Commit to your daily health!! I’ve made it easy.
Trillium Ayurveda 