Spring has announced itself once again heralded with fragrant flowers and fresh green leaves. There is a warmth to the atmosphere whispering delights of the balmy summer days yet to come. The whimsical spring breezes carry a bounty of freshness and new life for our lungs, indeed for our whole body. Spring is a time to breathe deeply; breathe deeply and cleanse away all the winter stagnation.
Spring is a mercurial time of year. The weather unpredictable, sometimes hot, sometimes cold, sometimes windy, sometimes still. With our yoga practice we can either try to counter the flightiness of spring with lots of grounding poses or we can simply ‘go with the flow’ by tapping into spring’s ambience to chase away any stiffness sheltering in our joints with flowing repetitive movements.
Both approaches have value and can maybe be alternated day by day in your home practice or if your practice is at our ASMY classes, you can maybe alternate flows with grounding hatha classes. At the Mermaid Beach Centre we offer varieties of flowing and grounding classes every day from Monday to Saturday and on Sunday, the traditional day of rest, there is a deliciously comforting Yin Yoga Class.
If you are new to a flowing style of yoga it is a good idea to check out the useful article before you start.
Whether we are flowing or grounding, breathing slowly and deeply will bring the fresh vibrant energy of spring to every cell in our body. When we couple the breath with repetitive movement, especially flowing arm movements, we wake up our lymphatic drainage system. In this way we nourish the cells by breathing deeply and with our flows we clear away by-products of metabolism, plus hopefully, anything else that shouldn’t be hanging out in our deep dark places.
In the same way we can harness the energy of spring in our approach to asanas we can also find the meditation style that best suits our spring moods. Sunday night at the Mermaid Beach Mantra Room is a mixture of laid back grounding type meditation and lively kirtans encouraging us to spring up out of our seats and get moving to the music. Sunday night kirtan is of course a great night any time of year, but especially great if you want to flow with the vibrant energy of spring.
The Full Moon Beach Kirtan under the beautiful shining spring moon and stars on Saturday 10th September will help us to rejoice in and celebrate the full vibrancy of kirtan. This is an event not to be missed!
Other refreshing kirtans are offered on Wednesday and Friday nights while Community Kirtan with Nathan on a Wednesday afternoon is another way spring freshness can creep into our meditations. He inspires us to bring our own instruments and help create some fun meditations.
Nathan also offers a Breathwork and Meditation session on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays which will get the lymph flowing, nourish the cells and refresh the mind and heart.
If you are seeking peace and tranquillity (and who isn’t’?) there are Guided Meditations offered at the Mermaid Centre every day from Monday to Saturday. And if you are looking for more support in your Spring practice, why not join our upcoming 30 Day Spring Challenge?
Check out our timetable and find the sessions you would like to attend and don’t let spring pass you by!
By Vrndavan Dasi
Founder and Principal of Veda Yoga Teacher Training