I had the privilege of sharing my knowledge and passion for Seasonal Yoga with 12 beautiful souls in Houston Killellan Kirk Hall yesterday, a huge thank you to all that attended it was lovely to spend time together.
I thought I’d share an outline of the workshop. We had a packed three hours!
- What is Seasonal Yoga
- The season of winter
- Meditation
- A lovely flowing yoga session – working on creating space and fluidity in our spine and finishing off with a lovely, long Yoga Nidra
- Next it was time for a cup of herbal tea and some vegan tiffin (those who know me know that no session is complete without this treat!). If you want to make it yourself the recipe can be found on http://www.bbcgoodfood.com, search for vegan tiffin 😍
- Then we moved on to setting our goals for the year
For those of you who couldn’t make it, I have shared some information on the season of winter that we covered at the workshop below. Come back next week and I’ll cover another topic that we spoke about.
Please get in touch if you would like to know more via the Contact Me page on my website or message me on Instagram!
The Season of Winter
Just as we see in nature, Winter is a time of rest and stillness, many animals hibernate and we should also try to slow down, gather our energy inwards and store it to sustain us for the rest of winter.
The element for Winter is Water. It’s a time to go with the flow, let things flow over you but it is also a time to find your own hidden depths, your inner strength, your willpower and determination. This is the time to start and build a regular, daily meditation practice, 5 minutes a day is enough to still your mind and help you to find calm and observe and let go of any negative thoughts that pop into your mind.
The organs associated with the Water element are the kidneys and bladder.
The bladder meridian starts at the inner corners of the eyes, runs down the back of the skull, neck, spine, backs of legs and ends at the outer edge of the little toe. Wide leg forward folds, pyramid pose or any other asanas that stretch the backs of the legs and neck are ideal for stimulating this meridian.
The kidney meridian starts under the ball of the foot at the bubbling brook and runs up the inside of the ankles, legs, up through the torso either side of the navel to the space under the knobbly bones of your collarbone (this is a fear point, so if you feel anxious place one hand on your abdomen, below your navel and gently massage this point, change hands and massage the other side).
Lunges, horse stance and Warrior are all good, as are any postures which you can feel stretching your inner thighs!
There is so much fascinating information, if you want to learn more please visit the website below, which has free information, videos and tips. I can’t recommend it highly enough!
Tips to thrive in winter
To finish off, I’ll share some simple tips to help get you through this bleak but beautiful season. Look after yourselves 🙏🥰♥️
- Meditate every day.
- Take Epsom salt baths twice a week or use a Magnesium spray if you don’t have a bath!
- Eat warming foods, soups, stews, roast vegetables and curries. Avoid cold foods and iced drinks (they drain energy from your kidneys).
- Slow down. Try to go to bed earlier than usual and avoid screens an hour before going to bed.
- Find your inner passion – read, listen to podcasts, watch YouTube videos on subjects that inspire you.
- Above all, nurture yourself. Conserve your energy and listen to what your body is telling you.
Have a great week 💕🧘🏻🙏
Yoga with Liz 