This is the time of year most of us, yours truly included, are
feeling a rather deeper shade of blue. We
are tired of this long up and down winter and sick of the deep freeze,
wind-chill and mountains of snow.
By now the Law of Diminishing Intentions is at full play:
motivation is out of the door (my good friend Kathy says “ My get up and
go got up and left!”); it's hard to get inspired when the energy levels
are low and all we really want to do is to hunker down on the couch
with a pint of ice cream and watch the repeat of Gray’s Anatomy a few
times over.
Well, my friends, we are not alone. It is now time to come out of
hibernation.
If fact, we are experiencing the heavy influence of Kapha. For those
of you not familiar with Ayurveda, Kapha is a heavy, slow principle,
which is prevalent in both our bodies and environment during this time
of year. Imbalance in Kapha dosha often expresses itself as flu,
colds, coughs and congestion; but also as a stale, unmotivated,
depressive state of mind. Starting to sound familiar, doesn’t it?
Fortunately, there are some easy fixes to Kapha imbalance. Few of you
have found them already by simply getting out of GP and into the sunny
Mexico. Lucky you!
For the brave souls who couldn't escape GP this March,
here are 4 easy steps to feeling better:
(and my to do list for this weekend)
#1 GET MOVING! I know you don’t want to, I
know it’s cold outside. But remember, Kapha has heavy, stable, slow
influence on our bodies. The best way to beat it is to start moving.
Even 10 minutes a day will make a huge difference. And guess what? If
you exercise the first thing in the morning (right after you’ve
meditated, of course), your body will be burning fat all day long.
Bonus!
#2 ADD THE GREENS. Those of you who have
worked with me before know that I don’t recommend raw, leafy greens in
winter, and for a good reason. Spring, however is a great time to start
adding greens back into your diet. Do it in the morning to counter the
heaviness of Kapha. Just add a few drops of chlorophyll to a glass of
water to perk up your energy and start a gentle detoxification process. A
number of great triathlon athletes thrive on having a salad for
breakfast. It is definitely worth a try!
#3 CLEAN YOUR HOUSE. Clutter and disarray
perpetuate Kapha imbalance. Find an hour, recruit your family and get
cleaning. I am not a cleaning expert; surely you can find cleaning
advice on Martha Stewart or Peter Walsh’s websites. Here is a cool tip, though -
be mindful of the process. Pay attention to what you are doing: not
only your house will be sparkly clean and ready for spring, you will
feel more grounded by practicing present moment awareness. Who knows,
you might even enjoy the process. What a concept!
#4 GET FLOWERS. Buy some fresh flowers for
your house. Need I explain this?
See you this Spring!
Enjoy!
