…so should our yoga practice, yes? It stands to reason that what worked for us in July might not be appropriate for December. But how do we know when and how to change? One very helpful tool comes from Ayurveda, yoga’s “sister science,” which offers us tools for how to organize our daily lives.
While the Gregorian calendar divides into four different seasons, the sages of India didn’t hail from Northern Europe. As such, they thought of the wheel of the year in terms of the dominant weather patterns of the subcontinent. They first thought about the temperature: certain parts of the year are hot, while others are cooler. From there, the cool part of the year can be sub-divided into whether it is windy (dry), or rainy (wet). From these observations came the three doshas of pitta (heat), vata (air), and kapha (earth and water).
As a Californian, this type of division makes sense to me – where I live, we don’t get anything like traditional winter! Instead, we have a long, hot, and dry summer, followed by a (slightly) cooler and (significantly) windier autumn. From here, our weather segues into a short (but sometimes intense) wet season. It’s not surprising that the Ayurvedic year is useful here. I would be interested in hearing about how the Ayurvedic calendar works in more traditional climates – please leave me a comment below.
Right now in California, we’re seeing the transition from the windy to the wet season; in Ayurvedic terms, the weather patterns, which have been dominated by Vata, are now moving towards a more Kapha state. What does this mean for our yoga practice? Over the summer (Pitta), we worked to stay cool; autumn (Vata) crept in slowly but surely, demanding that we up our intensity but only for short periods of time. In the upcoming season, we will experience less wind but more damp, as well as less warmth and longer darkness. Ayurveda seeks to balance the inherent qualities of each season; in the rainy period, it’s all too easy to get slow and stagnant. We need more vigor in order to counterbalance the tendency towards hibernation!
In practical terms, this means that we can once again practice with more gusto, warming up the body and then working in a way that creates and sustains the energy lacking in the season. Thus, we might focus on more challenging poses, or perhaps on the way in which we connect poses when creating vinyasa, or sequences. series of challenging poses that you’ve been wanting to master. This is also a good time to play with routine, working on consistency and movement. Maybe this is the time to up that weekly studio commitment? Or perhaps incorporate more moving meditations into the week?
Personally, I’ve been focused on Yin-style practice over the last few months, in addition to experimenting with restorative poses and longer holds. As the days get shorter and damper, I look forward to reviewing the various forms of Surya Namaskar, or Sun Salutations; I’m also going to place more emphasis on standing and balancing poses, which demand and develop strength. At the same time, however, I’m committing to keeping this kind of work accessible, and therefore will be continuing my exploration of alternative forms to traditional sequences.
How does the upcoming change in weather affect your practice? I’d love to hear from you on the subject. Leave a comment below, and feel free to suggest topics about which you’d like to read!
Yoga Cielo Stellato 