Finding Balance in Shifting Seasons

The lyric “The season don't ever come on time no more” from the song I Know I'm Not Alone by Michael Franti & Spearhead seems appropriate this year when spring seems delayed. Even though the calendar says that spring started two weeks ago on the spring equinox, the weather doesn’t conjure up images of frolicking through sun-soaked fields of wildflowers. This year the spring equinox fell on March 20th marking the date when the daylight and darkness were equal in length (equi - equal; nox - night).

My neighbor’s tree has blossomed out, most likely due to the longer daylight and not spring-like temperatures. Across the country people have been battling strange, unseasonable weather. So, what to do to find Ayurvedic balance when the weather is throwing us a curveball?

One of the remarkable things about Ayurveda is that it’s a system based on awareness and personal responsibility. To find balance, we look at ourselves and we look at ourselves as part of our environment. We don’t exist separately from what’s happening around us. And we find balance by bringing in the qualities that cultivate a sense of equanimity between two opposites. 

The opposites include hot and cold, wet and dry, light and heavy, the list goes on. In the spring, especially early spring before things have warmed up, the qualities outside tend to be cool, damp, and likely cloudy with a heavy feeling hanging in the air. We adjust by bringing in warmth, dryness, clarity and lightness. Dress warmly and practically, get regular exercise to warm up the body, which also encourages sweating and a sense of cleansing. Exercise, including yoga poses, also helps remove the feelings of heaviness in the body. Pranayama, yogic breathing practices, can further encourage warmth and break up congestion. Eat warm, easy to digest foods that leave the body feeling light rather than weighed down. 

Evaluate the conditions outside on a regular basis and slowly adjust the diet, routine, and activity levels as the weather changes in the progression toward summer. Read more about ritucharya (routines) for spring here.