Spring Practice

This last month we have been celebrating the end of winter and the arrival of the new season, at least on the mat, since the weather hasn't been particularly Spring-like in Scotland.
We have been working on joint mobility, building fluidity and space in the joints so that we can move through our Asana practice with a sense of ease. We have begun to do more standing practises as our energy levels go up with the increasing daylight. And a little bit of Spring cleaning in the form of Kriyas (cleansing practices) that, through repetitive movement, remove stagnation from the body.

According to “The Yellow Emperor Classic of Medicine”, one of the main texts of traditional Chinese medicine that I discovered thanks to my Qigong teacher, Mimi Kuo-Deemer, one should rise early and retire early during this season. We should also practice equanimity and be mindful of anger, which is more prevalent at this time of the year. Can we turn the energy of anger into something constructive?
The breath can also come to the rescue if we are overwhelmed by anger. One of my all-time favourite pranayamas, the bhramari or bee-humming, can be quite effective to disperse the red mist.